Fresh Dirt
- Details
- Category: Megan's Grammar Garden
- Published on Saturday, 14 January 2012 12:00
- Written by Megan
- Hits: 794
Grammar is dirty. For most, it's a messy system of rules and regulations that leave a person befuddled and annoyed.
Not me. I am a self-professed grammar nerd. Those who have been kind enough to not unfriend me on Facebook know that I'm enough of a nerd to go in and point out the wrong "their" was used, or an apostrophe was abused. And it's no secret I have a desire to put a tattoo that reads "grammarian" across my lower back. Becuase I'm classy like that.
Though I may be a bit of a perfectionist, I still get it wrong sometimes. I misspell words, create comma splices, and even abuse the occassional apostrophe (is it it's or its? I have to ask myself every single time). And if I get it wrong, you know others do too. Just go take a look at your Facebook feed, your emails, even advertisements on billboards (advertisers and business ownersjust love to use quotation marks on everything). In the Grammar Garden, I'll help you make sense of those rules and regulations, one mineatue at a time.
I thought about going out there and finding examples of bad grammar. They're everywhere, including in books, blogs, advertisements from large multi-national corporations, and the menus at your favorite diner. This, however, is not constructive - it doesn't offer the writer any opportunity to correct or improve, and only encourages the writer to be defensive.
Before I go spouting on too much about what I will and won't do, go do a little bit of weeding. Go read. Read as much as you can. Read blogs. Read books. Read Facebook and Twitter posts. Read menus. Read traffic signs and billboards. And when you find yourself confused, ask: "why am I confused?" I'm willing to bet that more than half the time, grammar's the fault.
As an added bonus, if you can't figure out why your confused, send the text in (email or the forums), and we'll find those grammar issues, one word at a time.
