Does Grammar Matter? The Mistakes We Make in Business Communication

We send hundreds of emails each week in the course of our day to day business communication. We are writing more than we ever have, in order to reach prospects, close deals, convince clients or just get our point across.

We do everything in such a hurry these days, and I am no exception, that it is well worth thinking about how our writing could improve. We often make simple grammatical and usage mistakes that can be quite revealing, especially if pitching to a client, or for a potential job.

Whilst I am no grammar nazi by any means, I do believe that if you are working in the English speaking business world, you should take the time to review your writing, run your script through a grammar checker (hint: try Grammarly), and make sure that you avoid glaringly obvious grammatical errors. Nobody likes sloppy work.

Does Grammar Matter?

Times have certainly changed. The Oxford Dictionaries Word of the Year is not a word. It's the "face with tears of joy" emoji. A pictograph!

The runners-ups: "On fleek" and "besties". I can almost visualize a picture of the unemployed English major crying.

Have you ever received an email where you wish you'd have the opportunity to speak with the sender on phone or in-person instead, so that you didn't have to figure out what exactly it is that the sender wanted to say in the conundrum of an email they sent to you? I know I have. In fact I get such an email at least once every week.

Lately I seem to be reading business communication with grammar, style, typographical errors and punctuation that is so off the cuff that I wonder if people think that basic grammar and punctuation have indeed become optional in the new digital age?

I'd like to argue the opposite by asserting that grammar has become even more vital in today's digital age than it ever was in the past, simply because the devices at our disposal have allowed us to write at a frequency and volume that we never did before. Most importantly, nobody wants to be misunderstood.

I've written over four hundred articles in the past three years. I'd like to think that you can understand my writing.

I don’t profess to have a perfect understanding of the English language, but I would hope that my understanding is on a par with the majority of native English speakers on the planet.

For me, the building blocks of language are words, while the glue of language is the grammar. If the glue is loosely applied, you can still infer much of the sentence’s meaning even if the workmanship isn't perfect. If there is no glue at all, the walls collapse, and the meaning is lost very quickly.

In an age of instant messaging and mobile communications, many of us seem to have forgotten about that glue altogether. Just because a message takes five seconds to read and only slightly more to write, doesn't mean that it has to be incomprehensible.

This kind of writing is transferred to our children’s speech patterns. I am no expert in the abbreviations used in text messages, but I am sure that the language of school kids is unduly influenced.

Who cares if that word needs a capital letter and if that sentence requires a comma? Well, not many people, by the look of it. I am sure that many of the readers of this blog will comment that even blogs themselves don't typically comply with the so-called "rules."

Blogs (including this one) tend to be conversational pieces. The author is speaking to the reader as he would over a glass of wine in a bar. Are you hearing me? I don't speak like Shakespeare, so why should I write a blog like he would have written?

Technology is speeding up our lives - we value efficient communication; however, in our haste, the grammatical correctness of the message suffers. But since the recipient will probably still understand the message, does the poor grammar ultimately matter?

The main argument that I would put forward is that we are setting a bad example for the younger generation. They don't spend so much time reading well-written books, and spend far too much time on text and instant messaging, where butchered English is de rigeur.

I am certain that I don't understand or use every grammatical rule correctly, and neither do most people. For others who routinely mix up "their", "they're" and "there", the situation is a little more serious.

I don't mean to be preachy or make this blog seem too sanctimonious because everyone has attained his or her own level of education in the native language that they learnt. In my view however, there is a basic standard that every person working in a business environment should be able to achieve.

You should be aware of your shortcomings, and if you are mixing up the three words above or making some other obvious mistakes, people may make other assumptions about you.

Don't get me wrong, I know that I am far from perfect, but I do hope that I get the basics right most of the time. We can all strive to write better - I am doing my best to improve. 

OK, let's start.

Its and It’s

“Its” is the possessive and “it’s” is a contraction of it is. So many people miss out the apostrophe or add it in at the wrong times. This is probably one of the most common mistakes that people make. It’s the same with your/you’re and their/they’re. 

Example: It’s fairly clear that the French government will tighten security. Its mandate is to protect the people of France.

Who and Whom

Who is used when the pronoun acts as the subject of the verb, whom is used when it acts as the object. For clarity, “who” can be replaced by “he/she” and “whom” can be replaced by “him/her.”

Example: Who is glad that Anonymous are taking on Islamic State? With whom are we going to be fighting this war?

You're and Your

Your = It belongs to you. It's possessive i.e. you own something.

You're = Is a contraction of “you are”

Example: France is your country and you’re a resident of Paris.

Their, There and They’re

One is what is owned by a group (their), the second indicates a place (there) and the third (they’re) is a contraction of they are. These are really simple distinctions, and it is shocking how often people mix them up.

Example: They’re [They are] on their bikes [bikes belong to them] over there [where they are]. 

Fewer and Less

“Less” is used in hypothetical quantities. “Few” and “fewer” are used when there are things that you can count or quantify.

Example: If only there were less hatred in this life. The fewer extremists in the world, the safer everyone will be.

Affect and Effect 

Generally speaking “affect” is nearly always a verb and “effect” is nearly always a noun. You affect something to make it change, and you could call that change the effect.

Example: How can you fail to be affected by the events in Paris? Yes, the effects will reverberate around French society for years to come.

May and Might

“May” implies a possibility and “might” also implies possibility, but with a higher degree of uncertainty. 

Example: We may see increased air strikes in Syria over the next few weeks. Life in Paris might get back to normal.

Bring and Take

“Bring” implies a motion towards something or someone, and “take” implies a motion away from it or them.

Example: I hope that the Gendarmerie bring the criminals to justice. Once they have been pronounced guilty, they can take them away to rot on a deserted island as far as I care.

Farther and Further

“Farther” describes a measurable distance, while “further” generally refers to abstract lengths that are hard to measure.

Example: The air strikes extended 20km farther into the country. I am not sure how much further we will be able to develop our relationship with Assad.

Incomplete Comparisons

I see this usage all the time and this is something that can easily be corrected. Here is an example of an actual tweet I read:

Example: The French military is smarter, faster, stronger.

Smarter, faster, stronger... than what? What are you comparing the French military to? A Ferrari? The Red Army?

In sentences such as the above where you declare something you need to clarify what you are comparing the declaration to?

Correct usage would be: The French military is smarter, faster & stronger than ISIS and all the other terrorist groups.

In Sum

There are many more examples, but I thought that I’d share the main ones. Have a look at the pieces of work that you have written recently and see where you might have used incorrect grammar.

I have omitted to include advice about when you should use “which” and “that” because that requires an understanding of “essential clause” and “non essential clause”, something that requires practice. I often get it wrong myself so would not like to appear hypocritical. No one is perfect, and we all have room for improvement!