Good Grammar, Good Habits, and Good Thinking

Good grammar is about more than just following rules. Grammar defines how spoken language is encoded as text. Grammar problems often result because people are used to the casual, sometimes sloppy, ways we encode language in everyday conversation. However, in written texts, it is important to be more precise in our use of grammar in order to more clearly express our ideas. It can be difficult to overcome "bad habits" from everyday speech, but a self-awareness of those patterns and diligence in replacing those habits with new ones is effective.

Good readers often use correct grammar intuitively, modeling their writing after materials they have read. For those without those models, sometimes grammar breaks down whenever the writer is uncertain of his or her ideas. In other words, poor thinking can result in poor grammar, and, conversely, poor grammar results in flawed thinking.

So, fixing grammar problems can help a writer write more clearly by forcing the writer to think through his or her ideas. And, when a writer is thinking clearly, his or her grammar seems to "flow" without effort, except for those "habits of speaking" to which the writer may be prone. Revising for ideas and editing for expression will clean up many grammar problems. For the rest, a review of basic grammar rules can help a writer improve his or her proofreading skills.

©1997-2007, Bill Stifler