Is Proper Grammar Dead?

is-grammar-deadHave you heard the news? Nobody writes anymore! Grammar is going down the tubes! We might as well get rid of commas and apostrophes forever because nobody is going to know how to use them anyway.

Hi, my name is Rebecca, and I am a sensationalist. I would like to state for the record that I think people write more nowadays than they ever have in the past. We used to keep in touch via the phone, and now we keep in touch via email. You know what that means? We have to write!

In my line of work (writing), I tend to get a lot of questions on how important it is to have good grammar in this day and age of constant and instant communication. Isn’t texting ruining the entire English language?

I’m going to be the Debbie downer here (insert wah wah) but I think grammar is still extremely important. In order to deliver your message effectively, people need to know what you’re trying to say. And that’s where grammar comes in. Without the proper punctuation, capitalization, word tense, word choice etc. nobody is going to know what you’re saying (I even use the correct grammar while texting, but I realize that might be taking it too far.)

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but everyone still needs to learn the difference between their, they’re, and there, and know when to use commas, how to use semicolons, and so forth. They can use that knowledge to write content that rocks.

To take this to an even more relevant place is the idea of grammar in blog posts. Again, I’m going to be the bearer of bad news and insist grammar in blogs needs to be as perfect as it would be on a sales letter to a potential client. Because in the grand scheme of things, blog posts are sales letters to potential clients. Aren’t they?

So there are a few thoughts on grammar. I’m going to delve even deeper into grammar next week. If you’ve never read a post on commas that was so relevant and poignant it made you cry, then you haven’t lived.

What are your thoughts on grammar? Does it still matter as much? Do texting and constant emailing, Facebook updates, tweeting etc. make it less necessary? Am I wrong to assert grammar is still as important as it was, if not more so since we write that much more? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

p.s. Did you find any grammar mistakes in here? If so, it was a test. If not, I’m awesome.

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