Work productivity, time management, organization, tools and tips

There’s no way to explain the idiosyncrasies that live in a young girl’s head.  One of mine was an absolute love of the English language and all the grammatical rules that allow the words to fit and flow.  Why?  First, it’s a beautiful language; second, by using it correctly, we greatly improve our communication skills. 

Don’t get me wrong.  I no longer think of myself as Grammar Queen of the World, you can probably catch me making grammatical errors every day.  But there are still some glaring errors that bug the crap out of me.  In a conversation, they can be overlooked; conversations don’t allow time for proper conjugation.  But there’s not much room for excuses when it comes to a piece of writing, especially if the writing is business related. 

Brian Clark wrote an interesting piece, Five Grammatical Errors That Make You Look Dumb, at Copyblogger.  While appearing to be stupid is an issue in itself, Brian points out that some common errors can and will be a question of credibility. 

In that light, I’m adding a few to his list: 

• Is it "Susie and me" or "Susie and I"?  Well, how does it sound when "me" or "I" is used alone?  That’s the test.  It’s easy to see that “Susie and me went to the park” can’t work because “me went to the park” is – well – wrong. 
• Even though it’s too commonly used, "irregardless" isn’t a proper word; it’s a double negative.  Oh, yes, you’ll find it in the dictionary as “an incorrect or humorous usage”. 
• Another common misuse:  “I’ll try and see what’s going on”.  Using “and” implies two activities that fit together.  Will I be trying and seeing at the same time?  No.  “I’ll try to see what’s going on". 
• People are not things.  The sentence, “my friend that lives in England” makes no sense.  The better word is “who”; “my friend who lives in England”. 

Ok, four grammar gripes are enough for today.  They’re enough to illustrate the point that, if your writing is your first foot in the door, make sure it’s a foot with a leg to stand on.