grammar rules you can break today - Arika Okrent episode artwork

EPISODE · May 14, 2026 · 7 MIN

grammar rules you can break today - Arika Okrent

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Take a look at 3 English language grammar rules to find out where they come from and if you actually need to follow them.--Grammatical rules have caused heated debate in various regions and languages for centuries. But while we know people take grammar seriously, what’s less clear is, why? Where do these seemingly random rules come from, and which, if any, actually matter? Arika Okrent takes a closer look at three famous examples from the English language that have been the source of numerous grammatical arguments.Lesson by Arika Okrent, directed by Sharon Colman.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/3-grammar-rules-that-you-dont-need-to-follow-anymore-arika-okrentDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/3-grammar-rules-that-you-dont-need-to-follow-anymore-arika-okrent/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.sharoncolman.comMusic: https://www.workplaywork.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Yansong Li, Cristóbal Moenne, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, Edgardo Cuellar, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Michael Burton, VIVIANA A GARCIA BESNE, The Vernon's, Olha Bahatiuk, Jesús Bíquez Talayero, Chels Raknrl, Sai Pranavi Jonnalagadda, Stuart Rice, Jing Chen, Vector-Dopamine math, Jasper Song, Giorgio Bugnatelli, Chardon, and Eddy Trochez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Take a look at 3 English language grammar rules to find out where they come from and if you actually need to follow them.--Grammatical rules have caused heated debate in various regions and languages for centuries. But while we know people take grammar seriously, what’s less clear is, why? Where do these seemingly random rules come from, and which, if any, actually matter? Arika Okrent takes a closer look at three famous examples from the English language that have been the source of numerous grammatical arguments.Lesson by Arika Okrent, directed by Sharon Colman.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/3-grammar-rules-that-you-dont-need-to-follow-anymore-arika-okrentDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/3-grammar-rules-that-you-dont-need-to-follow-anymore-arika-okrent/digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.sharoncolman.comMusic: https://www.workplaywork.com----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Mark Morris, Misaki Sato, EdoKun, SookKwan Loong, Bev Millar, Lex Azevedo, Michael Aquilina, Jason A Saslow, Yansong Li, Cristóbal Moenne, Dawn Jordan, Prasanth Mathialagan, Samuel Doerle, David Rosario, Dominik Kugelmann - they-them, Siamak Hajizadeh, Ryohky Araya, Mayank Kaul, Christophe Dessalles, Heather Slater, Sandra Tersluisen, Zhexi Shan, Bárbara Nazaré, Andrea Feliz, Victor E Karhel, Sydney Evans, Latora, Noel Situ, emily lam, Sid, Niccolò Frassetto, Mana, I'm here because of Knowledge Fight Facebook group., Linda Freedman, Edgardo Cuellar, Jaspar Carmichael-Jack, Michael Burton, VIVIANA A GARCIA BESNE, The Vernon's, Olha Bahatiuk, Jesús Bíquez Talayero, Chels Raknrl, Sai Pranavi Jonnalagadda, Stuart Rice, Jing Chen, Vector-Dopamine math, Jasper Song, Giorgio Bugnatelli, Chardon, and Eddy Trochez. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Take a look at 3 English language grammar rules to find out where they come from and if you actually need to follow them.--Grammatical rules have caused heated debate in various regions and languages for centuries. But while we know people take...

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