Celebrate Geeks and Dorks - Even if you're not at Comic Con

July 12 begins the week of the Dork and the Geek. Grammarly is celebrating by offering the Ultimate Language Geek Personality Quiz. I took it and was labeled a Grammar Despot:
"The world is a dangerous place for a grammar despot. You cannot read your Facebook news feed or page through the grocery ads without being assaulted with crimes against grammar. When you see 'fewer' in the place of 'less' or 'you’re' in the place of 'your,' you feel your blood pressure rise. Conventions of writing make you feel comfortable and secure. You have a message for anyone who writes anything: Please follow grammar rules."
This doesn't seem too surprising for an English Professor, but following the basic rules of good writing is important for more than just passing composition. I have a love/hate relationship with grammar. Getting too hung up on the rules can stifle creativity, but when you make common errors, like using the wrong form of its or it's or there, their, and they're it makes you look . . . yes, I'll just say it, STUPID.

But who cares?

Hmmm, think about it. When you apply for a job upon graduation many times the only thing that separates you from the rest of the pack is your resume. If you don't take the time to proofread your introduction (a resume is your introduction), what does that say about you?

You don't need to become a Grammar Nerd (see graphic), but when a mistake is highlighted on one of your papers, you should probably take the time to think about it. Believe me, most teachers only point out the most egregious errors, or errors that you commit over and over and over again.

I will admit when I was a college student I thought that "daily" was spelled "dailey." It wasn't until I got my first job and had to produce the "Dailey Memo" that someone pointed out my error. I was so embarrassed and grateful at the same time.

Do you think grammar matters? What grammar errors have you corrected over the course of your writing career?

Comments

  1. I think grammar is very important because it makes the english language sound pleasant. A sentence with bad grammar just sounds off and uncomfortable. With social media and texting exploding with popularity, people are speaking less and less complete. Using shortened version of words and fusing words together to make what looks like nonsense sentences, grammar has made a dramatic dip in importance. Of course this is only my point of view with my pool of examples, but I feel this is very common among the younger generation.
    Since I came to the United States at the age 7 from South Korea, I had to learn every aspect of the English grammar. It is very different from Korean, the structure of the sentences are backwards from Korean. Say you want to say “I will go to the store” in Korean it will be said like “store go, I will.” At first it was very difficult to change my way of thinking, but after years of practice and tutoring, it became natural to say things the English way. Now I’m having trouble speaking Korean in the right way. In contrast to my very small knowledge of the Korean language, English seems a thousand times harder. There were so many little rules that only applies to a certain situation and are completely different in other. I am still learning all these rules today, every day I still learn things that are new to me but old news to others. To answer which grammar errors have I corrected over the course of my writing career: it would be everything.

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  2. I think that grammar does matter. However, I would not say that I am a grammar nerd. Whenever I text my best friend, Lauryn, she would get so frustrated at how I text her. I would say she falls in the anatomy of a grammar nerd. At first I never paid any attention to the form of there, or their that I used. Now I would reread my text my text before sending it to her. However, I know how to switch my grammar off and on. If I am writing a resume, I know how to sound respectful and professional. Grammar is everything when you're out in the real world.

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  3. Grammar is definitely very important in our professional lives. I personally don't get irritated or pay much attention to grammar when I'm scrolling down pages on social networks but when it comes down to work life and school, grammar matters a lot.

    Just as mentioned above, when you summit a resume to apply to a job, your resume portrays who you are. So, if you're the one with misspelled words on your resume, you are mostly likely not getting the job even though you are highly qualified for it.

    A lot of us don’t care about it when we text our friends, but in the process we get in a habit of spelling words differently and I am sure English teachers notice that all the time like how students sometimes notice us writing “they’re” as there.

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  4. For as long as I can remember my mom has always corrected my grammar. It would always annoy me and I never understood why she wouldn't leave it alone. Not until I got older and began going to different meeting with people did I then realize how important grammar is. Not only in our professional life but also our regular daily lives. When you speak or write with correct grammar it shows that you are educated and have the ability to be professional at any time. Some people know how to switch their grammar on and off depending on their surroundings. Such as if you are in a work environment, using correct grammar is the best as to if you are just around family and friends. Though you may not need to use correct grammar twenty four seven, it is beneficial to know it. Ultimately, correct grammar will be needed all throughout life such as in school or competing for a job.

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  5. Grammar does matter to me depending on how and when it is being used. If I am texting really fast or with my friends and if they become a grammar police towards me, I get irritated because they knew what I meant!! But if I am talking to a professor or someone that I “look up to” I feel the need to use proper grammar otherwise it seems like they are judging me. I corrected my “your” and “you’re” so many times when talking with people and “they’re,” “there,” and “their.” These words still get tangled up in my vocabulary. As I typed this, I misspelled every grammar for “grammer.”

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  6. The number one assumption that people have when I inform them of my major is that I have perfect grammar and number two is that I want to be a teacher. Unfortunately, I am neither. As you can see in the first sentence of this commentary, I am not the best in grammar and I can certainly say I will most likely never become a teacher in America. I like to compare grammar to an outfit as it is a representation of a person's appearance. As Professor Ripley mentioned in this blog, this is especially true when it is in reference to a job resume. Often times, the hiring manager will take one look at a spelling error and immediately trash the resume. I guess my point is grammar is extremely important because it represents who I am as a writer to others who may not know me; however, as a non-native speaker, I have to work extra hard to ensure my documentation is immaculate. I had a similar "dailey" type incident when I sent an email to a team of over 100 associates without proofreading and ended up receiving an one hour grammar lesson with a senior manager...how embarrassing =(

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  7. Grammar is important in the workplace and in school. It is important that no matter who is reading your writing they can understand everything you have put down on the paper or memo. Spelling is not as big of a problem as before because of spell check now on every computer. Poor Louis Lane had to struggle through trying to figure out if she had spelled everything right.
    However, in our personal lives like texting or a personal blog, spelling and grammar do not matter. It is still about the person understanding what you said, but instead of trying to please all, you simply want to please one. "were u @?" is perfectly acceptable for a text message. Blogs such as tumblr don't even bother with punctuation.
    Communication is key for anything, but the real importance is the fundamental understanding of what someone is trying to convey.

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