An Attempt at Proper Grammar

I know that I have to brush up on my grammar, particularly when it comes to punctuation.  Commas.  Hyphens.  Colons.  Semi-colons.  Dot, dot, dots.  Or is that dot…dot…dots…?

I could use a proofreader, too.  And an editor.  I am not a “pro,” by any stretch, but I have a love of writing.  I take it seriously.  I try my best to balance proper grammar, proper punctuation, and proper use of the English language with art, style, and “effect.”

I owe my love of English, in part, to my many years of education.  I had great teachers when I was young, and the trend continued as I progressed through to high school graduation.  In the university, I was fortunate, as well, that I had many talented teachers in various disciplines who thought enough of their students to critique their writing skills and their mastery of the English language.  I owe them all a great debt.

So, it bothers me to see atrociously written communication from professional, educated individuals.  It’s one thing to take some shortcuts when you’re texting your friends or when you’re posting on someone’s Facebook page, but it’s an entirely different matter when you receive E-mail at work from a Blackberry with no thought to punctuation, capitalization, or even sentence structure.  I mean, seriously.  Is it that hard to put a period at the end of a sentence?  Or to figure out which key on your phone is the one you need to press to get a “cap” at the front of a sentence?  When I text, I generally use one hand…one finger, really…but I ALWAYS take the extra millisecond necessary to put a period at the end of a sentence!  

And I am not the only person who thinks this is kind of nutty.  I’ve heard people commenting on this very subject at work.  To me, the biggest disaster is when it comes from people in positions of influence and leadership.  People notice these things.  They really do.  I think it telegraphs a message about how much you value the communication that you are sending.  I think it also telegraphs a message about what you think about the people to whom you are sending such messages.  Let’s face it: we all know that nobody is sending poorly-written communication up the chain to Senior VPs or corporate executives.  No way.  So, where is that line drawn then?  Who is worth a quick glance at a grammar book?  Who is worth a trip to www.m-w.com to ensure that the proper word is being used?  I don’t know where that cut off is, but I know I do my best to value the art of written communication, and, more importantly, the audience reading what I write.

I can be sloppy some times.  I can miss a grammar rule.  But there is nothing lazy about anything I write, and I sure as heck don’t take anyone reading for granted.  All it really takes to make a difference is an attempt at proper grammar.