Sometimes Search Stats Make Me Smile
Posted by Patrick in Blogging, Grammar, Internet
It’s always nice when I see that someone has visited my blog after doing a search about a grammar-related question. That isn’t because I’m necessarily an expert on grammar, and certainly not because I am incapable of screwing up the English language.
But it’s nice to know that there are people out there who actually do care enough to look up a rule now and then.
Earlier I saw that someone had looked up whether April 1st should be written as a singular possessive (“April Fool’s Day”) or as a plural possessive (“April Fools’ Day”).
The answer, in case you’re not sure, is here, along with an easy way to remember it.
Every now and then someone will try to suggest that grammar shouldn’t matter on a blog. They’ll cite absurd arguments like “freedom of expression” as what is in their mind a valid argument for butchering the language just for the heck of it.
It’s funny, but they can always seem to muster just enough good English to make that argument before regressing into a linguistic mess that would make even the toughest grammar teacher burst into tears.
It isn’t about freedom of expression. It’s about communication.
If you can’t communicate what you’re trying to say well enough to actually be understood, it shouldn’t matter how well you’re experiencing such a freedom: your message still isn’t getting through.
Welcome to Patrick’s Place, home of the Saturday Six and the Sunday Seven.
