As a writer, I’m not perfect, of course, when it comes to grammar, but I certainly do try to put my best foot forward in anything I share with the public. Whether it’s a simple post on Facebook or a short comment to a friend on social media, nothing is too small to care about for me. Does that mean I don’t have typos I’ve missed? Or that my phone doesn’t like to go rogue on me and change words or make up words with my intended words? (The cheeky thing!). I think you know the answer to that!
No one is perfect, and I certainly don’t expect people to be, but (yup I just negated everything that came before this, which I’ve written about before) I think some people don’t know basic grammar rules. And this worries me. Why? Because these are writers. When a writer asks me to share their books in my newsletter or a post on social media for them, and it’s riddled with typos, I find myself questioning what is going on with expectations of writing today. (My goodness, I just sounded like an old lady! Ha!) As a teacher by day, I expect these problems. It’s partially my job to help rectify those things. But when writers are putting out typo-infested work, in their blurbs for instance, does it make me question what I might find inside their books? Hell, yes it does! Should it? Am I being too picky? Ridiculously pompous even? I don’t know. But I don’t think so. Like any “job,” and make no mistake, when you share your writing with the public, it is, indeed, that, I think it’s our obligation to do it well. No one gets accolades for doing a shitty job. My concern is not for the esoteric rules or rules that are archaic and no longer make sense (we don’t read or write or speak in Latin, folks!), but things just seem to have been forgotten or are being ignored completely. Are these things important? Is grammar just in a state of flux and ever-changing? Are some things just silly rules that should be ignored? Is grammar becoming a thing of elitism? Take a very simple rule about titles. What is capitalized? And what isn’t? In the Heat of the Night. Notice what is capitalized and what is not. Why is this rule important? So what if I capitalized everything in that title? In The Heat Of The Night, for instance. But it’s WRONG, I scream inside my head! Fix that! How can a writer putting out work not KNOW that? And then I give pause. Who really cares about such minutia? Who even came up with these rules?? Will the story be any less enticing if a word is or isn’t capitalized? Are grammar rules simply becoming a thing of the past? Or are these basic rules being tossed aside a reflection of bigger problems in society? Is grammar simply a microcosm of what is happening in the world? In the United States more specifically? And what is that? A loss of manners? A loss of attention to detail? A sense of entitlement or laziness? A society that doesn’t want to work at things but wants to cheat and cut corners? A society that encourages mediocrity? A society too concerned about appeasing people rather than being honest? Or is grammar simply snobbery, a measuring stick that tries to say: I’m better than you, because I understand when to use whom and when to use who? I’m not sure the answers as I write this. I always try to remember what my 5th grade teacher once said: Grammar is important, because the intended message will be lost. If the grammar is good enough as to not "ineffectuate" the meaning, you’re good. So then, if I capitalize an article or a conjunction in a title that shouldn’t be, does it at all hurt the meaning? Maybe my concern about such a thing says more about me than anything else. Chill out, Rose. And live and let live. You know, there was once a time that starting a sentence with a conjunction was frowned upon. Pfttt. We all know that is rubbish now! So who gets elected to be the grammar police? And, further, shouldn’t I have just capitalized that? 😊
7 Comments
Kevin J. Ryan
11/3/2022 10:58:31
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Hope
11/3/2022 12:36:21
Hi, RB,
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11/3/2022 13:23:09
I’m a different generation to you, Rosemary, and I recognise that rules and grammar change over time. (Plus, I write in British English, which is sometimes spelled differently to US English.) Whilst I admit to making the occasional mistake, mainly caused because of writing too quickly, and not proof-reading, it does irritate me when spelling and grammar are incorrect. English was my best subject at school, but I finished school at sixteen; much to my regret. My father wouldn’t allow me to stay on to take my exams for university; however, my mother always encouraged us to read, and as small children, she took us to the Library every week. She wrote and spelled beautifully, whereas my father, having left school at 14, was a poor writer. He depended on my mother writing everything, once they were married.
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Lois
11/4/2022 08:26:59
I think when I read a book, if the story is good enough, I can overlook some grammar but not all. It really depends!
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Natalie
11/4/2022 08:58:12
I agree with Lois, I can overlook some grammar and spelling mistakes for a good story; however, when I pay for a book there is an expectation that some thought has gone into making it the best it can be. We are human and sometimes a typo or spelling mistake makes it through but it should not be the norm. Churning out books just for quantity never trumps turning out quality.
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11/4/2022 10:20:44
Lois,
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Lois
11/7/2022 07:07:27
Thank you to Natalie and Rachel for responding to my comment. It saddens me that authors make so little and so a cycle can development if not well edited of books not selling if too many typos. One author said to me once that you have to spend money to make money. I agree that RB's books are edited well and most are. Some are not though. You can also give away books before published to trusted people to help edit for free. I know this happens and can work. Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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I LOVE to write and read. I particularly enjoy reading erotic romance that has tons of emotion in it. I hope you will ask me questions and share your favorite authors and novels. I welcome all feedback.
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