Imagine our excitement
when we learned that today, March 4, 2015, is National Grammar Day! Court
reporters deal with words, grammar, and punctuation every day. When we
edit our transcripts, we look up unfamiliar words, pay attention to sentence
structure, and often agonize over what mark of punctuation would work best in a
certain situation. Seminars are given every year on this very topic, and
I for one learn something new at every seminar. You probably will never
see such spirited debate over comma placement!
It is not uncommon at
our office lunch table to have discussions about things written in the daily
newspaper. Just this morning, we came across this sentence in the daily Metro: “A couple of newlyweds who were injured in the Boston
Marathon bombings are separating.” We immediately thought two couples,
four people, were separating; but after sorting through the rest of the
article, it became apparent that only one couple was calling it quits. We
think it would have been better if the article had said “a newlywed couple is
separating” or “newlyweds are separating,” unless of course the author meant
two separate people not married to each other are separating. It can get
pretty confusing!
Of course gaffes are not
limited to print media. How often do you hear a newscaster deliver a
blunder that has you either scratching your head or covering your ears?
Proper grammar matters. A poor grasp of the English language will hold
you back professionally. Your message will be lost if you cannot communicate
it correctly.
Note the huge difference
comma placement makes in these two sentences:
Let’s eat grandma.
Let’s eat, Grandma.
Please spare grandma’s
life and use a comma!
All kidding aside,
grammar is important business.
Today court reporters
will join teachers, editors, writers, and journalists in celebrating National
Grammar Day, which was established in 2008 by Martha Brockenbrough, founder of
the Society for the Promotion of Good
Grammar.
No comments:
Post a Comment