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*Shaking my head*
As someone who has studied linguistics to a certain degree I can say that what MOST people consider gramatically incorrect has more to do with class and status than with GRAMMAR. ALL SPEECH has grammar- it is an INNATE ability of human beings- the ability to find function and meaning in sound. Only humans can do this, and all humans have the ability to do it.
Our society simply places a great deal of value on the concept of a "standard" language, but just because someone doesn't speak it doesn't make them gramatically incorrect- example:
"I ain't never thought nobody could be that stupid. "
Most would consider this sentence gramatically incorrect- the multiple negatives, etc. But do you understand it? Would you think someone who said it meant something OTHER than that they never thought that anyone could be so stupid? Then that means it has grammar, and follows the grammatical rules of OUR BRAINS.
Sorry for the rant, but tests like that one bug me. Just another way of distinguishing between some social concept of US and THEM.
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It may be said with rough accuracy that there are three stages in the life of a strong people. First, it is a small power, and fights small powers. Then it is a great power, and fights great powers. Then it is a great power, and fights small powers, but pretends that they are great powers, in order to rekindle the ashes of its ancient emotion and vanity.-- G.K. Chesterton
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