Regardless of how good your writing skills are, you’re never spared from the occasional bout with bad grammar. It’s just a fact of life for anyone who ever engages in the written word. In fact, the more you write during the course of your day, the greater the likelihood that you’ll make mistakes – just ask any professional writer and they’ll tell you as much.
If you just write as a casual part of your job (whether it’s emails to your clients, IMs to co-workers or status reports to your boss), you likely experience the same propensity for bad grammar. Since you’re not specifically trained for writing, you may not even notice them even after checking your work a couple of times.
The reality is that all of us commit grammar trespasses every single day. No matter how much writing practice you receive, you’ll never get away from it. Whether those mistakes make it through to the people receiving what we put on paper, however, is another matter altogether.
Most professional writers I know turn out impeccable work not because they’re free from grammar failings, but because they know how to remedy it – they use an English grammar software. With it in tow, they’re able to spare editors from having to read through text full of errors they can otherwise remedy. For a writer not to use one at this day and age is just pure travesty.
For those who don’t necessarily write for a living, it also makes sense to use one. Would you rather your business contacts receive emails, reports and proposals that are filled with ear-splitting mistakes? I hope not, because I’d stay away from you if you do!
Bad grammar happens to everyone. It’s what you do to fix it that defines the responses you get.
