grammar nazi musings, based on recent events

so, for anybody who knows me in the smallest capacity knows that i am a grammar nazi. okay, okay . . . those who know me in the smallest capacity surely do not know this, but the point here is, i like grammar and feel like it's still relevant today. people who use poor grammar (or, heck, spell it grammer - oh, i'm such a gossip hound here, but a TEACHER I ONCE WORKED WITH actually had that word posted incorrectly on his/her wall IN THEIR CLASSROOM) grate on my nerves.


i'm sure you've seen it, too. people who write, "your the best." or perhaps, "their such nice guys." or any of the kabillion things we are taught IN GRADE SCHOOL.

speaking of . . .

i got a note from my kids' school yesterday, asking whether or not we were coming back in the fall. it's a standard note, one that helps schools predict enrollment. now, on this sheet of paper, there were three lines provided to write names; above those lines read: STUDENT'S NAMES.

friends.

oh, friends.

i was . . . (shhh) HORRIFIED. i know this probably wouldn't be the first reaction any of you would have, but when i saw that, i couldn't help but think to myself, "i send my kids to this school, to be educated, and whoever is sending out the memos can't even understand how possessive punctuation works?" i mean, this is what is taught IN GRADE SCHOOL. my kids GO TO GRADE SCHOOL. the people in charge of the school DO NOT KNOW THE THINGS THEY TEACH, or, perhaps even worse, DON'T CARE IF THEY USE IT PROPERLY IN OFFICIAL COMMUNICATIONS.


so i've debated with myself. do i turn the piece of paper in, edited? i know (having worked in education) that these are often forms used year after year. do i ignore it? see, it's hard to ignore such stuff, when it's done professionally. it is expected that businesses, no matter what kind, adhere to certain expectations. proper grammar (and spelling) are included in such expectations.

so, yeah. i'm going to talk to someone in the office and kindly point out the error.

also, i've been reading a lot of indie books lately in an effort to see what's good, what's bad, and what's working out there in the publishing world. specifically, i've been reading multiple indie series as i'm set to release one of my own soon. here's what i can tell you, as a reader, what works for me (in terms of indie books): proper editing and grammar.

there is this one series i've been reading (and no, i won't name names) that has a really fab plot line. the world building is excellent. the characters are fairly well developed (although, i'll admit to wanting to slap the protag a few times out of sheer annoyance) and show growth across the series. but . . . the author did very little editing (or, at least i'm assuming it was editing and not sheer ignorance of the english language). there were errors riddling the book. sentences were often poorly constructed, and punctuation was horrendous (and very often misused). and while i devoured the books solely based on the positive attributes listed above, i don't know if i'd actually recommend them to anyone. i feel torn, because i liked them. i genuinely did. but at the same time, i don't respect them.

if that makes sense?

it also makes me want to ensure that, thanks to actually hiring editors, i significantly lessen the opportunity for anybody to ever think this about my work.

it worries me that i hear/read more and more often that grammar isn't relevant anymore. a lot of people use the excuse that, thanks to technology and social media, there isn't a need for it. that things such as texting and instant messaging have made misspellings and incorrect grammar usage acceptable by societal norms. (i should note that i absolute refuse to ever type the word "you" as "u" and "your" as "ur" or any of those other text abbreviations; i mean, c'mon, is it REALLY THAT HARD TO TYPE OUT THREE LETTERS for "you?" it even bugs the crap out of me when artists such as prince do this. yes, even him. but i digress.) the husband, who used to teach high school, told me that he'd get essays turned in with such errors, and that the kids didn't know what they did was wrong.

as a writer, this makes me sad.


there is such a thing as stylistic writing. obviously, you can see that i utilize this, what with my lack of capital letters within this blog (and no--my books never are written in this style). but, i respect grammar. follow it. and wish more people did the same.


/end babblish, meandering (and hopefully grammatically correct) rant

/also wondering if i should have done the same as the following meme?