eBook Miner discussion

English language offenders: show us examples of bad grammar

http://www.theguardian.com/books/book...

I wish more people paid attention to those who abuse the english language and not those who make innocent mistakes and are suddenly considered "unfit to write", believe me there is a difference.

Justin wrote: "...those who make innocent mistakes and are suddenly considered "unfit to write"..."

I'm not sure what you are referring to, but a bit of clarity would be nice.

That being said - I am a devoted fanatic in regards to proper grammar. If you are a writer, then you need to have a excellent knowledge of proper English grammar. If you don't have it - then get it before you try to write anything.

There is no excuse for bad grammar skills.

I think that you're talking about different things.

Justin seems to be alluding to the actions of an elite, using adherence to a set of formal rules as a way to exclude particular voices - those from certain classes, regions or ethnic backgrounds, say.

Christine would appear to be talking about the need to learn important aspects of the craft before embarking on composition.

There you see, now you needn't disagree!

There are a lot of good editors out there but there are also a lot who should not be editing. That is the bottom line. You have to be very careful who you chose to edit your book. New authors especially need to be aware of this.

I have seen reviewers read two lines, pick the crap out of it, refuse to read any more of the book and give it a one star review. Each to their own but that could be argued as being unfair.

eBook wrote: "There are a lot of good editors out there but there are also a lot who should not be editing. That is the bottom line. You have to be very careful who you chose to edit your book. New authors espec..."

Yes, I totally agree. The so called grammar Nazi's really do not seem to appreciate the creativity required in some forms of writing like fantasy fiction. These stories are not academic writing papers. They are creative writing and as such sometimes require a little non-academic sentence structure and grammar to get their message across.

My book: The King's Throne: The Elysian Blade of Truth is a perfect example. I made some comments on my Amazon book page for prospective buyers to the effect:

"I have many fantastic reviews from Fantasy fans, however, their were a few people who found a few structural errors. My answer to them is get over the few grammatical errors, enjoy the story, and engross yourself in the fictional worlds created."

I'm sure if we read with an open mind we will do just that. Of course, this is my opinion, not everyone's!

Regards
Stephen E. Dew

I agree, if you are going to write and expose yourself to the world, proper grammar is critical. Even if many readers are not aware of proper structure, there are those who will not get past mitsakes. (Had to slip one in.)

That being said, I believe the genre and intent should play into the work, and the expectations of sentence structure and grammatical usage. If you are writing a technical piece, or a book on business practices, then there should be a slightly higher standard than when writing fiction where some non-traditional uses of language may help convey a better story.

Blahh @ those dreaded Grammar Nazi's!

As a book reviewer, I try not to grade predominantly on grammar/punctuation. A good book isn't about the grammar, it's about the story. Stephen King said once that you can't worry so much about proper grammar, you need to concentrate on the story. In real life, I find improper grammar annoying, but I don’t judge books based on that alone. Yes, there are mistakes like "you're" and "your" that should be pointed out and edited, but grammar snobs need to calm down a little in life.

Sorry Christine, but if you are going to make a statement such as "I am a devoted fanatic in regards to proper grammar. If you are a writer, then you need to have a excellent knowledge of proper English grammar", you should ensure that your grammar is correct. I think you meant to say "an" excellent knowledge.....

That said, my opinion is that good grammar is important but of paramount importance is the substance and content.

My biggest pet peeve is the incorrect usage of there, to & your (& the others similar). Far tOO often you'RE going to see thEIR wrong answer!