Which I now want to redress by at least understanding more of the metalanguage by which some have sought to codify what we all use and abuse...

Mav

Why not try the 'anti-grammatical' approach - read Stephen Pinker's The Language Instinct and amaze and impress your friends by speaking of 'deep structure', 'noun phrases', 'headless words' and the rest while deploring the vulgarly archaic tendency to prescribe grammar when, in fact, most anathematised usages are regular formations.

And, for the Americans - repeat after me:

Flavour
Metre
Grey
Aluminium
Through

[Casca to Jo's Brutus in this Brit conspiracy emoticon]