Being Correctly Incorrect With Grammar (A Ramble)
Hello!
Grammar is a subject in school that everyone seems to hate. I’ve witnessed a surprising amount of frustration over it. And I can understand because honestly, I hate grammar too. But I also like it.
I don’t enjoy learning about what parts of a sentence are the independent-dependant-clause, or which word is the antecedent, or what is a relative pronoun and so on. I just kind of write and say what sounds correct. (Does anyone else do this?) So by listening to people literally all my life, I’ve picked up on how things should sound. So I like the sound of grammar, but not the grammatical stuff that makes up the sounds I like.
And this whole thought process got started by my dear younger brother. *commence puppet show*
One day, we were just sitting in the kitchen, talking, when he said, “There wasn’t much apples.” I ignored it because we all have our moments. But then over the weeks, this kept happening. “We was going there.” “I walked to the store and buy’d candy.” “We already sawr that.”
(Abe, if you’re reading this, um… thanks for being an example?)
And my brother is almost a teenager. He’s been talking for many years. He’s been listening to people talk for all of his life. He should know that these don’t sound right. And the issue with this is that I couldn’t tell him what was wrong, only that it sounded wrong.
This got me thinking. Grammar is important. It’s kind of nice to hear and read things that are written and spoken well. That some extra time and thought was put into making something look professional and polished, especially with the internet and social media. I like to take time to appreciate well written things, especially when texting is involved. *shudders*
Grammar is a Tool
…and it doesn’t need to be correct 100 percent of the time.
You can use grammar and the way someone talks to indicate character, location, lifestyle, personality, and so much more. In fact, it shouldn’t be correct all the time.
For example, (and really, a pretty cliched example) take a farmer from a random medieval world. The poor farmer doesn’t have time to read or learn very much, so he probably doesn’t speak with the utmost proper grammar. That can help convey a more layed back style. It can show that the farmer is willing to be your friend and help you out and not be a cold, proper speaking person.
But then, let’s say, there’s a mysterious scholar in town. The scholar says things with impeccable grammar, keeps everything clean and tidy, and has a very intricate way of speaking (using fancy words no one probably knows the meaning of, using more words than necessary, etc.) You’re probably feeling like this guy is cold, uncaring, selfish, and probably the stuck up villain in the story.
Among other things, you can use grammar to show what the setting is like. Things are going to sound different between a setting in the wild west, a medieval castle, and a bustling city in 1910. It can show familiar or unfamiliar things. It can show how different kingdoms and cultures are different or similar.
Grammar is an important tool in many aspects. You don’t need to necessarilly write and speak with perfect grammar all the time, and in some cases, it would be better not to. But there are also times when it’s nice to come across a gramatically correct sentence. It shows that you took the time and energy to write something worth reading, even if it’s a small text or email. So, my fellow writers, bibliophiles, and grammar people, go out into the world and polish it up a little with a bit of grammar.
Until next time!
-Hannah
