The Curse Of The Grammar Police

curse of the grammar policeThere is no victory in correcting poor grammar. Trust me, having found myself doing it in previous times (and in person 😱), I always find myself profusely apologising afterwards. In truth, one might liken it to the impact that a slithering of dust might have on an obsessive cleaner, or a piece of broccoli embedded in the front tooth of a stranger that you’re powerless to mention. It eats away at you to the point of internal combustion. Your hands start to tremble, your lip begins twitching, and you develop an unsightly tic in your eye.

Us grammar police sorts have an issue. We can’t even send a text without a semi colon and full, lucid sentences. Tragic really.

Or is it?

The language I speak of when relaying my experience of poor grammar refers both to ‘text talk’ and, more specifically, the deployment of poor spelling in marketing. But before I continue, I must re-direct your negative thoughts of me at this stage. I’m not being a cow, and I’m not looking down on those who genuinely have problems with the English language. Not at all. I’m actually talking about the ‘capable’, and plain and simple laziness.

I’ve seen display signs in restaurants, cafes and bars that contain major spelling errors. Why has no-one pointed this out? If you’re unsure, and with a freedom to dive into the worldwide web, why haven’t you double checked your grammar? And to be honest, it’s something we all notice but don’t like to mention for fear of being the proverbial stuck up, over educated snob! It’s a bit like (but on a far smaller scale), sending your kid to audition for X-Factor when you know they can’t sing for s!*t! So should you tell them that it’s incorrectly written and save them some dignity and humiliation, or do you do the British thing, and whisper it to your friends and family but say nothing?

Please know that grammar is VITAL when presenting your business. Hey, we’re all human and we all make mistakes, I know I do regularly, but don’t let people avert their gaze from your thriving business due to laziness. Always check. Then double check. And if you’re not sure, ask someone. If you’re really, really concerned then ask people like Happy Content Co., who will ensure that you offer the right message to your potential clients, by simply ensuring that all of your copy is in good nick!

Good grammar and spelling on your website and social media marketing can make or break, and can be the difference between someone pinging an email through or hitting the X button on your website.

Maybe we ‘are’ the afflicted and need to get out more. Or, maybe we simply want to cling on to our wonderful language and protect it from the ever increasing outbreak of LMFAO’s and ROFL’s.

That hurt to write. But we’ll discuss that next time. 😉

2 comments

  1. I love the blog on the Grammar Police. I guess I have been the victim of it myself.
    Yes, writing with clarity and in plain English is very important to present yourself and your business professionally. First impressions, last!

    I usually get my writing checked by someone who is a native English speaker and someone who has a good command of the language.

  2. Absolutely right David – first impressions really matter. Especially when you’ve spent time perfecting something and then once it’s all done and dusted, printed, submitted, whatever it may be; you then find an annoying typo.
    It happens to us all! But yes, ultimately it is the strive for greatness that makes attention to detail so important.

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