I see certain misuses and abuses of written English all over the place. I see people confusing 'there', 'their', and 'they're'. I see people confusing 'then' and 'than'. I see improperly placed apostrophes, improper pluralization, and false back-formations. The really sad thing is that these errors are appearing all over the place--billboards, magazines (both in ads and in articles), newspapers (both large and small), personal and business websites and, of course, workplace memos.
I don't mind neologisms and slang in certain contexts, nor (though it took me a while to get comfortable with this) the use of the plural pronoun to eliminate gender bias, nor abbreviated, modified, shorthand forms in internet chat programs. But please, please, take some time to check your work when publishing material, whether on the workplace intranet, the internet, or print media!
Seeing these errors in corporate e-mails and memos is irritating enough. Seeing them in advertisements and on corporate websites is, quite frankly, off-putting. Seeing them with increasing regularity in newspapers and magazines is simply ridiculous! Are our schools not imparting language skills anymore, passing on elementary language skills like punctuation, spelling and grammar? We all make a typo here and there or forget how to spell a word, but little errors and misuses such as the above are indicative of improper/incomplete education and/or carelessness. And as far as the print media is concerned, where the heck are the proofreaders and editors? Should they not be catching these things?
So what set this rant off today? Well, I read a memo at work wherein two increasingly common mistakes were made--'your' used in place of the contraction for 'you are', as in "your supposed to wear the company badge at all times," and an apostrophe used to pluralize, as in "visitor's are required to sign in." These errors irk me so. I've often thought, when confronted with such glaring errors at work, of stepping forward to become an unofficial proofreader/editor of corporate communications. But then, knowing my employer, I would likely end up with an extra workload and no concomitant pay raise.
Good writing packs more punch. A well written article is more likely to be taken seriously than one riddled with typos, spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, or punctuation problems. It works the same way if the content is spoken rather than written. The words of someone who speaks clearly and enunciates well will generally carry more weight. The same goes for inflection, but that is for another post.
Allow me to proffer an example from my university days to illustrate the power of polished writing. I had written an essay for a religious studies class in which, as the professor later pointed out, the argument was circular. I still got an A for the paper because, as the professor explained somewhat sheepishly, it was so well written and such a joy to read. Of course professors nowadays are also bombarded with horrendous writing, especially in first year classes, leading some English instructors to spend a significant portion of a first year English class on grammar and essay writing. Though feeling a mixture of elation and embarrassment at the time, I now think the professor made an error in judgment in overlooking the circular logic.
Rightly or wrongly, it pays to write well. That is not to say that one should follow Strunk & White to the letter. There is something to be said for the natural evolution of language, as with neologisms and slang, and much to be said for the creative and purposeful break from convention by those familiar with it, by those who know the rules. In the end, however, clear, correct, polished writing packs punch. You are well advised to write with care. And don't be shy about consulting a dictionary or style guide from time to time.
