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Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios
Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios
Why Does It Rain Cats and Dogs?
Q&A

Why Does It Rain Cats and Dogs?

Also, will standardized tests ever except nonstandard grammar?

John McWhorter's avatar
John McWhorter
Aug 28, 2022
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Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios
Lexicon Valley from Booksmart Studios
Why Does It Rain Cats and Dogs?
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NOTE: Do you have a language question for John? Leave a comment, or email lexiconvalley@booksmartstudios.org, and he may answer it in a future post!

A long haired Dachshund frolics in the rain.

Maria Besova asks:

“When do you think bodies like Cambridge or ETS, which administer language exams, will recognize ... grammar changes? At the moment, I believe both … penalize exam takers for such usage as ‘could have went’ or ‘the ship sunk,’ even on the Speaking section of the exam, which is supposed to be more colloquial and less formal.”

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