Comments on: Is Grammar or Content More Important in Business Writing? http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/2009/07/10/is-grammar-or-content-more-important-in-business-writing/ A blog to help business people write better and manage information in less time. And, enjoy it. Tue, 06 Jul 2010 17:19:40 -0400 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 By: Clare Lynch http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/2009/07/10/is-grammar-or-content-more-important-in-business-writing/comment-page-1/#comment-582 Clare Lynch Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:56:18 +0000 http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/?p=1139#comment-582 Although I probably have a reputation for being a complete grammar fascist, I completely agree with you. I'd much rather be asked to edit a clear document with easily correctable punctuation errors than a page of grammatically correct but impenetrable corporate gobbledegook. When I was preparing for a recent flute exam, my teacher reassured me that the examiner can always tell the difference between mistakes made through nerves and mistakes made through bad preparation. I didn't quite believe him until I realised that as a professional writer I can distinguish between grammar mistakes that are often made in haste (e.g. a misspelled their/there/they're or an unnecessary apostrophe) and text that is just plain badly written (e.g. too much information, not enough information, eccentrically structured information, opaquely phrased information). There are lots of blogs out there detailing apostrophe crimes, spelling errors etc, and while I think they serve a useful function, I prefer to save my spleen for all that corporate copy that so often seems to undermine its own goals by being too pompous, pretentious and jargon-filled to be read! Although I probably have a reputation for being a complete grammar fascist, I completely agree with you. I’d much rather be asked to edit a clear document with easily correctable punctuation errors than a page of grammatically correct but impenetrable corporate gobbledegook.

When I was preparing for a recent flute exam, my teacher reassured me that the examiner can always tell the difference between mistakes made through nerves and mistakes made through bad preparation.

I didn’t quite believe him until I realised that as a professional writer I can distinguish between grammar mistakes that are often made in haste (e.g. a misspelled their/there/they’re or an unnecessary apostrophe) and text that is just plain badly written (e.g. too much information, not enough information, eccentrically structured information, opaquely phrased information).

There are lots of blogs out there detailing apostrophe crimes, spelling errors etc, and while I think they serve a useful function, I prefer to save my spleen for all that corporate copy that so often seems to undermine its own goals by being too pompous, pretentious and jargon-filled to be read!

]]> By: Charles Crawford http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/2009/07/10/is-grammar-or-content-more-important-in-business-writing/comment-page-1/#comment-575 Charles Crawford Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:58:15 +0000 http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/?p=1139#comment-575 Hi, Mary, Thank you for this reminder that content is what counts. Correct grammar enables us to convey what's important: the message. Loopy construction and incorrect grammar distract the reader and he or she will either miss the point or go away confused. Hi, Mary,
Thank you for this reminder that content is what counts. Correct grammar enables us to convey what’s important: the message. Loopy construction and incorrect grammar distract the reader and he or she will either miss the point or go away confused.

]]> By: M_Cullen (Mary Cullen) http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/2009/07/10/is-grammar-or-content-more-important-in-business-writing/comment-page-1/#comment-573 M_Cullen (Mary Cullen) Fri, 10 Jul 2009 16:19:10 +0000 http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/?p=1139#comment-573 <strong>Twitter Comment</strong> <a href="http://twitter.com/M_Cullen" title="Twitter Comment" rel="nofollow"> <div class="ccimg1" title="M_Cullen (Mary Cullen)" style="float:left;margin-right:10px;padding:0;width:60px;height:60px;background:url(http://blog.instructionalsolutions.com/wp-content/plugins/chatcatcher/picbg.jpg) no-repeat top;cursor:hand;"> </div> <div class="ccimg2" title="M_Cullen (Mary Cullen)" style="float:left;margin-left:-70px;margin-right:10px;padding:0;width:60px;height:60px;background:url(http://purl.org/net/spiurl/M_Cullen) no-repeat top;cursor:hand;"> </div> </a> Is grammar or content more important in business writing? Subtitle - grammar smugness helps no one: [link to post]<br /><br /> - Posted using Chat Catcher Twitter Comment


Is grammar or content more important in business writing? Subtitle – grammar smugness helps no one: [link to post]

– Posted using Chat Catcher

]]>