On the Importance of Grammar

Regardless of your subject matter, grammar is important. Unless your name is William Faulkner, deviating from standard English grammar is not a good idea. Now, I realize many schools stop teaching grammar once students can identify verbs and nouns. This is an unfortunate decision that our society will regret. Contrary to popular belief, learning grammar does not stifle creativity. Think of writing as building. Words are the concrete and grammar is the rebar. Just as with construction, grammar reinforces the words by making them stronger and giving them structure. This helps you connect with your readers.

Over the past several years, many sites have cropped up for aspiring authors to share their work with the world. While some of the authors are excellent writers, others begin their stories with long disclaimers stating why they do not write with proper grammar and commonly accepted spelling. Generally, their disclaimers are better written than their stories. After skimming through the first two hundred words, I leave and read someone else’s story. Although they may have an excellent story idea, their grammar usage made the story difficult to understand, and I could not easily read it. Compare the examples below and see which one you would prefer reading.

Examples

Example 1

john stealthily klimbed the tree. hoping to sneak back in the house without being caught. he is slowly pushing his bedroom window open when an earsplitting alarm goes off. shocked that his parents rememmbered to turn on the alarm he jerked back, lost his footing, and plummeted to the ground. ten minutes later his father found him moaning in pain clutching his broken arm.

Example 2

John stealthily klimbed the tree, hoping to sneak back in the house without being caught. He is slowly pushing his bedroom window open when an earsplitting alarm goes off. Shocked that his parents had actually rememmbered to turn on the alarm, he jerked back, lost his footing, and plummeted to the ground. Ten minutes later, his father found him moaning in pain, clutching his broken arm.

Example 3

John stealthily climbed the tree, hoping to sneak back in the house without being caught. He was slowly pushing his bedroom window open when an earsplitting alarm went off. Shocked that his parents had actually remembered to turn on the alarm, he jerked back, lost his footing, and plummeted to the ground. Ten minutes later, his father found him moaning in pain, clutching his broken arm.

Although I made up these examples, the first is based on several pieces friends have sent me over the years. When I receive documents similar to the first example, despite my personal feelings towards spell check and grammar check programs, I tend to return them with the words “spell check and grammar check” in bold print. As you can see in the second example, even with the tense issues and the spelling errors, proper capitalization and commas, it is easier to read than the first example. The third example is even easier to read.

No one has perfect grammar, but perfection is something every writer should aspire to. The next time you suffer from writer’s block or just have a few minutes to devote to your craft, take a look at the following books and grammar exercises:

• On the Art of Writing by Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1916)
• The Elements of Style by William Strunk (1918)
• The King’s English by H.W. Fowler (1908)
• The Columbia Guide to Standard American English by Kenneth G. Wilson (1993)
• Grammar, Punctuation, and Spelling Writing Exercises
• Graded Lessons in English an Elementary English Grammar Consisting of One Hundred Practical Lessons, Carefully Graded and Adapted to the Class-Room by Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg (1904)
• Hints and Helps on English Grammar: A Discussion of Difficulties Found by Albert Newton Raub (1904)
• Higher Lessons in English by Brainerd Kellogg and Alonzo Reed (1902)

As you’ve probably noticed, many of the references listed above are old. They are still relevant.

Now, I shall leave you and spend the next thirty minutes working my way through my self-made grammar refresher course.

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