Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing cover image

571 GG Lego or Legos? Why English Spelling Reform Is Doomed.

Grammar Girl Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing

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The Importance of Context in Writing

Removing all those R's in spelling would be very strange because speakers know that they belong in writing no matter how they pronounce them. If a word starting with a vowel comes after an R at the end of the word like murder express, that R pops right back in for those speakers. Ask a British friend to read murder and murder express out loud to you and you'll hear it. Don't forget that much classic literature was written at a time when English was pronounced completely differently as we learned in part one last week. Leaving writing standardized allows us in future generations to preserve ideas, study history, and enjoy literature while spoken language continues to evolve.

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