Who Cares About Grammar Errors?

During Worktalk’s business writing trainings, people often ask me whether grammar errors still matter in the age of text and Twitter. I tell them that grammar still counts, even with the advent of emojis. Grammatical writing is vital because it contributes to clear writing, and clear writing helps us get ahead.

According to a report by Burning Glass Technologies, which aggregates key terms from thousands of job ads, excellent communication skills are both vital and scarce among job applicants. Based on my many conversations with corporate executives and managing partners of professional service firms, people who write well are far more likely to get promoted than those who are mediocre or below average.

What is Grammar, Anyway?

In a sense, a language is a set of agreements. For example, you and I agree that the marks you now see on your screen mean specific things to each of us. If we didn’t share these agreements, then we would not be speaking the same language. So how does this philosophy relate to grammar? Grammatical rules form the fundamental patterns of our language. They may change over time, but the bedrock patterns are consistent.

When people make grammar errors, they chip away at the integrity of their message. Hands shoot up whenever I ask training participants if they have ever received an email that contained so many errors in grammar and punctuation that they were unable to decipher what the writer was trying to say.

You can get away with a grammar error here and there because fluent speakers will fill in the blanks, just as a person can fill in a picture when part of it is missing. You can also bend a rule if doing so will make your meaning clearer. But if you break too many grammar rules, you mangle your message. Mistakes, misunderstandings, and mayhem follow.

Does Grammar Change?

A language is a living thing, continually evolving based on the way people write and speak. In recent years, for example, we have seen the rise of the singular they, as writers balked at the use of the universal he to include women and the awkward construction him or her. Instead, they punted and wrote, Everyone should bring their own money instead of the grammatically correct Everyone should bring his own money or the politically correct Everyone should bring his or her own money. Grammar purists grumble, but this usage has become so common that I now tell training attendees that they can use it in all but the most formal documents.

Grammar rules change over time based on the way people use the language. For example, Millennials and Gen X-ers are loosening the grip of the apostrophe in dont and Im. And individuals in specific groups – say, a technical team at a computer research corporation – might use specific language to chat within the group.

Nevertheless, when writing for business, the expectation is that writers will follow basic grammar principles.

Why Does Grammar Still Matter?

Consistently applying grammatical patterns achieves several outcomes. Most importantly, it helps us get our message across to our readers. Secondly, it builds our credibility and authority. As Kyle Wiens, CEO of iFixit, the largest online repair community, wrote in Harvard Business Review, “Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet.” Employers, colleagues, and customers respect us more when we write grammatically.

If communication is a stream of information and ideas, grammar errors clog the flow. When we are careless or cavalier about these core principles, our readers may:

• Consider the email or message “hard to read” and delete or ignore it.

• Create their own story about what we mean and get it wrong.

• Consider us ignorant or stupid, and discount the ideas contained in the message.

So yes, it is true that in some situations, grammar errors are not a big deal. They aren’t a big deal – until they are. They become an issue when your meaning starts to fray, and people misunderstand and make mistakes. They become an issue when people form a negative opinion of your ideas before you’ve fully expressed them because your writing is ungrammatical.

In other words, grammar could matter at any time. And you’ll never know when that time is – until it’s too late.

Resources

​Improve Your Writing to Improve Your Credibility

​How Strong Writing Skills Benefit Your Career

​How Bad Grammar is Affecting Your Company’s Bottom Line ​

​Good Grammar Should Be Everyone’s Business

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