The Formality and Correctness Survey: results

Here are summary results of the survey. There were actually two forms, selected on the basis of the last digit of the respondent's postal code. Some items were different from one form to the other; some were the same. I present them here side by side, with the average formality rating (on a 1 to 5 scale) and the variance in formality rating (more variance means greater diversity of opinion between respondents) as well as the total number of "no" and "yes" responses on the correctness question.

I have added comments on some of the points of usage.

[1] We want to aggressively pursue this opportunity.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.49
1.2
44
54

[A] We wish to aggressively pursue this opportunity.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.92
0.74
26
81
Many people consider it improper to insert a word between "to" and the infinitive (this is commonly called "splitting the infinitive," although "to" is not actually an integral part of the infinitive). This "rule" was invented in the 18th century. Standard English references do not consider this an error, although it is often inelegant.
 

[2] There are a lot of reasons to do so.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.61
1.0
43
50

[B] There is a lot of reasons to do so.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.17
1.12
96
11
Although many people insist that collective nouns (e.g., "a large number of...") should take verbs conjugated in the singular because they are singular, "a lot" illustrates that in fact this is not always necessarily so.
 

[3] This is something which we must address.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.60
1.1
42
54

[C] This is something that we must address.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.60
0.74
9
98
In American English, there is a distinction maintained between restrictive "that," which is not preceded by a comma, and nonrestrictive "which," which is preceded by a comma; in British English, it is normal to use "which" in both cases and to signal restrictive versus nonrestrictive with the comma alone. In Canada, we are often somewhat ambivalent in this regard.
 

[4] I think it's fun.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.49
0.5
15
83

[D] I think it's fun.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.70
0.84
9
98
"Fun" is thought by some people to be correct only as a noun, not as an adjective, but the adjective use is common and is considered acceptable by many standard references. The above sentence allows interpretation as either noun or adjective.
 

[5] This is a historic occasion.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.21
1.3
62
32

[E] This is an historic occasion.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.77
0.80
30
79
When initial h before a vowel was not normally pronounced, words that began with it naturally took "an" for the indefinite article; when the h came to be pronounced in these words, many people still used "an" before them and dropped the h in that context in the belief that that was more correct. "Historic" and, to a lesser degree, "historical" are nearly the only words that still get "an" put before them by many people even when they invariably pronounce the h. Many people will argue for the correctness of this usage, even though it goes directly against the rule for the indefinite article (which is determined by the initial sound of the following word, and not vice-versa) and even though every standard reference text on English usage in North America and England says that "a historic" is correct for anyone who pronounces the h on the word in any context. This issue was the focus of the paper I wrote on the basis of this survey.
 

[6] Program director, Margaret Wilson says that eleven courses will be offered.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.29
1.1
72
22

[F] Program director Margaret Wilson says that eleven courses will be offered.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.34
0.85
27
75
A title or description without an article ("a" or "the") preceding a name acts as an adjective and so does not, by the standard rules of English, take a comma before the name, but it is very common now for people – in particular journalists – to insert a comma. (If it were "The program director" it would then be "The program director, Margaret Wilson, says...")
 

[7] The move is misguided and, more important, it may do positive harm.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.47
1.1
86
15

[G] The move is misguided and, more importantly, it may do positive harm.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.68
0.79
58
42
"More important" is considered the more correct form by many who were schooled in the mid-20th century and earlier, and many usage guides will point out that it is thought more correct by many, but the sentence adverb "more importantly" is more common and accepted in modern usage, especially among the younger generations, and is not considered exceptionable by most references.
 

[8] You'll love this atlas, published by the National Geographic Society.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.22
0.7
48
47

[H] Published by the National Geographic Society, you’ll love this atlas.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.36
0.84
79
27
Sentence H has what is definitely a dangling modifier – structurally, it says that you are published by the National Geographic Society. Sentence 8 can be justified as implying "which is", but it's still awkward.
 

[9] The job was done by the director.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.49
0.7
16
79

[I] The director did the job.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.32
0.66
17
88
Some people believe passive forms to be incorrect. They are not, although they are often discouraged – but in some circumstances a passive functions better by putting the recipient of the action in position of priority.
 

[10] Hopefully, we will not need to repeat this exercise.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.98
1.1
40
62

[J] Hopefully, we will not need to repeat this exercise.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.02
0.68
24
80
"Hopefully," almost alone among sentence adverbs, has been vilified and proscribed by some prescriptivists; however, standard English usage manuals defend it and point out that it is one of a class of sentence adverbs, the rest of which are rarely objected to.
 

[11] I'm not going to do it.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.81
0.8
8
92

[K] I ain’t going to do it.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.04
0.05
89
21
"Ain't" was not as objected to as strongly in the 18th and 19th centuries. It is now, of course, considered a hallmark of "improper" speech.
 

[12] She gave it to John and I.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.36
1.3
82
18

[L] She gave it to John and me.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.57
1.09
31
74
By the standard rules of English grammar, the first-person singular pronoun in the object position (i.e., not performing the action of the verb) must be "me," making L correct. However, people do not seem to automatically process compounds in the same way as they process unitary pronouns, and so this is not instantly obvious to many. Some people, learning that "John and me are going" is incorrect, mistakenly generalize this to all positions and would put "John and I" in the object as well as subject position.
 

[13] They conducted an historical survey.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.38
0.8
36
60

[M] They conducted a historical survey.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.16
0.80
45
59
See note for 5/E, above.
 

[14] I'm glad you came.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.83
0.9
8
91

[N] I'm glad that you came.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.29
1.03
12
95
The "that" is implied in 14; both are correct by the standard rules of English.
 

[15] You want me to do what?

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.49
0.5
45
49

[O] You want me to do what?

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.65
0.85
33
69
Use of the interrogative pronoun in sentence-final position is a common emphatic but is not normal in formal contexts.
 

[16] We thought it was done; however, it was not.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.19
1.0
35
64

[P] We thought it was done, however it was not.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.74
1.11
51
44
"However" is not a conjunction and thus is not properly used exactly as "but" would be; it is an adverb, and as a transition it requires a comma after and a syntactic break – period or semicolon – before; by the standard rules, the usage in P could only mean "in whatever way it was not."
 

[17] These kind are not so good.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.70
0.7
92
8

[Q] This kind are not so good.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
1.57
0.45
98
8
"Kind" is not commonly accepted as a collective noun in formal usage, although in informal use it is heard as such.
 

[18] There was an hotel on the other side of the river.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.90
1.0
65
31

[R] There was an hotel on the other side of the river.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.66
1.07
79
27
See note on 5/E. In British usage, "hotel" formerly took "an" as the standard indefinite article, due to loss of the [h]; in modern British usage, the [h] is more commonly pronounced, and so "a" is more often thought acceptable. In North American usage, "a" has always been the preferred form for most people, including most of those who use "an" with "historic."
 

[19] That was the place I had heard of.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.34
1.0
58
40

[S] That was the place of which I had heard.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
3.63
1.69
37
65
It is often said that it is wrong to put a preposition at the end of a sentence. This "rule" was in fact invented on the basis of Latin grammar in the 18th century, and has always been ignored by most highly respected authors and highly educated users – including, on occasions, even those who promulgate the "rule." Current English usage manuals assert its acceptability, although it is sometimes more awkward and is usually thought more casual than the construction in the style of S.
 

[20] Thank you for doing this.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.90
1.4
14
85

[T] Thanks for doing this.

formal
correct
mean
var
no
yes
2.09
1.00
11
93
Interestingly, neither of the above sentences has an explicit verb. 20 implies "[I] thank you" and T implies "[I give you] thanks." "Thanks," being briefer, is, not surprisingly, usually considered less formal.
 

 

How old are you?

form 1
form 2
mean
standard deviation
mean
standard deviation
51.2
17.2
50.3
16.3

 


Are you male or female?

form 1
form 2
m
f
m
f
48
54
45
65

 


Did you grow up speaking English?

form 1
form 2
yes
no
yes
no
100
3
100
10

 


What is the highest level of education you have completed?

1 less than high school
2 high school
3 some university or college
4 bachelor's degree
5 graduate or professional degree

 
form 1
form 2
mean
variance
mean
variance
3.9
1.0
4.0
0.93

 


Please put a checkmark beside the country or countries where you attended primary and/or secondary school:

form 1 form 2
Canada 87 84
USA 13 18
England 11 10
elsewhere 9 14