Good grammar for someone skilled in grammatical skills is smooth and easy communication. Bad grammar is akin to an out-of-tune note to a trained musician.
Good grammar is important in many ways. When you speak or write, you have the opportunity to make an important first impression. It might be with someone you’ll never see again, so it might not matter. However, it could be with a potential future employer, a future spouse, someone to secure your college entrance or give you a mortgage to buy a house. You may never know your audience or what the outcome will be.
And did I say that a first impression doesn’t matter if you’ll never see the person again? Of course it matters! It matters to you, the speaker or the writer. Being able to communicate with style and correct grammar often makes a better impression than physical appearance, references, or college degrees. Good grammar skills should be a source of pride. No one should be afraid to speak up for fear that they will miscommunicate.
A person who speaks and/or writes with the correct grammar has a huge advantage over someone who chooses to do nothing or just doesn’t know how to do it.
What are those advantages?
* Employers are impressed with good communication skills and good English writing skills. An employee is less likely to advance in any professional capacity if they cannot use good grammar when speaking or writing. A person who uses bad grammar sounds ignorant, and no company wants to be represented by someone who sounds ignorant.
* Employers will be impressed if an employee, whose first language is not English, makes a conscious effort to use good grammar and write better in English.
* Those who use good grammar, whether in writing or speaking, are better treated. The person with good grammar will get better service in a store, a restaurant or any other place because he will make a better impression on those with whom he communicates.
* People who use grammar correctly advance in almost all spheres of life. Do you think your complaint letter to the phone company will be taken more seriously if the grammar and spelling are correct? Think about it.
So how do you go about improving grammar? One way is to spend time with someone who communicates with good grammar, and then take cues from how that person speaks or writes. Another way is to take grammar and English classes at community colleges.
And finally, a great way is to use proofing software when writing. Any writing you send, publish or deliver will be better for it. And you’ll have the benefit of learning good grammar for what you misspelled and then you’ll be able to use that knowledge in future communications, whether written or verbal.
There are many English writing software programs available. When you use a program like a grammar checker or spell checker, you’ll “kill two birds with one stone.” You’ll immediately improve your writing, but you’ll also learn correct grammar, spelling, and the right word to use when two words sound the same but have different meanings.
If English is not your native language, English grammar software will help you write and speak English better. And better English grammar will improve both your valuable business writing and creative writing skills. Remember… what you say and what you write can be heard and read by many people. Make that great first impression…every time!