Since I was a child, I have always loved to read. As soon as I held a book in my hands, I would lose myself in its pages and forget about anyone and anything. My love of reading ignited my enthusiasm for English, leading me to choose English as my education concentration. However, a side effect of this interest comes with an initiation into the grammar police. Once an officer, always an officer, and even in my house, I am still on the clock. I will correct my family members’ grammar if I hear them make a mistake in a sentence, mispronounce a word, or, heaven forbid, say another “that’s mines.” They may not appreciate the tough love but, as an officer, I am just trying to do my job and maintain the grammar peace. Therefore, I agree with Kyle Wiens in their article “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why” regarding the professional field. While I may overlook a grammatical error here and there, consistent poor grammar indicates to me that an employee is either uninformed about English grammar rules or doesn’t give a damn about technicalities. That is a bad illustration of what they would bring to the table, regardless of which is the answer.
That being said, if I’m speaking with friends, I might just kick back and enjoy a donut. I remove my badge during casual conversations since I don’t think I could arrest myself. In my excitement, I could pronounce words incorrectly or abbreviate words when speaking to a friend. According to Zachary Martin’s article “African American Language is good English,” this is the occasion when I might utilize African American Vernacular English, or AAVE. I’ll substitute “gotta” for “got to,” as it’s simpler and sounds less formal and more conversational. I am aware that this may seem contradictory, and it is.
When it comes to grammar, I don’t always heed my own advice, and perhaps that’s why I haven’t been promoted. However, in professional settings, I always make sure I am using appropriate grammar because I want to come across as knowledgeable, reliable, professional, and detail-oriented—all qualities that good grammar in the workplace helps convey.
Leave a Reply