I fear this might be my audition for “Grumpy Old Men”, have I earned the right now I’m the other side of 45?
Does good, correct, grammar spelling and punctuation matter?
We have, mainly, retired or at retirement clients and I feel it matters a lot. And I reckon that’s because it was drummed into us all at school more than it is today or, perhaps, has been for a generation.
I equate bad grammar, spelling and punctuation with appearing ignorant or not caring. I undoubtedly hold some pretty strong prejudices on the subject.
But should I? Do I need a change of perspective? Will this take me to an early grave? Can you die of hyperbole?
Are some errors unforgivable and others more a matter of personal preference?
For example, I start sentences with “but” and “and”, but clearly recall that being frowned upon at school. My most memorable English teacher, Mr Goodhand, would be appalled.
[Interestingly (?) he’s the only truly ambidextrous writer I’ve known. You couldn’t tell the difference between his left and right handwriting]
Would a colon where a semi-colon should be mark me out as illiterate?
How about “should of” instead of “should have”? That feels bad but not terrible.
Double negatives still grind with me – “I ain’t done nothing” – my mother’s chastisement still rings in my ears every time I hear one.
She was also a great one for correcting “can” and “may”. “Can I have an apple?” was often answered with “I’m sure you’re more than capable.”
And the split infinitive? If it’s good enough for Star Trek should it be good enough for me?
But the apparent confusion between “there”, “their” and “they’re” is surely a floggable offence. To me that’s the same as confusing “fox”, “cheese” and “beret”.
But, one day, I bet no-one will care. Much as it is with apostrophes today, the punctuation battle that is all but lost.
Clearly rules and conventions change over time otherwise “ye olde English” would still be going strong.
I feel sure that “bad” grammar, spelling and punctuation still matters. It still gives you a feeling for the person on the other side of the correspondence. Even more so if you’ve never met them.
But times change and, with multiple ways in which to get a message across, formality is being diluted. It’s communicating the intent or idea that matters in the end, isn’t it?
Less than 50 years ago writing a letter was the only option. You had to be correct. Today that’s not the case.
And tomorrow? I wonder how our children or our children’s children will be writing?
Today, Dickens’ writing style feels charming and Shakespeare’s archaic. Tomorrow the same will be said of Kipling and Orwell.
And some youngster might read this and say “What was that old git on about?”
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