Given all the anomalies in the English Language, what is the author suggesting about standards of usage? How does his discussion make you feel about your own lapses in grammar?
In response to the questions above, Bill Bryson's main argument is the abnormalities of the English language and the ignorance of rules implicated by those of Latin. Although certain rules have kept certain from the Latin language, it is inevitable that variations surface due to the evolution of human behaviour, or technology, etc. Bryson quotes, "The best forms of speech will, in time, establish themselves". In terms of my own lapses in grammar, I feel less guilty due to the underlying reality of the English language: a lack of stultifying authority.
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