Most students don’t take proper grammar seriously. They just want to write the essay/ assignment, finish it, and hand it over. They forget that proper grammar might be the only explanation as to why they keep getting Fs. Writing your essay on time is not enough; you have to make sure you proofread your work before you hand it in. Proofreading means you have to correct spelling mistakes, stylistic mistakes, punctuation mistakes, and make sure your grammar is good. I hope the following reasons make you take grammar seriously in your next essay.
1. Good grammar makes you look smart
You do not need to use big words when talking or writing to appear smart. Understanding words, their usage, and pronunciation is more important. Good grammar will protect you from looking or sounding foolish, and your professor will understand the points you are trying to put across in your essay. This will lead to good grades, a good college/ university, and probably a great job. Conversations you have with friends will also be understood better. No one wants to be the joke of the class for using poor grammar when constructing a sentence, so work on your grammar!
2. Good grammar leads to good communication
Imagine trying to explain a point for five minutes to a friend, and even after countless repeating, they still have no clue what you are saying (or even worse, they keep getting it wrong). It’s frustrating, right? Poor grammar does that- it breaks down communication. It makes the reader or listener not get the point. It weakens your idea, and in most cases, your point is interpreted wrong.
The reader will get frustrated if they have to keep rereading and reorganizing the sentence so that it makes sense. If they have to do this in more than one sentence in your essay, you are doomed. If the professor understands what you are saying, then they can understand how you have organized your thoughts, leading to a good grade.
3. Good grammar will help you get into a good university/ college
Colleges/ universities usually look out for smart students. Your application essay and, in some cases, follow-up interviews are the determiners of that. An application essay full of mistakes and poor grammar will not get you into the college of your choice. Speaking poorly with grammatical errors will make you look stupid. Continuous use of poor grammar when talking will make the administrators think you do not have a proper education. This could be one of the reasons (or the only reason) you get disqualified. Good grammar will also reflect in your grades, especially your writing score.
4. Good grammar will get you a job
Some employers insist on proper grammar by employees. In the article I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar by Kyle Wiens, he says, “Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet. In blog posts, on Facebook statuses, in e-mails, and on company websites, your words are all you have. They are a projection of you in your physical absence. And, for better or worse, people judge you if you can’t tell the difference between their, there, and they’re. Good grammar makes good business sense — and not just when it comes to hiring writers.”
In the eyes of an employer, an applicant who uses proper grammar on their resume is intelligent and not lazy or stubborn. When looking for a job, you want your image to be projected right and not be defined by grammatical errors.
Check your essay for errors before submitting it to your professor. When you perfect your grammar during writing, you are able to concentrate on the structure and content of your work. Your reader also understands your point of view and does not have to keep correcting your errors. Good grammar is mandatory for any student and makes you appear intelligent. Practice writing proper grammar, and your spoken grammar will also improve.