One of the
pleasures of writing a blog is that you can comment on subjects without being a
verified expert in the field. I know I
do that much of the time. But there are
occasions when a topic is right in, as John Hodgman would say, my area of
expertise. Here’s one.
Evidently
no one today knows the meaning of the word “grammar.” Taking a simple,
everyday, and accurate definition of the word from Merriam Webster, grammar is
“the set of rules that explain how words are used in a
language.” Thus subject-verb agreement,
tenses, negatives, etc, are parts of grammar. So, “You didn’t never” is a
grammatically incorrect in mainstream English, while “vous n’avez jamais” is
grammatically correct in French.
But
style, punctuation, spelling, and other areas in which a person may err, are
not grammar. You would think that
publications like the Huffington Post
and the Harvard Business Review would
know this, but evidently they don’t.
This is especially disturbing when the writer, or his or her editor, is
an alleged judge of good grammar or good writing.
Here
are two examples. A recent article in Huffpost, called by its author, the
site’s book editor, “In Defense of Adverbs.” However, the headline writer for Huffpost Books decided to lure us in
with these words: “This Popular Grammar Advice Is Totally Wrong.” The advice?
“Never use adverbs.” That’s not
grammar advice, it’s style advice. Adverbs are a normal part of grammar, and can
be used wherever it is clear they modify a verb, and adjective, or another
adverb. “You completely misused the word
‘grammar’ in your headline,” “Your advice is totally wrong,” or “Your error is
made very often” are all appropriate uses of an adverb.
As the
editor suggests, this is certainly bad advice.
Just look below at one of America’s most famous texts, which contains no
fewer than five adverbs in three sentences.
But it’s not grammar advice.
“The world will little note, nor long
remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated
here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to
be here dedicated to the great task
remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion
to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we
here highly resolve that these dead
shall not have died in vain.”
The second example is even worse, because
it is entirely the fault of the author, and because one would think Harvard Business Review had pretty high
standards. (Adverb alert.) Yet it published a piece by
Kyle Wiens, “CEO of the largest online repair community, as well as founder of
a software company dedicated to helping manufacturers publish amazing
documentation” titled “I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar.” His examples of poor grammar? Scattering
commas everywhere, not understanding the use of semicolons, writing “too” for “to,” “it’s”
for “its,” or the wrong “their.” Not one
is a grammar error – they are either punctuation or spelling errors. None are detectable in spoken language, which
is the basis for all grammar.
Fortunately, I and a great many
others have been able to lambaste Mr. Wiens for his pomposity and ignorance,
because HBR is open to readers’
comments if they sign in. Sadly, the
same is not true for Huffpost, which
requires a Facebook account for anyone wanting to post a comment. (No, Facebook doesn’t own Huffpost, AOL does.)
I left Facebook some time ago, and I am rapidly deleting, unsubscribing, or
cancelling any online entity that only allows me to approach them through the
gates of Zuckerberg’s Hell. I most strongly, vehemently, and urgently advise you to do the same.
