Great Gramma Did It!
Aug 06 '00 (Updated Aug 08 '00)
Your Great Gramma
You wouldn't be here if it wasn't for your great gramma (along with your other three great grammas and four great grampas). You would have missed out on life if any of them, or any of your other ancestors had not followed nature's basic rules for reproduction. That sounds like a real chore, doesn't it? But they all did it anyway. ;)
The English language has some basic rules for communication. The collection of these rules is called grammar. Following the rules of great grammar sounds like a real chore, too, but it's not all that bad. In fact, it's very rewarding. Great grammar will make your writing more valuable. Your writing will be read more frequently, rated more highly, and rewarded with more Eroyalties and more trust. Great grammar isn't just important to maximize your Epinions success. The next time you write a resumé or love letter, great grammar will improve your chances of getting the job or the girl (or guy).
How Great is Great?
Your grammar doesn't have to be impeccably perfect. The better it is, the more people you will influence with your writing. I don't use perfect grammar when I write. In fact, I sometimes intentionally break a rule for the sake of emphasis. I can do that because it stands out amid my generally good use of grammar, and it appears intentional as it is intended to.
You and I don't have any control over the percentage of our readers who care about grammar. What we do have control over is our own use of grammar. Our choice to improve our grammar is our choice to satisfy a higher percentage of our readers.
There are some very good reasons that some readers care about grammar:
Quick - Great grammar allows your readers to read more quickly. You are competing for the attention of readers, and many readers will avoid reading your work when they can read someone else's work more quickly.
Clear - Great grammar allows your readers to understand more clearly what you write. Your ideas will be interpreted the way they were intended.
Trustworthy - If you demonstrate that you have thoroughly learned and applied the rules of grammar to your writing, some of your readers will have greater trust that you have thoroughly researched and analyzed the subjects you write about. This is more important to earning trust than many people realize.
This is Too Easy!
Following are a few of the most simple opportunities for you to improve your grammar. These are not intended for grammatical gurus, but for the grammatically challenged among us who would like to improve some, without making a career of it:
Words - Use the correct words. Using an incorrect word is one of the most common grammatical errors. In the English language there are some groups of words that sound the same when spoken, but have very different meanings. As an example, the words there, their and they're have very different meanings. When you speak one of these words, you choose it based on its meaning, and say it according to its intended pronunciation. The listener interprets it according to the context in which you use it. When you write one of these words, you also must choose it based on its meaning and write it according to its intended spelling. Your reader is assuming that the word you have written is the word you intended to write. If it doesn't make sense because it is the incorrect word, the reader must stop briefly to interpret your intent. This slows the reading process and makes it more work for the reader.
Always keep a dictionary handy while writing, and use it to be certain that you are choosing the words that really mean what you want to say. If you want to further refine your word selection, you can also use a thesaurus. Form a strong habit of using a dictionary first.
Sentences - As a general rule, keep sentences short and simple. If you find yourself using more than two commas in a sentence, there is a pretty good chance that you should break it into two simpler sentences. This is not necessarily true if you use several commas to separate items in a list within your sentence.
Paragraphs - Each paragraph should be a collection of sentences related to the same topic. When your topic changes, start a new paragraph. If your topic doesn't change, but your paragraph becomes very long, divide it into two or more paragraphs where you write about different aspects of the topic.
Lines and Spaces - Always leave a blank line between paragraphs so the reader can very easily see where new paragraphs begin. Also leave a single space between sentences.
Punctuation - End every sentence with a single punctuation mark immediately after the last word. For most sentences, use a period. If the sentence is a question, use a question mark. Only occasionally, when you wish to add strong emphasis to a sentence, use an exclamation point. Exclamation points tend to be overused. If you use them very often, they lose their effect. It is not necessary to use multiple exclamation points or question marks at the end of a single sentence. Sometimes this is done to add even more emphasis, but it is rarely effective.
Use commas as short pauses between parts of a sentence, or to separate items in a list within a sentence.
Apostrophes are a little tricky, but worth mastering. Be sure to use apostrophes in words that are formed from two words, where part of one of the words is skipped. For example, can't is a contraction of the words can and not where the n and o in not are skipped, and replaced with an apostrophe. If you don't use the apostrophe in the word can't it means something completely different.
Apostrophes are also used when pluralizing single numbers or letters, such as 5's or R's.
Apostrophes have one other very important use. They are used to show ownership or belonging. To refer to toys that are owned by one of your kids, you could write ...my kid's toys..., or you could write ...my kids' toys... to refer to toys that are owned by more than one of your kids. Notice the difference in the locations of the apostrophes.
Capitalization - Begin the first word of every sentence with a capital letter. Capitalize I when referring to yourself. Begin all names and titles with capital letters.
A Lot More
There is a lot more to great grammar than these few simple rules, but following these (if you are not already) will earn you higher ratings and more respect from some Epinions readers.
To learn more about grammar and further hone your writing skills, I recommend the book Grammar Smart : A Guide to Perfect Usage, ISBN 067974617X. It is available from Amazon.com for $10.80 as of this writing.
Generations of Influence
Just as your great grammas and others ensured the continuation of their bloodlines for future generations, you can ensure the continuation of your ideas and opinions for future generations. It all starts with understanding the rules, and following them well enough to capture the interest, attention and trust of your readers. Great grammar is powerful stuff!
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Epinions.com ID:
RuleOf72
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Member: David
Location: Redmond, WA
Reviews written: 17
Trusted by: 65 members
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