It is a great relief to me to know that I am not the only grammar nerd (or nut) around.
Perhaps it’s because I taught two foreign languages and had a minor in English; but proper usage has always been important to me.
I really have to bite my tongue sometimes when someone says something that grates on my ear.
I finally realized that I was jeopardizing some very important relationships by being a grammar prig, when a dearly loved relative said to me, in a tone of great exasperation, “Will you PLEASE STOP correcting my grammar!” (I’m glad to report that I did.)
However, you can just imagine my delight when I discovered a wonderful article by Christina Bockisch in an issue of Business2Community, entitled Why Spelling and Grammar Still Matter In Content Marketing.
Most interesting of all to me is that she quotes a study by Disruptive Communications reporting that “the brand behavior that annoys people the most on social media is bad spelling and grammar.”
It’s good to know that I’m not the only grammar nerd around; and that good grammar and spelling are actually important tools in our business building toolbox.
You can read Christina’s full article here.
I am pleased to be counted in such like-minded company. I have always been a grammar nerd!
In amongst the retiring gifts I received was a red pen — a reminder of my editing habit. It wasn’t always appreciated, as you likewise point out.
I am a devotee of Grammarly, since there’s always time to teach new tricks to an old dog like me.
I do wrestle with the variations in British, Canadian and American English and tend towards the familiar British version. Until recently, I regarded the comma before the “and” in a list as an American invention. Oh, how wrong I was! It was invented a very long time ago by Brits!
Yes, Marjorie, this article resonates with me. I recently picked up an internet marketing magazine. The first article stated, in the first sentence, “The first tenant in web development is that you must keep your website current and on par with current trends.”
‘Cause you never know who wants to move into your website and offer you an outstanding rent.
My thanks to both Janet and Pat for their comments.
And by the way, the comma before the word ‘and’ in a list is called the Oxford comma — perhaps referring to the University of Oxford.
A friend of mine who introduced me to the Oxford comma said that it actually was involved in the settlement of a lawsuit.