Rules are to be followed, right? Not always. Understanding the traditional rules of grammar can help you make personal choices about your own writing and speaking.
Traditionalists lean toward high respect for traditional grammar rules. Contrarian grammarians less so. The traditionalist looks at the rules, and says, "This is the way people should talk and write." The contrarian grammarian looks at the way we talk and write, and says, "This is what our rules should tell us it's okay to do."
These contrarians are more concerned with simple, clear writing than with following rules-especially rules that don't make sense.