Does Proper English Matter?

39
2.1K followers
Updated

Hello eveyone

This post is all about wrighting proper words and using proper speling and stuff some people hear think it dose not matter if you right things wrong because they dont like to wright so if sum of us dont like it its' two bad and i think gramma is stoopid anyways.

Believe me - some of the mistakes in the sentence above, I have collected from websites here at Wealthy Affiliate. They are not made up. And there are many more that grace (disgrace) the pages of our websites. So does it matter or not?

Yes - I know...

...that I am just a little (well - maybe a lot!) paranoid about correct English usage. I also understand that English comes easily to me, just as some others are more gifted in mathematics or surfing or racing cars. I also understand that there are many WAzens for whom English is a second language. (In actual fact, many of them put us English-speakers to shame!)

It is not them I am am talking about. Neither do I particularly care if Eddie Saloman prefers to fill his websites with very colloquial and incorrect English - that's a style he has deliberately and successfully cultivated.

No - it's the English-speaking, English-educated people who fill their websites with screeds of badly spelled, incorrectly punctuated, grammatically incorrect ramblings - and who appear to be offended when someone corrects them - that I am talking about. But here's the thing - they asked for feedback - so why be offended when someone points out a mistake?

English IS important! And that includes punctuation (full stops, commas, question marks and a few other things), grammar (verbs and nouns and writing words in the proper order) and spelling (reely?)

So why?

There are three main reasons:

Clarity

The most important of all. It is simply so much easier to read a well-written page than one that is incorrectly punctuated. Full stops and commas, the most basic of all punctuation, were not invented to make things difficult for school kids! They were invented to give meaning and clarity to our written words. It is not so long ago that a French Canadian company lost MILLIONS of dollars in a lawsuit over an incorrectly placed comma in a legal contract. (True - read the story here - http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/25/business/worldbu...)

I don't mean that everything has to be spot-on, A-Grade perfect - but I do believe that at the very least, you need proper sentences that start with a capital letter and end with a full-stop. And with greater clarity and ease of reading, your visitors are going to hang around a lot longer than if they can't make head or tail of what you are rambling on about!

Credibility

The purpose of our websites is normally to 'place' ourselves as an expert in our chosen niche. A person of credibility and knowledge. Someone our customers and visitors can look up to and trust. Someone who provides interesting, intelligent, CORRECT information. If our websites are full of badly-written blog posts and pages that are full of mistakes, then are our visitors going to trust us? Give us credibility? I doubt it. At the very least, it will be a great deal more difficult to compete with other websites in our chosen niches that are concise, well-written and easy to read.

Courtesy

You may not consider yourself 'a writer'. You may have this image of yourself as the uber-cool guy (or gal) who goes surfing or scuba diving or hiking. English spelling, punctuation and grammar are unnecessary and definitely not 'cool'. OK - that's your opinion and you are entitled to it! But don't forget that there are other people who like to read something that at least has the odd full-stop where it's supposed to be! And you never know when that someone might just have been a visitor who was going to be a customer, but was turned off by your lack of clarity and credibility.

So do your visitors and potential customers the courtesy of writing to the best of your ability! And that includes completely deleting swearing. It adds nothing to your credibility, may be offensive to some people and is a sure sign of 'weakness'. If you have to use swearing to get your point across, then it's doubtful that you have a good knowledge or grasp of your subject!

Slang and colloquial English definitely have their place in the kind of friendly writing that engages your readers. But be sure that the words you are using are appropriate to your audience and that most of your readers would understand them. Most niches - particularly small niches - will have their own jargon and peculiar language style - use it, but wisely, considerately and always with your reader in mind.

So do yourself and your website a favour: produce the BEST writing that you can and if in doubt - don't be too proud to ask for help or accept criticism and help if it is offered!

Now my friends - let's have a jolly good argument about English!

Cheers - and here's to a well-written blog!

Ellie

P.S. All mistakes are intentional (hahaha!)

Login
Create Your Free Wealthy Affiliate Account Today!
icon
4-Steps to Success Class
icon
One Profit Ready Website
icon
Market Research & Analysis Tools
icon
Millionaire Mentorship
icon
Core “Business Start Up” Training

Recent Comments

131

I totally agree. How can anybody take us serious as an authority on a given subject if we can barely string a sentence together?

When I first started here I hadn't really done any writing in many years, it has improved as I've progressed here. I've found myself having to go back over my earlier posts and clean up the spelling and grammar.

If anybody spots errors on my site and tells me, I'm grateful. I'm here to learn all aspects of the business, this includes presentation. So why people get all offended I don't know, life is all about learning.

Thanks Jay. I guess the reason I wrote it was due to a fairly arrogant response that I and another WA'er got from a person we tried to help. Basically it was along the lines of 'if you don't like the way i right then too bad for you' (not quite so politely!) - so unfortunately, not everyone is open-minded and I guess they must think that it's a 'personal attack' or something! I've felt kind of loath to offer feedback on badly written sites since then and just pass over!
Glad you are open to help - I really appreciate it if someone points out an error to me, because, as I said, I am paranoid about having correct English!!! :-)

I guess it's best to wait for someone to ask for help. Many writers think "EVERY WORD IS SACRED" and take umbrage with constructive criticism as though someone was trying to kill their babies or something. I take care to get to know someone before I take on editing their work to sift these wonderkids out of the mix.

Thanks Elinor. That is so true. I guess the reason I offered correction was because of the general 'please help' attitude that permeates WA. But I've learnt to temper my words with wisdom and a little more patience.
Warmly
Ellie

It absolutely matters !
... bad spelling and grammar - I run!

Yep!

While I have been known to sometimes split an infinitive, I do know that a preposition is a bad thing to end a sentence with. :=)

:-))
Don't you love the stupidity of the English language?

Oh, yeah ... some of the rules are really just plain nuts. I think we have to slide over broken rules when clarity and individual expression are at stake: for example, when you see a writer doing handstands with a sentence to make it "correct" when common usage would actually be much better. This is a slippery slope, but if a sentence reads well, I am very hesitant to nitpick about "rules".

Yes - I read the other day that the rule about never ending a sentence with a preposition dates back to Latin. The word 'preposition' literally means 'pre' - in front of - the 'position' - place. So it became an unnecessary English grammar rule that no-one uses in real life.

While its necessity is debatable, the "rule" does make for some interesting sentence structures. It's been claimed that Winston Churchill once said this (or something very similar):

That's a restriction up with which I will not put. :=)

I remember that quote, Bob! That's just the kind of strangled sentence that comes with bending way over backwards to follow the "rules". He was a brilliant man with a great sense of humor.

Agreed -- a remarkable man in so many respects. I'm reading his biography written by his son Randolph and Martin Gilbert. It's a huge 8-volume work but an absolutely amazing read. I may even finish it some day. :=)

LOL! Well done Bob! Let us know your thoughts when you are done! Churchill is a favourite of mine also, but not to the point of reading an 8-volume biography! I mean - imagine doing so much in one life that you needed a hefty 8-page work to cover it all! Do they cover every single day or something? :-)

This is an important post, Ellie. I wish this information could be attached to the first lessons when a person joins WA.

A simple app like Grammarly is also a good tool for checking spelling, grammar, punctuation, context etc. I use Grammarly and it catches the most simple errors in my writing most of which are typos!

Thanks Cheryl - I am thinking of making it into a Training Blog (without the rant attached!) I know K & C say to 'just write' and that is also correct - to a point! I teach my kids to re-read what they have written OUT LOUD. And that very quickly teaches them that what they have written is complete nonsense.

Good idea!

I agree, Chery. At the very least, a blogger should PROOFREAD his or her own copy. Typos affect everyone and make a writer appear unprofessional. If a writer doesn't care enough to present proofread copy, why should the reader care enough to stick around and read it?

Well said!

Nothing makes me run from a website faster than what your have described here. I place the utmost importance on grammar.

Hi Debra - thanks for the comment!

Feel better? Quite a rant. I actually would find it more difficult to write the first paragraph that way than correctly. However, I am amazed at times the way some words turn out when I try to type too fast. Being an adventurer (rock climber, spelunker, parent), doesn't preclude a person from being intelligent. Grammar is important to me because of the credibility issue. One of the smartest persons in my niche has a phd and that is one of the reasons I follow his work. I pride myself on my intelligence and talking or writing like a heathen would not reflect that.

Hi Uncle - yes - it did take quite a bit longer to right the frist paragraph rong - for the simple reason that I have trained myself to write correctly.Typos are simply mistakes that anyone can make - and I make them as often as anyone else - BUT - thanks to the ubiquitous spell check - it's very easy to pick up mistakes and correct them.
Thanks for your comment - I fully agree and yes - I do feel better now! I've been wanting to get all that off my chest for a long time :-)

Hello and thank You for the article and the fair treatment of members who are not English native speakers!

Correct writing has always been my greatest pain and stumbling block for as long I am in IM field. I was buying articles in various online articles writer's sites, but they were not my own articles. Purchased article never be my own personal thoughts. You can argue to give it to professional translator, but it is too expensive and I currently can not afford. And where I immediately find proper girl or guy. Even now as I writing a comment? So I try.

I've tried a variety of online and offline English grammar checker tools as Ginger, WhiteSmoke and Grammarly, but non are perfect and not yet decided which one to use. I have so many ideas and like to be here in WA community, but It takes so much time writing and checking my writings. Ultimately, the result still is not perfect.

I will try and I think that in future my English grammar and spelling will increasingly better.

Thanks for reading!
Andrejs,Latvia

Hey Andre! I take off my metaphorical hat to non-native English speakers! I have the greatest of respect for anyone who can write a passage such as the one above in a second language. I have the rudiments of German from 4 years at school, but man! I'd hate to have to write a coherent blog post in German!
Keep trying and most importantly - ask for help here at WA. As you can see, there are many of us who like to use the language correctly and would be more than happy to help. Take every criticism as a stepping stone to success.
I know what you mean about online programs - they are only so good.
If you do need help with your posts, send me a PM and I'll help you out a bit. I edited and rewrote a complete website for a fellow WA'er for a very fair price - but if you just need some feedback, I'll be glad to help.

Andrejs, firstly just by looking at your message above you are perfectly understandable.

I was born in England and English is my first language, so I feel I must be qualified to have a full grasp of what can be read and understood. All that you really need to concern yourself about Andrejs is 'Can I be understood?' The answer to that is definitely yes!

I would honestly not worry yourself too much about whether your grammar is correct or not as long as people can read and understand what you are trying to say, then I honestly think that is sufficient.

Being English myself and having received thousands of messages from all over the world for many years, I doubt if there were more that just a few messages that I could not fully understand.

I will finish with a little personal niggle of mine concerning grammar which is aimed at the way Americans say 'Gotten'. If you have got something, you have physically acquired it, so you have 'GOT' it, It is then called 'passed tense'. To add 'ten' at the end of 'Got' to make 'Gotten' makes it a double passed tense. You can't go and get something, have it in your possession and then go and get it again.
(Sorry Americans, just a little joke of mine :-0 )

Keep up the good work Andrejs, you are being perfectly understood.

Best wishes,

Roger

Fully agreed! I thought Andrejs comment here was amazingly well-written and perfectly understandable. He does a lot better than many native English speakers, who, if they would simply read their written work out loud to themselves, would realise it doesn't make sense!

Agreed with your comments Ellie. And I am as guilty as many! :-)

Sorry for late reply. I even do not really know what to say. Very great Thank you for your attitude. Honestly, I'm trying, but probably sometimes could be better. I have totally lack of time. There is day work to earn for living. By me the most important is not to give up. Thank you!

Thanks a lot Ellie! I even blushed reading these cheering words. I wish to you and to all of us sufficient strength. It's so cool that there are so responsive and friendly people!

You are so welcome! I wish you all the best in your endeavors here - and wherever life may take you :-)

Hi Andrejs, Personally, I always enjoy reading posts that are written with an accent. I think it adds spice and authenticity to the content.
We are a global community and I celebrate that.
Go well from this Aussie girl.

G'day mate! Thanks a lot. I have cousins in Down Under. They flew from Latvia to Australia after WW2 as refugees. I Visited four of them couple of years ago. Unfortunately none of them speaks Latvian. I spent one of my coolest vacations in my life. Thanks a lot! Who knows maybe WA helps me afford another trip to Gold Coast.

So you speak Australian too!

It makes me laugh, ha,ha,ha. One of my cousin John (Janis in Latvian) live someplace deep bushes and when I met him the first sentence was in Latvian next was Ozzi. I gave up.

I'm intrigued whitsunday! How do you write with an accent? I mean G'day mate and all that is fine for us, but what about the Germans - how do they write with an accent? I did see something that made me smile the other day - a Japanese making fun of his 'r' and 'l' mistakes!
I'm a fellow Aussie, but I don't consider my writing to be particularly colloquially 'Strine! Except when I write about thongs and all the Americans blush!
Thanks for joining in!
Cheers
Ellie

When Americans talk about their fanny, all of us English blush;-))

Seriously? But then, you English ARE very straitlaced aren't you! I mean - who else in the world had a Queen who covered the legs of her tables? :-) :-)

Oh Ellie, you might NOT realise that over here, the word fanny is slang for a lady's, ahem, front bottom.....hahahaha!!

Oh My Goodness! I am dying laughing.

Now you know.....rofl hahaha LOLsssssss

Absolutely!

!!!

Spot on, Roger. Being UNDERSTOOD is everything. Andre has conquered that particular bugaboo beautifully. And, NONE of us are ever going to be perfect!

I think that it would be nice if fellow members would tell what is wrong. Of course, in comments is better to talk about blog's topic. Sending private message it would be a great help if something is incorrect with grammar or website.

That's right Nemira, which is what I try to do. Leaving a comment on the actual website is quite rude actually! Feedback here at WA or a PM is the better way to point out if some corrections need to be made.
Thanks for the comment
Ellie

I totally agree with your blog. I have left websites due to incorrect or badly written information.

Yep! Me too. Thanks for your comment!
I'm off to bed now, so it's over to all you Northern Hemisphericals to discuss the pros and cons of good English.
Cheers
Ellie

Hi Ellie,
I totally agree with you! You don't know how hard it is sometimes when another WA member wants me to comment on one of his/her posts and it is full of misspellings and/or grammatical errors. Before I make my comment, I go to their About Me page to get a feel for what kind of person he/she is. If it is someone who is a foreigner, I try not be too critical. If it is not a foreigner, I try to be as delicate as possible, not wanting to offend anybody.

However, I find not pointing out grammar/spelling mistakes difficult. If the post has too many mistakes, I just won't comment at all because I have no idea what message is being conveyed. For WA members in which English is their native language, there is really no excuse. If they cannot write well, have someone else proofread it first before publishing it. Posts that are well written without obvious spelling/grammar mistakes look more professional.
Deidre

You're a lady after my own heart, Deirdre! I've lost count of the number of websites I have simply chosen not to comment on or give feedback to, due to the amount of spelling, grammar and punctuation errors they contain. I feel I have sometimes been 'too honest' and unintentionally offended, so unless someone seems really open to honest feedback, I just ignore the requests! Some people ASK for their mistakes to be pointed out. So I do! ;-0
And yes - the foreigners - I always ask first and then leave a PM so they don't feel stupid. I am always in awe of the people with ESL who write a passably good post/page! And congratulate them.
Cheers
Ellie

See more comments

Login
Create Your Free Wealthy Affiliate Account Today!
icon
4-Steps to Success Class
icon
One Profit Ready Website
icon
Market Research & Analysis Tools
icon
Millionaire Mentorship
icon
Core “Business Start Up” Training