#BConnectedConf: Does Grammar Matter?

Does Grammar
Matter?
Julie Harrison
@coffeewithjulieMay 2, 2015

Does Grammar Matter?
You hated it in school; you hate
it now. But that doesn’t change
the fact that poor grammar can
deteriorate your credibility.
Fill up on some caffeine and join
Algonquin College English
Professor and fellow blogger
Julie Harrison for a little tune-up.
Topics to be covered:
#1. Mistakes that grammar freaks like to mock most
#2. How to add sentence variety to your post
#3. Technology that can help

Sure,
grammar
matters.
@coffeewithjulie / #BConnectedConf

But does it
matter as much
as some
people think?

So, grammar matters. But how much?

So, grammar matters. But how much?
Sentence fragment!
Starting a sentence with a conjunction!

Enough to make a reader stop
visiting your blog?

Enough to make someone question your
credibility as a writer?

35% of respondents will question
your credibility as a writer

Enough to make someone doubt your opinion
on a product review?

“I often wonder what the
brands think and if they even
read the posts as well.”
21%
I start to question whether I want to believe that
blogger's opinions/arguments/thoughts on a topic.
“If they don't take the time
to check and make sure their
grammar is correct, how do I
know other details of the
post are?”
“It makes me feel
uncomfortable. It makes me
question the blogger's work as a
whole.”

Why do bloggers make
grammar mistakes?

Likely, for some of the same reasons as my students …
• Learning disabilities
• Writing in a second language
• Grammar was not a subject taught in high school (or slept through it!)
• Dropped out of school for family/personal reasons
• Not taking the time to proofread
• Forgetting to use software tools

And some additional ones …
Colophon editing team, 1939
Artist Don Freeman

I am a writer, but I’ll never be a “master”
• What ya’ gonna do with an English
degree?
• Paid to write since 1995
• I am not an author, journalist, novelist
• Speeches, newsletters, bios, articles,
websites, annual reports, white papers,
product feature sheets, investor kits,
brochures, billboards, case studies,
training manuals, performance reports,
RFPs, blah, blah, blah, you name it and
I will write it …
www.caffeinecommunications.ca

“We are all apprentices in a craft
where no one ever becomes a master.”
—Ernest Hemingway

Tune-Up Lesson #1
Avoiding the Mistakes that
Grammar Freaks like to Mock
the Most!

Quiz!
A. All occasions require caffeine, including conference’s!
B. All occasions require caffeine, including conferences!

Common Error #1: Incorrect Use of Apostrophe
Do use an apostrophe for contractions
• “Don’t” for “Do Not”
Do use an apostrophe to show possession
• Frank’s puppy is cute.
Do not use an apostrophe to form a plural
• It drives grammar geeks banana’s!

Quiz!
A. After a nice hot coffee, its time for chocolate!
B. After a nice hot coffee, it’s time for chocolate!

Common Error #2: Its / It’s
Source credit: The YUNiversity Source credit: Hudson

Quiz!
A. Holy, Bat Man! This BConnected Conference is effecting my brain!
B. Holy, Bat Man! This BConnected Conference is affecting my brain!

Common Error #3: Affect / Effect

Quiz!
A. This pen is a great complement to the notebook.
B. This pen is a great compliment to the notebook.

Common Error #4: Compliment / Complement

Quiz!
A. There are so many prizes today that I’m going to need another tote!
B. They’re so many prizes today that I’m going to need another tote!
C. Their so many prizes today that I’m going to need another tote!

Quiz!
This lunch bag has many handy features that include;
insulation, cheerful colours, and zippered pockets.

Common Error #6: Semi-colon abuse!

Tune-Up Lesson #2
Adding Sentence Variety
to Your Posts

Think of a sentence as a bicycle …

The subject wheel and the predicate wheel
connect to form a stable structure.
Tells us who or what

We can have just one word in each
wheel…
Students studied.
Children play.

But most of the time our ideas include
more details.
We add extra words to the wheels.
The neighbourhood children play at the local park.

Baskets are excellent ways to create sentence variety.
Once we have a stable structure, we can add a basket on the front, in
the middle, or on the back.

The basket cannot stand on its own; it’s not a
stable structure.
When the music began
When the music began, everyone started to dance.

Earlier this spring, the viaduct was closed because of flooding.
Eight months ago, we bought a truck.
By the time we got home, it was dark.
Irritable after a long day at work, we took a nap before studying.
Baskets on the front …

Baskets in the middle …
My little brother, unable to sleep, turned on the light.
The elderly couple, walking slowly up the driveway, waved at their grandchildren.
A modern art gallery, funded by a million dollar grant, is under construction.
John Jackson, a friend since grade school, is my math tutor.

Jeff wants a hybrid, his best hope for good gas mileage.
A gentle rain fell throughout the night, lulling us to sleep.
We are building a home with Habitat for Humanity, a national volunteer program.
Everyone wants to leave at noon, even my sister.
Baskets on the back …

Readers are looking for the bicycle wheels (the main idea).
Commas help them see the wheels.
The Logic of Punctuation

So if you begin a sentence with a basket,
use a comma to show readers where the
addition ends and the basic sentence
begins.
According to the weather report, tomorrow will be hot and humid.

If the basket interrupts the sentence, use commas to show readers
where the basket begins and ends.
The art gallery, which opens this weekend, features local artists.

If the basket is attached to the end of the
sentence, the comma shows readers
where the addition begins.
The award was given to James Johnson, the most respected person in our town.

Tune-Up Lesson #2
Technology that
Helps Catch Errors

I lied.

For Wordpress users, this helps …
The proofreading feature checks spelling, misused words,
grammar, and style. You can tell the type of error by its color.
• Misused words and spelling errors are red
• Grammar mistakes are green
• Style suggestions are blue

Learn grammar without going into a coma of
boredom…
Grammar Girl (www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar)
Grammar Bytes (www.chompchomp.com)

Proofreading Tips: Before you
press “Publish”
1. Read your post out loud
2. Triple-check your headline
3. Triple-check your apostrophes
4. Put proofreading in the plan
5. Did I mention there is no secret sauce? (Caffeine helps! )
6. When in doubt, look it up

Thank You!
www.caffeinecommunications.ca

#BConnectedConf: Does Grammar Matter?

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