10/03/2023

Yes, Good Grammar Is (Still) Important

Here is why it's necessary

It’s not easy being a grammarian these days.

People are sometimes wary of interacting with me. I think they think I keep some sort of file on how well they speak or write (“Tuesday. 9:55 a.m. John uses the subjunctive incorrectly and omits the hyphen in a compound modifier.”) I get that — no one wants to feel constantly judged or afraid to pipe up because they might make a mistake. These people might be surprised to learn that I don’t have ‘The Elements of Style’ memorized (not all of it, anyway), and I make mistakes, too. And, sometimes, I can’t tell you exactly why something is wrong, I can only tell you that it is wrong, à la Joan Didion when she wrote, “Grammar is a piano I play by ear.”

Then there is the backlash that comes from those with poor and excellent language skills alike, the notion that my appreciation for good grammar is rooted in authoritarianism or a need to feel superior — that at best I’m an uptight slave to the machine and at worst, a judgmental snob worthy of the same contempt in which I allegedly hold others.

Please select this link to read the complete blog post from ClearVoice.