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Monday, March 11, 2013

Tribute to National Grammer Day; I mean "Grammar Day"


Did you know that this Monday was National Grammar Day? For some, it just meant another typical day. But for others, it had a deeper meaning. After biting their tongue all year, they could finally put on the police grammar badge and crack down on those with poor grammar skills. It was a day of freedom, to finally lash out at those who made grammatical errors all year long.  

In an interview for the Chicago Tribune, Martha Brockenbrough, founder of this holiday, gave insight into the world of grammar and its importance, saying “For me, the goal is to get people to think about language and why being careful with it matters. There was this idea out there that speaking well and knowing what words mean and how they work was somehow elite and untrustworthy. This is ridiculous.”

And it is indeed ridiculous. Having good grammar not only makes you sound more intelligent, it makes you more trustworthy. There will always be a time when you make a mistake, such as misspelling a word because the AP stylebook was just updated last week. The goal however, especially for PR majors, is to make as few mistakes as possible. After all, we are still learning and growing in our PR skills, but don’t use that as an excuse.

Another thing to remember is that we have technology on our side. We can use social media to reach people all over the world. When we’re feeling rushed and to reach that person  we can call them or shoot them a quick email. The point I am trying to get at is that just because we have these options, doesn’t mean we should take advantage of them by doing whatever we want and not giving a darn if there is a mistake. Think of it as a privilege rather a right.   

Last, but not least, always proofread your material before you finalize it. Be it through social media, a news release, a phone call, email, you name it, if your grammar looks or sounds bad, that person probably isn’t going to take you very seriously. And it brings your credibility to question.

So stand up and be proud! If you know that your grammar skills are good then don’t hesitate. If someone makes a mistake, do them a favor and politely correct them. It not only makes you feel better, but it saves the world from poor grammar usage.

Do you have G.O.D. syndrome? Watch the video on this website to see if you have it. http://www.prdaily.com/Main/Articles/13972.aspx

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