Elizabeth's question about -ly endings on adverbs of manner raises an even 
broader question: how are we as teachers to decide when some "rule" of grammar 
is no longer in effect.   Most of us don't want to be in the role of defending 
archaic rules that no longer describe the living, evolving language, but we 
also do want to make sure our students learn the conventions that will 
stigmatize their writing when violated. 

Two examples I've wondered about lately:   "try and" has appeared twice in 
recent weeks in the New York Times.   Should I abandone my efforts to convince 
my students that "try to" is preferable?   And the apostrophe seems to be 
disappearing in some constructions: Veterans Administration, for example.   

Many on this list have poked fun at those who cling to archaic rules about 
splitting infinitives and ending sentences with prepositions, are "try and" and 
the optional apostrophe approaching the same status?   How will we know when 
they arrive there?



Peter Adams

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