Okay, this is a quick response to a recent feeling about grammar.
Grammar
is understanding's aid, it helps people think clearly about things, and lends respect to the reader. There's a reason why order is needed with all things useful. Grammar is order.
Writing is
an exchange, an investment. A man takes his time, which he could have
used somewhere else to do something else, but chooses to spend it--invest it---in reading your work. Respect that. Think like this: Is this piece of
writing worth his time? After he is done reading will he be better off
as a person? Make your piece worthwhile.
Grammar helps the mind think, and a person's mind is his privacy, a very delicate part of him. So feeding this part of him with a rushed jumble--forgetting grammar---hurts the mind---and is harsh to it. Few people spend time hurting. So write, and write well.
Yet, in saying all this, there are still audiences for whom grammar may not be necessary, because it may not lead to understanding, and understanding should be the chief reason for writing. But then again, for most literate audiences grammar is crucial to helping the mind properly process what the writing is about.
Ever heard this saying by B.J Chute: "Grammar is to a writer what anatomy is to a sculptor and the scales to a musician, you may loathe it, it may bore you, but nothing will replace it, and once mastered, it will support you like a rock."
Alright, off to your slate. Write.
No comments:
Post a Comment