The focus here is both on the development of syntactic description and on changes in writing habits in 18th century Germany. The search for controversial strictures on correct syntactic use engages the study first of all in an analysis of the work of linguistic theoreticians of the period. Then these controversial aspects of word order and sentence complexity are discussed in terms of actual contemporary usage. Finally the study traces the reciprocal influences discernible between the grammatical and rhetorical requirements of the theoreticians and the way language was actually used, thus casting light on the influence of individual theoreticians on the development of the language.