Words are Funny Like That

From the time I first spoke to my first experiments with writing in my early years as a student, and finally to my present educational situation as a future teacher, linguistic aptitude and correctness have remained points of emphasis. As I continue to develop my skills as a student of the English language, I find myself intimidated by the daunting stack of grammatical gems I have yet to wrangle into submission. Words are funny like that. I have become so set in my own little stockpile of pre-established vocabulary and semantic usage that I am capable of glossing over or detouring around facets of grammar and syntax that I have less control over. But at what cost? I am missing out on opportunities to develop my voice as a writer and as a future educator. It is imperative to me that I allow my vocabulary to grow and evolve. Essentially, I am hindering my ability to branch out into new grammatical territory by clinging too tightly to the security blanket of familiarity. How else can I incorporate new vocabulary into my arsenal without first familiarizing myself with proper usage of these words?

With this being said, the most problematic grammatical pickles I find myself in usually spur from my attempts at using words and phrases that hide in more obscure corners of my vocabulary. These minor word usage issues could potentially result in me digging through a style guide or seeking examples online, but the sad reality is that I can usually get by with careful rewording and avoiding the problematic phrase. I feel that I should develop a greater professionalism about language, not having to stop and think whether “who” or “whom” belongs in a particular circumstance. I can often hear the difference and take a stab at the correct word choice, but when a student asks me which is correct, I want to be sure. Another thing I am inconsistent about is hyphenations. I often throw hyphens between a couple of words only to find out later that the words could have been left unattached, or even that it should have all been one word. I have semi-inadvertently provided an example in the following paragraph. In this case, I struggle with deciding what/which (another problematic word substitution I face) form reads more smoothly and is considered grammatically correct.

Still, the things that worry me the most as I wrap up my undergraduate education are those sneakily glaring, all-too-abundant errors that I make without even thinking. One that comes to mind is Barbara’s example from class about a student being criticized for ending a sentence in a preposition. I am somewhat ashamed to admit that I didn’t pay close enough attention to “Schoolhouse Rock.” I don’t know all of my word classifications and categories well enough to label words and phrases with technical grammatical jargon. I feel it is an extremely important concept for me to master if I wish to be taken seriously as an English educator.

QUESTION: This is a minor thing I am inconsistent with: gray vs. grey. I know that one is British and one is standard American English, but I interchange them and so far I haven’t been slapped on the wrist with a yardstick. Is it accepted in academia to use either in America?