grammar lesson
In the middle of writing chapter 6 of CitN, I came across a dilemna that put an unfortunate halt to my furious typing...
“Calm down, Quinn. Everything will be alright,” Kento spoke in as gentle a voice as he could muster. However, the young girl seemed immune to his words as her eyes darted back and forth, scanning the unfamiliar room with growing terror...
Is it alright? Or all right?
When I was in 7th grade, I had to write an essay about my dog (it might have been something else, too, but I don't quite remember). Anyway, when the essay was finally returned to me, Mr. Klocek (God bless his heart) had circled each and every 'alright' in marked red, indicating in the margins the more correct spelling "all right" scrawled in his perfect script. I've never forgotten it.
Now, as I attempted to correct the mistake, I paused. Replacing it with the new spelling, the sentence just didn't feel right. How could that be? Can written words actually feel wrong?
And then I noticed something even more interesting. Microsoft Word did not highlight 'alright' as grammatically incorrect: the familiar green squiggle was not in sight! Curiosity overwhelming me, I replaced 'alright' with "all right" and--poof!--the green squiggle magically appeared! My jaw dropped. Mr. Klocek was wrong?
Not to be content with Microsoft Word's grammar-checking utility, I googled "alright vs. all right," and was astonished to find a number of varying opinions on the subject:
"Scholars and grammarians are constantly debating the question of alright vs. all right. In common usage, all right is a synonym for okay or satisfactory, as in “Are you all right?” However, it can also mean “all correct”, as in, “My answers on the test were all right.”...Generally, most editors and teachers don’t think “alright” is all right. If you’re in doubt, it’s best to stick with the more widely accepted two-word “all right,” especially in formal academic or professional writing."
Source: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/is-alright-all-right
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"all right (adv.) Never alright. Hyphenate only if used colloquially as a compound modifier: He is an all-right guy."
Source: AP Style Guide
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"...Since the early 20th century some critics have insisted alright is wrong, but it has its defenders and its users. It is less frequent than all right but remains in common use especially in journalistic and business publications. It is quite common in fictional dialogue, and is used occasionally in other writing."
Source: Merriam Webster
However enlightening that was, in the end, I suppose that there really is no wrong or right answer to this century-old debate. Alright vs. all right? Whatever. I'll stick to whatever feels right :) And right now, 'alright' suits me just fine...even if images of vicious red circles still cross my mind whenever I use it.
Stay tuned for next week's ever exciting grammar lesson as I dissect through the age-long mystery of "lie vs. lay" !!!
...okay, I'm done. :P
“Calm down, Quinn. Everything will be alright,” Kento spoke in as gentle a voice as he could muster. However, the young girl seemed immune to his words as her eyes darted back and forth, scanning the unfamiliar room with growing terror...
Is it alright? Or all right?
When I was in 7th grade, I had to write an essay about my dog (it might have been something else, too, but I don't quite remember). Anyway, when the essay was finally returned to me, Mr. Klocek (God bless his heart) had circled each and every 'alright' in marked red, indicating in the margins the more correct spelling "all right" scrawled in his perfect script. I've never forgotten it.
Now, as I attempted to correct the mistake, I paused. Replacing it with the new spelling, the sentence just didn't feel right. How could that be? Can written words actually feel wrong?
And then I noticed something even more interesting. Microsoft Word did not highlight 'alright' as grammatically incorrect: the familiar green squiggle was not in sight! Curiosity overwhelming me, I replaced 'alright' with "all right" and--poof!--the green squiggle magically appeared! My jaw dropped. Mr. Klocek was wrong?
Not to be content with Microsoft Word's grammar-checking utility, I googled "alright vs. all right," and was astonished to find a number of varying opinions on the subject:
"Scholars and grammarians are constantly debating the question of alright vs. all right. In common usage, all right is a synonym for okay or satisfactory, as in “Are you all right?” However, it can also mean “all correct”, as in, “My answers on the test were all right.”...Generally, most editors and teachers don’t think “alright” is all right. If you’re in doubt, it’s best to stick with the more widely accepted two-word “all right,” especially in formal academic or professional writing."
Source: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/is-alright-all-right
----------
"all right (adv.) Never alright. Hyphenate only if used colloquially as a compound modifier: He is an all-right guy."
Source: AP Style Guide
----------
"...Since the early 20th century some critics have insisted alright is wrong, but it has its defenders and its users. It is less frequent than all right but remains in common use especially in journalistic and business publications. It is quite common in fictional dialogue, and is used occasionally in other writing."
Source: Merriam Webster
However enlightening that was, in the end, I suppose that there really is no wrong or right answer to this century-old debate. Alright vs. all right? Whatever. I'll stick to whatever feels right :) And right now, 'alright' suits me just fine...even if images of vicious red circles still cross my mind whenever I use it.
Stay tuned for next week's ever exciting grammar lesson as I dissect through the age-long mystery of "lie vs. lay" !!!
...okay, I'm done. :P