Bob does very well on all of his English papers and is praised for his skilled writing. However, when he is around his friends he says things like "ain't" and "like" often, though his sentences are still grammatical. When writing he is following ________, while when speaking he is following ________.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Prescriptive rules are the set of rules that dictate how language should be used, such as the rules taught in schools and grammar books. In contrast, descriptive rules describe how language is actually used by native speakers in their daily interactions. Bob is following prescriptive rules when he writes for his English papers, but he is following descriptive rules when he speaks with his friends. The use of "ain't" and "like" in spoken language is accepted as part of descriptive rules, although they are often considered incorrect by prescriptive rules.

Bob Does Very Well on All of His English Papers