Learn Your Grammar 

When I first read the title of the article “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why,” by Kyle Wiens, I was like? Why would this individual miss out on the opportunity to hire a great employee for the sake of a small grammatical mistake? That was my thought at first, and you can’t blame me, right? However, as I started reading the rest of the article, I was like, this guy does have a point. The author informs the readers that everybody who applies for his companies must take a mandatory grammar test. If people can’t differentiate “to” and “too,” their applications go right into the trash bin. It may sound extreme, but the author does have an essential point in his arguments. 

Weins’s Arguments

-Good grammar is credibility

Wiens explains that good grammar gives credibility to individuals, especially when writing in digital spaces. Weins states, “Your words are all you have. They are a projection of you in your physical absence.” This is the raw truth. Our words reflect our cognitive processes, and our knowledge (unless you write wonky on purpose for a specific audience) writing reflects our character. And if people don’t even have the time to invest in proofreading, and learning correct grammar, structures, and origins of the English language, then sorry, you don’t have credibility. Lacking credibility doesn’t earn you a professional job. 

– Good grammar makes good business sense

Wiens describes how good grammar makes good business sense because it gives you credibility. Second, you get the job you apply for. Third, if you have good grammar, it’s most likely that you notice the slightest details. Let’s face it, learning good grammar is freaking hard. I’m in my twenties and still learning about grammar and its million rules. I bet older people, to this day, are still learning grammar. So yes, good grammar gets you into a professional job, and you perform better because you notice small details. 

-Good grammar signifies more than just a person’s ability to remember high school English

Wiens states, “I’ve found that people who make fewer mistakes on a grammar test also make fewer mistakes when they are doing something completely unrelated to writing — like stocking shelves or labeling parts.” Going back to Wiens’s second point, good grammar automatically gives you credibility, helps you perform better, and reflects a person’s ability to remember and learn more than just high school English. Good grammar proves that you didn’t just graduate high school or college to just pass. Good grammar reflects that you learned the structures and origins of English. Therefore, good grammar shows your capacity, ability, and discipline. All these qualities, put together, make you a credible individual. Do you see how everything is connected?

How I changed my mind

So, you see how I changed my mind? Now I agree with Wiens because instead of saying, “Wow,  this guy will miss an opportunity to hire a great employee.” I say now, “This guy is brilliant” because he makes applicants take a mandatory grammar test. Good grammar does reflect a lot about abilities, dedication, and credibility. So please learn your grammar if you are seeking a professional job setting. 

American English is a choice 

After reading the article, “Official American English is a Choice” by Lavenda Oluoch, you might think I disagree with the author because I  explained why good grammar is necessary for professional settings. The answer is that I agree with Oluoch. Oluoch states, “Using other languages other than English should not be viewed as an inconvenience to Americans.” The author argues that there shouldn’t be any need for English-only legislation. Instead, immigrants could remain bilingual or not necessarily have the pressure to learn how to write and speak English perfectly. It doesn’t make sense because I just said to learn grammar right?

My Argument

Well, here is my argument, an immigrant should not feel obligated to drastically change their native language and customs to official American English and culture because that is not who they are. This would be erasing their identity, which I don’t agree with. They should have the choice to become bilingual or not. Just like Americans do when they migrate to other countries, they have the choice to become bilingual or stay monolingual. At the end of the day, it’s their choice. Now here is a key point that I would like to emphasize. If an immigrant pursues a college degree or a Discourse community that requires them to speak and write perfect English, they must attain the decisions they made. No one forced them to go into that path, and if they’re doing it by free will, those individuals need to fulfill the expectations of that Discourse community. Official American English is a choice, and I know it from my experience. I am a bilingual student which has chosen to remain bilingual and learn more about English because of the career path I’m pursuing.