Meaning & use
nonstandard
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Meanings
adjectivenot comparable
Not matching what is usual, accepted, or officially required.
Grammar: Often used before a noun: nonstandard units, nonstandard procedures.
Patterns
- nonstandard units
- nonstandard procedure
- nonstandard equipment
The lab used nonstandard units of measurement, which made the results hard to compare.
The airline had to cancel flights because of nonstandard weather conditions.
They followed a nonstandard procedure to fix the machine.
adjectivenot comparablespecialist
(Of language) not part of the accepted standard form of a language; characteristic of a dialect or informal speech.
Grammar: Used in linguistics to describe words or grammar that differ from the standard variety, without saying they are wrong.
Patterns
- nonstandard dialect
- nonstandard grammar
- nonstandard pronunciation
The study looked at nonstandard dialects spoken in rural areas.
Teachers should recognize nonstandard forms without treating them as errors.
In informal writing, people often use nonstandard spellings like 'gonna'.
Common combinations
- nonstandard units
- In science, we use standard units like meters, not nonstandard units like hand spans.
- nonstandard English
- Some linguists argue that nonstandard English is just as rule-governed as the standard.
- nonstandard practice
- The company was criticized for its nonstandard accounting practices.
Synonyms and how they differ
- unconventional
- Unconventional means different from what is usual but often in a creative or intentional way; nonstandard often implies a deviation from an official standard.
- irregular
- Irregular means not following the normal pattern, often in grammar or shape; nonstandard is broader and can refer to any accepted norm.
Opposites
Word family
- standard adjective
- Accepted as normal or required.
- standardize verb
- To make things conform to a standard.
- standardization noun
- The process of making things standard.
Commonly confused: nonstandard or substandard?
nonstandard vs substandard
Substandard means below the expected quality or standard, often with a negative judgment; nonstandard simply means not standard, without necessarily being worse.
Practice
The dialect uses many ______ forms that are not found in the standard language.
Choose one answer.
Nonstandard describes forms that differ from the standard without implying they are inferior. Substandard would suggest they are of poor quality, which is not the intended neutral meaning here.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “nonstandard”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.