How well do you know the grammar rules? Some people seem to think breaking the rules of grammar and punctuation is a way to rebel against society, rules and so on and so forth. Some, I guess, think they are being trendy and keeping up with the modern Internet ideas. Personally, I think it just makes their writing look careless and messy.

As a reader I strongly feel anyone not putting some care into their writing is not someone I will invest my time in. It's not my way of being a snob. It's just that, if you have something to say, chances are you want to say it well and make sure its understood. I can accept bad grammar in a personal rant, something written more for yourself than public consumption. Or, if you are writing to a whole group of people who have made the same grammar and punctuation choices, as a rule. For the rest of us, that whole communication process: from your mind, onto that blank page and into their mind, has a few rules to make it all run smoothly and work better.

In the end, I just say why not? Why not use grammar and punctuation? It's been around awhile, outlasted many generations of rebels, eccentrics and writers in general. Unless you come up with something that works better why change something that obviously works. A style of writing that has lasted through the ages and will likely still be here for generations to come. Not everything we write is going to stand the test of time, there is just too much of it and not enough eager readers. Whatever does last, will have to stand up to the accepted standards. Personal rants full of grammar and punctuation errors might not be taken as seriously as writing carefully crafted for both content and context.

If modern medicine keeps working on the cure for aging we might all still be here to see what future generations write about, using that same old fashioned grammar.

Note: I don't claim to have perfect grammar, punctuation or spelling. But I do run it by Lotus Word. I still have the final say, the last word and the best chance to leave in some of my bad writing examples.