Words Fail Me: What Everyone Who Writes Should Know About Writing by Patricia T. O'Conner

Author:Patricia T. O'Conner [O'Conner, Patricia T.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: General, Language Arts & Disciplines, Reference, Authorship, Writing Skills, Linguistics, Report Writing, Creative Writing, Composition & Creative Writing
ISBN: 9780156010870
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 1999-01-02T00:00:00+00:00

18. Grammar Moses

THOU SHALT NOT EMBARRASS THYSELF

You think nobody cares about grammar? The next time you post a message to an Internet newsgroup, try mixing up it's and its, lie and lay, or there and their, and see what happens. The grammar police will be on your case, and you' ll get so many flames that your modem will smoke.

Believe me, people care. Whether you're writing e-mail or snail mail, a Web page or a page of a memoir, grammar counts. Readers may dismiss writing that's otherwise okay, even terrific, if the grammar is screwed up. This is no small matter, particularly when you're trying to make a good impression—applying for a job, say, or trying to sell a book proposal, or writing an essay for admission to college.

It's a good bet, though, that your grammar isn't perfect. If you didn't learn it in school (like most Americans under forty) or if you've forgotten what you were taught, buy a grammar book and keep it right beside your dictionary. Don't be intimidated. Grammar books aren't as forbidding and textbooky as they used to be, and not all of them bristle with technical terms. You don't need to know the heavy terminology, anyway. You can be a good driver even if you can't name all the parts of a car.

This chapter is no substitute for a grammar book. But until you get one, here's a look at some of the blunders that writers make most often.

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