Grammar, Spelling, Punctuation, and Syntax - Important or Not?
As many of you too may have experienced while surfing the Wealthy Affiliate (WA) site, it can be overwhelming at times. There is so much information and so much to learn and so many ways to get there and so many questions and so many answers. Nonetheless, it's ultimately a fantastic journey of enriching one's knowledge and skills, despite the many ups and downs along the way. Perhaps this has not been your experience, but it certainly has been mine so far.
So, you may be wondering what my introductory paragraph has to do with my blog title (question). Well, from all the amazing and informative content I have read while being a new member, I have noticed a common trend -- the content itself is incredibly useful and there are many members here who have a knack for writing and paint beautiful pictures with their words -- which I personally love. However, without sounding critical, because that is not my intention at all, I do find that there are many grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and syntax errors in much of the content that I have read. In fact, I am not only referring to this platform, as it also seems to be a recurring pattern on practically every website and social media (or print) platform I visit when browsing for products or services of interest to me.
I find it extremely refreshing to read content that is error-free; yes, we're all human, and we all make mistakes, no matter how pedantic one may be. I simply wanted to put my feelers out to hear others' views when reading content which is riddled with errors. Sometimes, to the extent that the content doesn't even make sense due to critical punctuation marks missing, which would otherwise provide clarity and ease of reading.
So, although this is a serious matter in my mind, I'm interested to hear your opinion. Would poor usage of punctuation, spelling, and the like affect your perception of the credibility of the author, and/or would it affect your purchasing behaviour at all?
I absolutely love the English language and all its nuances and believe it should be used appropriately to portray a clear message, not one filled with ambiguity.
Please share your views...
Recent Comments
8
You have made an excellent point. I cringe when I see my own typos, misspelled words, and grammatical mistakes. I am not in a position to pay for someone to edit my drafts like I had access to when I worked in a professional environment. Thus, my writing has suffered.
I personally have an internal struggle between wanting to be a perfectionist and needing to get in the habit of actually publishing content and blog posts.
I have almost 100 blog posts and articles that have never been published because of fear of not being perfect. Presently, I am trying to get into the "just do it" mode.
With regards to your question about other people's errors, my perception of the author and their credibility will largely depend on the type of article I am reading.
If they are discussing professional matters, scholarly topics or trying to get me to purchase an extremely high dollar item - their writing better be above average or excellent. I expect these people to be good communicators. If they are not, I expect them to have someone on their staff that can edit their work.
If their command of the English language is terrible, I probably will not make myself read their work. Thus, I would not make a purchase.
Thanks for your comment, Sondra.
I appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts. I am really keen to hear other folks' views on this topic.
I have a freelance proofreading and copyediting business, which is more like a hobby to me, but I have realised from all the material I browse on a daily basis that it seems many people do not pay as much attention to grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors, which I personally feel are the essence and foundation of putting pen to paper, so to speak. I would love to create that awareness and I'm keen to help others to understand the importance thereof.
I'm always open to hearing others' opinions and/or suggestions on how to create that awareness and to provide the tools to assist those who would be willing to acquire the skill.
I am also grateful for your transparency and personal views on the matter and it provided me with an opportunity to gain an insight into your reasoning -- thank you!
Much appreciated
Delilah
Hello Delilah
It's the one thing that is everything
It does take time and effort also a constant wanting to improve,but well worth the effort.
I always found it to be interesting to read the content you write a year from now, just to see how much it has improved, very inspiring....
If you have that skill already dialed in more power to you, all you can do is get better from a higher standard.
Much success and thanks for sharing.
Dino
Hi Dino
Thank you for your openness and willingness to share your views on this topic.
We all have room for growth and acquiring new skills and I find it encouraging when people have a teachable spirit.
Much success on your journey too!
Best wishes
Delilah
Hi, Delilah, when I first started out on this journey I was firmly in the, "oh well it doesn't really matter camp".
Moving on experience has shown, that it is incredibly important on many different levels.
It can be hard for many folks for whom English is a second or third language, the message at times can be hard to decipher, having the correct, grammar and punctuation can add a lot of value to the content that is created.
Alex
Hi Alex
Thank you for taking the time to respond and for your insights -- much appreciated.
I certainly understand the dilemma for those who do not have English as their first language, and I am willing to assist with grammar and punctuation tips along the way.
If there is enough interest, I may start a weekly blog highlighting some common grammatical and punctuation errors and rules.
Wishing you all the best.
Warm regards
Delilah
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Yea, I'm old school that way. I always run the spell-check plugin W.A. has, as well I always try to re-read my posts on my phone after it's all complete, just to see if there's anything else I missed.
There are some sites I've seen that MUST be done by people with English as a 2nd language, because the mistakes are frequent and unbelievable BIZARRE!! Lol
Thanks for your feedback! I do believe that for many, a trained second eye in the form of a proofreader is invaluable.