Overview
The rapid popularity of social media (especially Twitter) gives us the ability to connect over greater distances than any previous generation has enjoyed. The world is becoming smaller and smaller every day, but we must also consider how the quality of our conversations and interactions impact the future we’re creating. So, today, I’m here to talk about why spelling and grammar matter!
Proper Spelling Is Cool!
Why, you ask? Proper spelling gives your writing credibility. Sure, the human brain has little trouble comprehending and processing misspelled words. In other words, we know what the writer meant to say. But when I read articles on the Internet or when I read a newly published book, every spelling error I find reduces the author’s credibility in my mind. Yes, his or her ideas may be revolutionary, but I still get hung up on misspellings.
Spelling matters because you invest a considerable amount of time into your writing. As such, you probably want it to be valuable in the eyes of your readers. When an article, or a specific chapter of a book, is riddled with spelling errors, your audience may not take what you have to say as seriously, and most importantly, you risk losing them as loyal readers.
Grammar Can Mean Growth!
We live in a world full of verbal slang, and most of this has been proliferated through text messaging. While these grammatical mistakes aren’t necessarily important when trying to coordinate when to meet your friends at the movies or the local bar, they become extremely important in professional settings.
When it comes to finding that next career promotion or job opportunity, the role of grammar in your communications can’t be underestimated. A website riddled with grammatical errors, for example, lends little credibility to the brand you’re hoping to build. Mistakes in email communications with a higher-up you’re hoping to impress, on the other hand, could mean the difference between a bigger paycheck and career stagnation.
‘Spell-Check’ Isn’t Always Right!
As we increasingly rely upon digital grammar tools, there is less of a tendency to thoroughly edit our work. And while spell check will help you eliminate spelling errors on your next term paper or business email, studies show that the new #1 spelling and grammar mistake is actually “incorrect word use.”
Spell check will make sure all words are spelled correctly, but it may not point out that the word “peach” doesn’t make any sense in the context of your sentence, and that you probably meant to use “peace” instead. This reliance on digital editing tools can certainly reduce the amount of time you have to spend in ‘post-production’ on your articles, but there’s really no substitute for re-reading your work before submitting.
You ARE Being Judged!
Regardless of how important grammar is to your inner circle, the rest of the world very well may be judging you. An interesting survey of 5,500 American singles recently found that 39% of dating site participants said they judge potential matches based on the grammar in their profile.
Furthermore, recent research showed that a significant percentage of Internet browsers will leave a website when they notice a spelling or grammar error because they believe it could mean the website is fraudulent. A company in the UK was even sued for a website spelling error that ultimately led to the demise of an engineering firm, according to officials from the firm.
So it’s clear that, while you may not need to text or tweet with precise grammar, it can certainly impact your prospects, both in love and professionally. Fortunately, there are solutions to help you improve your spelling and grammar, stay professional in your communications, and find the love you’re looking for!
Grammarly!
There may be truly no better solution than reading over your articles multiple times (both silently and aloud) to find and correct errors. Many famous authors rely on a team of editors to proofread and prepare their work for publication. But I understand you might not have the time or resources to comb over every article or pay a team to do it for you. And while I cautioned against an over-reliance on digital editing tools earlier, there is one that I firmly believe in.
Grammarly is more than a spell-checking tool. A Grammarly Premium membership can be used for Work, Personal, or Academic purposes. Premium provides more than 400 spelling and grammar checks per month. It will also detect and suggest changes to words that don’t fit with the overall meaning of a sentence so that you don’t suffer the “peach” vs. “peace” dilemma I mentioned above.
Perhaps best of all, Grammarly will give you vocabulary recommendations to improve the overall quality of your writing and impress your customers, boss, or readers with words they might have to look up! Grammarly Premium is available at a monthly rate of $29.95 per month, but that price comes down to just $11.66 per month if you’re willing to pay annually.
According to the company’s website, users have found great results with the Grammarly Premium tool. In fact, 99% of students who use Grammarly see improved writing grades and 76% of users find writing more enjoyable when they employ the Grammarly tool. You can give it a shot for free today!
Let’s Get Writing!
The Internet has no shortage of content. What we need, in my opinion, is content of a much higher quality. We need writers and bloggers who are truly committed to their profession and to producing the best product possible, every time. If you have a strong argument for, or against, the importance of spelling and grammar, I’d love to start a conversation.
Please leave a comment below if you are inspired, perplexed, saddened, or angered by any of the ideas presented above. I welcome any and all comments and will do my best to respond as soon as possible.
I’d also encourage you to share this with others if you found it particularly insightful or helpful. Be sure to tag @ballisterwriting on Facebook or Instagram if you do! The point of social media, after all, is to be SOCIAL! I don’t need followers or likes, but I’d like to contribute to a real conversation about how we continue to improve as a society and as individuals.
Write On, My Friends!
Tucker Ballister