Thread: Is writing all about grammar?

Originally Posted by Obannonsleap

I'm always Johnny-come-lately to great threads like this (great in my opinion because of the relevance to what many of us do for a living), but my personal thoughts on the topic are that writing is about the intended reader(s).

What I mean is if you're creating an article for your site about hip-hop culture, then the use of some slang terms might be perfectly acceptable, because your intended readers will digest them without batting an eye.

On the other hand, if you're writing a White Paper on a highly intricate tech system to be published on an academic site, then the use of slang terms would interrupt your readers and detract from the message you're trying to convey to them.

The same is true with regards to web-speak and non-native English writing with broken grammar in content as it is with slang terms. If your intended readers can consume the material without being 'put off' by the broken grammar or emoticons, then it's okay to use.

But, if your intended readers might expect well written content, or are seeking a voice of authority on a topic, then broken grammar or web-speak will do you more harm than good.

So, just like deciding what content to create based on your intended audience, you can also decide on how proper that content must be based on your intended readers too.

I couldn't agree more..

in short we can set aside grammar in some areas, but it is highly needed if you are writing for a serious matter or subject.

Sometimes an effective articles is also about how you use your keywords and spread it around. Another important thing is how you present your details.

Th writing is done for communicating and interacting with your readers. If you can put across your thoughts and ideas really well and effectively, nothing like it!

Grammar is not unimportant , simply because they help you maintain the flow of your expressions well and makes your thoughts go across to your readers... equally well!

Regards,

RightMan

In my opinion, as long as you can deliver the message then perfect grammar is not necessary, I mean, even when you speak in your own language (for non english speaker as my self) it is pretty difficult to use the perfect grammar (That's why you have language subject in school).

Cheers,

I am not a Native but I am very conscious about Grammar when writing articles. Native speakers don't give a second thought on where to use articles, how to use appropriate tense, phrases, etc etc. For me, it is obviously little hard. That is why I always read articles from websites, blogs which are very well written in good English and try to rewrite them. This is how I practice and has helped me at some point to understand the flow of sentence in the article and learn grammar.

Writing is about sense. Grammar, spelling, etc are just spices.

I think it's better to have a writer who know the lingo for the topic that you write instead of someone who only use good grammar to sell their writing service.

For example, someone who has good grasps of their grammar will probably not understand the specific terms being used to write about Forex, pips etc etc.

Just my $0.02.

I totally agree. Grammar is the main basis where your readers are totally attracted in your posts. Around 95% of the clients are hiring Native English speakers rather than internationals because they want their articles to be 100% free from grammatical errors. So grammar is all we have here on writings.

Writing is not just about grammar but also its content and what your have written is something valuable and interesting to your readers as well

Being a "native English speaker or writer" doesn't equate to having a perfect grammar. I've read some of their articles with some grammatical errors also. There are some people also who come from countries where English is a second language but is a medium of instruction in their schools who write or speak an almost perfect grammar. A writer though has to do his or her best to write an article with a grammar as perfect as it can be.