It goes without saying that a good workman always checks his work twice, and nowhere is that process more necessary than when publishing written work. Every day, people all over the world miss out on golden opportunities because of simple grammar errors. These errors cause unnecessary stress and get us into sticky situations, often because of carelessness. No matter how good you think you are at writing, it’s vitally important that you thoroughly check your work to ensure there are no negative effects or repercussions.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that bad grammar can ruin your life. It can mean the difference between success and failure in numerous situations. In this post, we explore six ways in which bad grammar can trip you up and negatively affect your life.
1. Losing the Job Before the Interview
Sending off a CV without checking your grammar is tempting fate to come and smack you right between the chops. If an HR manager sees that you were careless enough to send in a CV or application form containing mistakes, the company isn’t likely to offer you an interview, is it? A job can easily receive more than 500 applicants. To give yourself a fighting chance of landing the job, make sure you check your grammar thoroughly before sending off your application.
2. Getting a Complaint Taken Seriously
Have you ever written an email or letter of complaint in the hope of generating an apology or refund? Then you’ll know just how important it is to come across as a serious, professional individual who means business. If you write a letter littered with grammatical errors, you are less likely to get the positive response you are looking for. You might say that this is discriminatory toward those with poor writing skills, and you’d be right. But if you’ve ever worked in customer service, you’ll know that a forceful, properly written letter urges you to appease a customer’s demands promptly. Be polite but firm, authoritative, and direct, and don’t send that complaint before you have thoroughly checked the grammar and wording.
3. Losing Respect as a Blogger
Okay, so blogs can get away with the odd mistake here and there because people can appreciate that much of the writing is done as a hobby, and therefore time is scarce amid life’s important responsibilities. However, blogging is becoming increasingly competitive, and as such, the need to shine above your competitors to secure a bigger readership is greater. This means writing eloquent copy that is free of errors and resonates with your readership. You might get away with the odd mistake, but if you keep making silly grammar errors, you’ll soon see your visitor numbers fall through the floor. Don’t hit “publish” before you’ve used a grammar checker.
4. Being Taken Out of Context
There are few things worse than being misunderstood by someone you really want to understand your position. But in today’s digital world, this happens regularly because so much communication is conducted through the written word. Debates regularly unfold on blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, and if you aren’t careful with your grammar, you can easily be misunderstood. This could potentially damage your reputation and discredit your argument.
Once you’ve made a point, it is difficult to backtrack and explain yourself; people often aren’t willing to give you that opportunity, especially once they’ve secured the upper hand. This isn’t just about making the odd grammatical mistake, either. This is about being taken out of context. By using the wrong word order or the wrong choice of words, your entire intended meaning can be misconstrued and used against you. Don’t give others the opportunity to punish you for your mistakes. Make sure you check every comment before pushing that “post” button.
5. No Second Chance
Even though the majority of writing is done on computers, there are still many circumstances where your final word is final and you won’t get an opportunity to go back and edit mistakes. A primary example is printed work published in books and magazines. Even in the digital world, you may struggle to find a webmaster kind enough to correct a silly grammar error in a guest post you submitted a few months back. But there are other life events where your written word is final, too, such as an entry in a school yearbook or a letter to a loved one. The point is that you can’t always turn back the grammatical clock, and you don’t want to be remembered as the person who couldn’t write properly, do you? Check, check, check, and check again!
6. Negatively Implicating Yourself in a Legally Binding Statement
No one likes to dwell on the possibility of bad things happening. However, the reality is that every person, at least once in their lifetime, may become caught up in a situation that could harm their career or life. For example, you might clash with a fellow employee, commit a crime, whether intentionally or unintentionally, become the victim of mistaken identity, or stand wrongly accused of a crime. In such situations, you may be required to write a statement that gives you the opportunity to put your version of events on paper. This statement will help you tell your side of the story. However, a few poorly worded sentences could land you in hot water. Therefore, it’s imperative that you take your time when writing important, factual statements. Check the grammar thoroughly to ensure that the document reflects exactly what happened. The last thing you want is to negatively implicate yourself through poor wording. Leave nothing open to misinterpretation, and be careful of sentences that have the potential to be twisted under questioning.
Writing is a powerful tool that can work for you or against you, depending on your level of ability. That said, no matter how adept you become at using the written word, never become complacent. Check the grammar in every piece of work for maximum peace of mind.
