nonrule

English

Alternative forms

• non-rule

Etymology

From non- +‎ rule.

Noun

nonrule (plural nonrules)

1. Something that is not a rule.
   • 1997, Edward L. Smith, Stephen A. Bernhardt, Writing at Work: Professional Writing Skills for People on the Job, McGraw Hill Professional, →ISBN, page 26:

     How about nonrules? Where do they come from? We said previously that many nonrules are based on an attempt to force English grammar into the mold of Latin.

   • 2019, Benjamin Dreyer, Dreyer’s English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style, Random House, →ISBN, pages 7–8:

     Right now, let’s attend to a few of what I think of as the Great Nonrules of the English Language. […] Why are they nonrules? So far as I’m concerned, because they’re largely unhelpful, pointlessly constricting, feckless, and useless.

   • 2023, Stephen Wilbers, Persuasive Communication for Science and Technology Leaders: Writing and Speaking with Confidence, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., →ISBN, page 104:

     Third – and here’s the clincher – you gotta distinguish between valid rules and nonrules. Now if you’re one of them prescriptivists, I’m gonna free you of five nonrules: Nonrule 1: Never split infinitives.