Does grammar really matter?

Well hello again, nice to see you’ve made it back to this, my second blog post. Or, if this is your first visit here then welcome to you.

I have a nice pot of tea on the go so if you want to get yourself comfortable I’ll crack open the biscuits.

Today I want to concentrate on something that is a pet hate of mine. Grammar. That isn’t strictly true of course, I don’t hate grammar but rather the constant misuse of it that I see all over the internet.

We all use grammar every day. Every conversation, letter (or should that be email), every communication with the rest of the world, it all requires the use of grammar. So why do so many people still seem incapable of mastering even the basics.

They’re, there, their – these are all very different words with very different meanings.

You’re, your – these are not the same and as such cannot be interchanged.

This is basic stuff, kids stuff, and yet many adults seem unable (or unwilling) to grasp these simple concepts.

I can’t help but wonder – is it really ignorance or, in this world of predictive text, is it sheer laziness? Are people just blindly accepting the first suggestion their “smart” phone provides without a thought for if this is the correct word or not? Or are there really adults out there that cannot fathom the difference between hear and here?

Of course I realise that by even posting about this I am taking my life in my hands – figuratively that is – because if I make even a basic grammar mistake in this post then I am sure people would be more than happy to point it out. Quite rightly too in my opinion.

I know that I have my own grammar flaws. I don’t mind admitting that for some unknown reason my brain will not hold the difference between effect and affect. No really. I cannot get the definition of those two words to stick in my mind, and my solution tends to be just don’t use them.

The truth is of course, I will and do make mistakes, we all do. Part of the human condition is that none of us are perfect and without checking and rechecking then errors will sometimes slip through. Occasional errors are understandable and forgiveable to some degree. When it’s these basics however then the very sight of it really does make my teeth itch.

Maybe in this day and age we should ask “does it really matter”.

If someone sends a message saying “let me know when your home” then we know what it means, we wont ponder it or ask ourselves “my home what?”

So am I just picky? It is just overly fussy to insist on proper grammar in social media settings and personal communication?

Well I don’t think it is.

If we let the misuse of grammar become part of our normal every day life then where does it end? If the adults of today can’t tell the difference between they’re and there what chance do our children have to ever learn them?

Language is the most powerful tool that the human race possesses. The old saying “the pen is mightier than the sword” exists for a reason. Words have the power to do so much, to make us feel and think, to laugh or cry, love or hate.

How many of us have fallen a little bit in love with a character in a book? A character that is nothing more than a combination of words placed in just the right order.

Grammar is important because language is important.

So next time you send a text or update your facebook status just take a moment and check you are using the correct grammar.

Your local grammar nerd will thank you for it!

*Okay own up… who ate all the biscuits?!*