In his article, “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why”, entrepreneur and co-founder of iFixit and creator of Dozuki, Kyle Wiens says “Good grammar is credibility, especially on the internet. In blog posts, on Facebook statuses, in e-mails, and on company websites, your words are all you have. They are a projection of you in your physical absence.” For Wiens, who utilizes a preliminary grammar test to vet prospective hires for his companies, grammar skills are a requisite, and they signal how meticulous a future employee is (vs. how meticulous they claim to be on their listed resume attributes), as well as their learning curve reflected in their ability to retain the English rules beaten into them over years (decades even) of schooling and discern between the simple there, they’re, and theirs. It’s a case of we are only as bright as we’re able to communicate. This is true when it comes to getting in the door as professionals (writers or otherwise). Before we step into an interview room, credibility is established through writing on our resumes, on the internet and in some quirkier cases through employer-administered grammar tests.
I agree with Wiens that to our readers (maybe an employer, maybe note) who don’t know and haven’t met us, we are only as diligent, as brainy, and creative as our writing says we are. And while I agree that grammar is the first line in relaying that information quickly, Wiens’ zero-tolerance policy for grammatical errors and typos, may be overlooking the importance of style to our writing in communicating sincerity, cleverness, and what makes us unique as authors and as thinkers. That’s not to say style over grammar or grammar over style; simply that both are important in establishing our credibility as writers.
Zachary Martin, in his article “African American Language is Good English” points out how African American English Vernacular (AAEV), or Black English as he also refers to it, has historically been portrayed as a sub- or a divergent form of the language used by “ignorant thugs”, rather than a rich form of the language that exists in parallel to standard English, with rules that can be taught and graded in a classroom. After introducing the topic, Martin code-switches his writing to use AAEV and demonstrates how his voice does not need to follow suit of the standard English, often asserted as the voice of the educated, to have a clear and thoughtful discussion, and establish his credibility as an author.
The stylistic choices made throughout the second half of Martin’s essay are exactly what engages the reader and gives me a sense of who Martin is writing his piece. Martin did have some evident typos that were not a product of AAEV, that Wiens might have tossed the paper early in for, but he would have robbed himself of the opportunity to see how this author was still able to establish his credibility and intellect through his style. And the way he offers up a blindfold test of sorts, offering lines from Shakespeare and lines from Black lyricists, to let us guess which came where was brilliant and fun as a reader. And although I may have passed (guessing all Shakespeare lines correct), it pointed out how each prose was poetry and could stand on their own and together and hinted at the beauty of having a unique voice in writing that can stand amongst the lines of hoity-toity olde English Shakespeare with all the same gusto.
So, what is most important to creating and building a persona of ourselves as both author and professional writers? – grammar or style? I say, both. Not enough attention to grammar and a Kyle Wiens reader might toss your resume or essay aside, before ever knowing you are the kind of thinker with the kinds of ideas he deems valuable. Too uptight on grammar and word use and maybe a Zachary Martin might argue your piece is stale and devoid of character. Attention to grammar and proof reading is important, as it can make sure your resume or work isn’t tossed aside before it’s even read. But, once you have eyes on your resume, paper, or essay, you want to keep those eyes there and engaged, and that is through personal stylistic choices that create your voice and character as an author – and that could mean at the expense of grammar itself at times.
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