Dr. Tanya has decided to change things up a bit for her weekly Blogging Insights prompt. Instead of using the Q&A format, she provides us with a quote about blogging or writing and ask us to express our opinion about said quote.
This week, quoting author Ruth Rendell, Tanya wants to know if we are grammar Nazis.
“What I mind in modern society very much is the awful lack of grammar.”
When I was in elementary (aka grammar) school, I spent a lot of time diagramming sentences. Grammar rules, proper punctuation, and correct use were emphasized. As a result, I grew up with much the same attitude that Ruth Rendell expressed. It drove me nuts to encounter grammar, punctuation, and usage errors. I used to get really annoyed and would actually stop reading anything that displayed poor grammar. I thought that there was simply no excuse for such errors, especially when I found them in published works where, presumably, an editor, or at least a proof reader, was involved before publication.
I will admit that I have mellowed quite a bit vis-à-vis poor grammar. While it still bothers me when I come across blatant grammar, punctuation, or usage errors, I try, like the proverbial duck, to let them roll off my back.
That said, if a blogger’s posts are regularly filled with grammatical errors, incorrect punctuation, or inappropriate usage, I will likely stop reading his or her posts. Especially if he or she uses an apostrophe to make a word plural.
