Introducing: Grammar for Authors
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.