Varying diction and dialects

Which of these is Standard English?

• He be running fast.

• He is running fast.

• He gonna running fast.

• He run fastly.

Southern: “I reckon it’s gonna rain.” Standard English: “I ___ it’s going to rain.”

• think

• guess

• wish

• hope

What is the Standard English version of the Southern dialect phrase: “Y’all better git movin’.”?

• You all had better get moving.

• You better move it now.

• You all should go away.

• You all better get going.

Which of the following is the correct way to rewrite the sentence: “Me and him went to the store.”?

• He and I went to the store.

• Him and me went to the store.

• Me and him went to the store.

• Him and I went to the store.

Academic diction: “The results were ___ by further experimentation.”

• proven

• validated

• hyped

Rewrite: Convert pirate diction to Standard English: “Aye, we be plunderin’ the gold.”

• Yes, we are plundering the gold.

• No, we are hiding the gold.

• Yes, we are burying the gold.

• No, we are sharing the gold.

Rewrite: Cowboy diction to Standard English: “I’m fixin’ to hit the trail.”

• I’m getting ready to leave.

• I’m about to cook dinner.

• I’m planning to buy a horse.

• I’m going to fix the fence.

It is important to distinguish between dialects (like AAVE or Southern) and incorrect grammar because:

• Dialects are legitimate language varieties, not mistakes.

• All dialects are incorrect forms of English.

• Only standard English is acceptable in any context.

• Dialects do not follow any grammatical rules.

MCQ: Which sentence shows non-standard usage influenced by teen slang?

• I don’t like this.

• That’s sus.

• I didn’t like this.

• This is bad.

Which element differs between pirate diction “Ye be knowin’ the way” and cowboy diction “Y’all know the way”?

• The pronouns and verb forms used

• The meaning of the sentence

• The number of words

• The punctuation marks