Grammar with Beth

The rules of language are essential if we want to communicate clearly. For writers in particular, the laws of language are our greatest weapons. Sure, they may be more like guidelines, but before you can bend the rules to your purposes, you need to master them. Let’s become word masters together.

Introducing: Grammar for Authors

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-Beth Wangler

Grammar.  Ugh.  Gross.

That’s the attitude I used to have, and the attitude most people of my acquaintance still have, toward grammar.

I grew up prejudiced against this subject, indoctrinated to view it as a convoluted conglomeration of stupid rules and pointless terms meant to box me in.  Like any good American, the refrain of my writer’s heart was, “Don’t fence me in.”

I never learned grammar in school, a truth which I blame on my attitude more than on my teachers.  I did just enough to get by, but as soon as the test was over I wiped it from my head.  “I don’t need to know the terms,” I used to protest.  “I have a strong practical understanding of grammar because of how much I read and write, and that’s more important.”

Yeah, I was wrong.