Tuesday, March 10, 2020

When The Student is Ready | Should good grammar be a FB Friend Requirement?


I am not the grammar po-lice.  Even as a freelance copy editor, I approach editing projects with more than a semblance of grace, but zero judgment of the author's grammar skills.  After all, to be an eye twitching QA/grammarian is what they're paying me a premium to be.  But lately, my brain explodes trying to read social media posts.

Listening to bad grammar is a more passive activity, that's easier to comprehend. Reading bad grammar, especially on FB where reading stuff people write, is supposed to be fun- is another matter.  I get it!! FB isn't where we play the game properly; so there's no need to know or apply the rules. But dog-gonnit! I'm tired of struggling with this demon.  -It's not like I can't give credence to my lying eyes for seeing what's written in the word memes and posts. I just don't want to work that hard when I'm at the playground.

Reading is a process of negotiating the text in front of you, with your comprehension of that same text. If the grammar sucks in 140 or so characters, the point of the text gets lost in translation.. OR in my case, three times today I threw my hands up saying "Screw it. -Not doing this!" 

I mean.. blog posts and word memes aren't that serious. I'm over it already. But since, as a writer and copy editor, I am a teacher, I want people to opt in to excellence on occasion. When your posts are more than one sentence long... tho life is rife with rules, just apply a little thought, and grammar check before you click "Post."  Or else I ain't tryin to know what you talm'bout. 

In the words of Johnetta B. Cole . . .
"Show me someone content with mediocrity and I'll show you someone destined for failure."



 Anyone can teach you about love... but I can make you good at it!

| This original photo & commentary by Jackie D. Rockwell |All Rights Reserved © 2008-2020 |