Grammar! Part One
Welcome to part one of our first-ever grammar blog series! Over the upcoming weeks, we’ll help to finesse your writing and improve your communication, simply by reminding you about some basic grammar rules. We promise it won’t be as grueling as those grade school grammar tests, so stay tuned!
For a grammar-lover like me, and maybe you, growing up in the Internet era has been both a blessing and a curse. We’re pro-multitaskers, we’re speed-typers, and we have access to any and all information at our fingertips. Literally. But ever since the rise of social media, blogs, texting, and autocorrect, it’s like grammar hardly serves a purpose anymore.
When it comes to basic communication nowadays, though, everything is digital; emails and texts fly all day long between people of all professions. Would it make a difference in communication if everyone said, “let me know” instead of, “let myself know”? Not at all.
Should it? Yes! Not only is good grammar a good business practice, but no matter who or what you work for, you are a representation of that entity. Wouldn’t you want to exude the very best impression possible?
Forbes writer Susan Adams points out that many employers still look at grammar in the work of their employees. “…poor grammar shows a kind of sloppiness. [Employers] want to hire people who pay attention to detail.” She goes on to point out that grammar, both spoken and written, demonstrates your levels of organization, intelligence, thoughtfulness, and respect! (Forbes.com)
For the purpose of this blog, I created a grammar survey (#nerd) to test the skills of Facebook friends. There are 10 questions, each tackling a common grammatical error we all encounter frequently. In each grammar blog post, we’ll cover a few of those questions, and offer tips to keep you on top of your grammatically correct game. We’ll start out lightly…scroll down to see the first couple of topics!
QUESTION 1
How do you feel about grammar?
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] I’m so frustrated. Some days I can’t stand to be on social media at all. To/too/two…it’s not that hard, people!
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] I try sometimes, but I’m not held accountable for grammar mistakes, so it doesn’t really matter.
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Thank heavens for autocorrect! It corrects my grammar for me, right?
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] What’s grammar? Didn’t care when I learned it, don’t care now, never will.
SURVEY SAYS:
A – 66%
B – 25%
C – 9%
D – 0% (phew)
ANSWER: This one was just for opinions.
PRO TIP: Beware when writing those last-minute work emails on your iPhone…most autocorrect features do NOT correct grammar, aside from adding some apostrophes here and there.
QUESTION 2
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] We should go get bloody’s on Sunday.
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] I love Mondays.
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] Thats Bobs’ dog.
[icon name=”circle-thin” class=”” unprefixed_class=””] none of the above
SURVEY SAYS:
A – 16%
B – 68%
C – 5%
D – 11%
ANSWER: The correct choice would be B. The high percentage of those who answered A is no surprise, as this is one of the most common errors. I’ve seen it all over social media feeds, and even on signs and in other public places!
PRO TIP: You do NOT need an apostrophe to make a word plural. Is the word a contraction (let’s = let us; we’ve = we have)? Then use an apostrophe. Is the word a possessive noun, meaning something belongs to someone/thing (Bob’s dog = the dog belongs to Bob; car’s windshield = the windshield that belongs to the car)? Then use an apostrophe. If you’re talking about all of the (plural) bloodies you’ll have on Sunday, no apostrophe is needed! The same applies to days of the week…you don’t love Monday’s, unless you love something that belongs to Monday (like Monday’s vibe). You love Mondays! Plural…all the Mondays! Simple, right? So, we should go get bloodies on Sunday!
