More than "Correct"by Yvonne DeGraw |
People often assume that because I write, I am a grammar expert. They assume I can diagram sentences in my sleep.
Well, I'm not a grammar expert. And here's a bit of heresy: I think it can be dangerous for a technical writer to be a grammar expert.
A grammar expert can figure out the correct grammar even when it is not immediately obvious by listening to the sentence.
As technical communicators (and not just technical writers), we need to remember that readers know less about grammar than we do. If I can't tell by listening to a sentence whether to use a singular or plural verb, my audience certainly doesn't know.
You may think my conclusion is that correct grammar doesn't matter -- that we should just use whatever "sounds right."
No. My conclusion is that something is wrong with the sentence, even if I use correct grammar. Sentences in which you need to think about correct grammar probably need to be re-written.
Some readers will think such complex structures are correct; some will think they are wrong.
When I'm asked a grammar question, I often say, "Well, if you turn the sentence around or split it into two sentences, you won't have that problem." Usually, this makes the meaning more clear.
Complex grammar distracts readers from the meaning. The purpose of our writing is to convey information, not to preserve the English language. Anything that distracts from that goal is wrong.