Grammar, Punctuation and appropriate Sentence-structure in Writing

Grammar, Punctuation and appropriate Sentence-structure in Writing

Name of student

Course Name

Instructor

Date

Research has it that most of when we leave college or even at our workplaces we still have basic grammatical incompetence in writing in one way or another. Using proper grammar is actually a fulfilling experience as it saves you a lot of embarrassment either from your peers, colleagues or even your superior in the workplace or in any informal setup. In my case, the use of proper grammar, punctuations and appropriate sentence structuring in writing has made me master the system of English as a language and as a medium of conveying information and messages. The experience has given me the ability to demystify punctuation and grammar as a meta-language as I have been able to make my writing-work more professional through use of proper punctuation and ideal structuring of sentences which are a problem common to many adults and students as well (Evans, 2001).

My strengths have now been concentrated in the structuring of sentences as I am able to distinguish between dependent and independent clauses in a sentence and the way they can be used appropriately to make either simple, compound or complex sentence depending on the weight of the matter at hand not forgetting that for a sentence to be viable it must have a verb. We all have our strengths and weaknesses and in this case, I have a problem in distinguishing the proper use of ‘who’ and ’whom’ in a sentence especially when to use either. Weaknesses have can be turned into strengths and thus through extensive practice on writing skills and sentence structuring I have gradually improved on how the two words are used appropriately in a sentence by learning on the conceptual use of phrases, sentences, clauses and verbs and how they should be combined in order to generate a sentence that makes sense (Carroll & Wilson, 2010).

Imagine a situation where spelling, formatting and punctuation were all in disarray, how would communication be? These are basic standards that must be met in writing so as to harmonize communication in writing as they are conventionally accepted as a system of language in grammar. For example in a work setup, proper spelling, punctuation and formatting effect communication and develop the employee as a whole by building confidence in them. These are some of the basics of grammar and they help save time as the ease in comprehension of the message being conveyed is simplified, confusion is also mitigated as people don’t have to try and enquire what you were trying to mean (Evans, 2001).

In addition, the level of competence of an individual is heightened as the employees and the employer see that you are conversant with grammar and communication skills. Without the three concepts of grammar, then writing would become a problem and grammar would no longer have a meaning and confusion would loom as the aspects form the foundation for effective wring skills. These standards are put in place to harmonize any language as a whole and create a form of consistency and conversancy in a language and when they do not exist then we would have no grammar in the first place since grammar is a system of language (Carroll & Wilson, 2010).

Written and spoken languages are very different though they can be used in similar contexts but in different ways hence depicting some sense of variance. Take a scenario where we have a burial going on and speeches are being made, in a speech, in order to add emotional contexts volume, tonal variations, timing and timbre are very effective while in a written story on the same context the use of headings, layouts, punctuations and graphical effects can be used to bring about the same emotions. Written materials can be analyzed from time to time and the message referred to from time to time unlike in spoken language where only the recorded format can be re-used. This is also to mean that writings are permanent while spoken language is transient in nature and is more prone to manipulation in comparison to written as the speakers can constantly keep on changing what they say as they go on. Hence speech is just a short term mode of communicate for interactions that are immediate while written language is not time bound as it can be used to communicate over a long period of time. Written language is also intricate as it has to have short sentences, long sentences, clauses, punctuations and formats and it cannot be interrupted unlike the spoken language which is simple, repetitive, sometimes incomplete and prone to interruptions. For example a scenario where a complaint is being written to a company for violation of another’s business agreements against a situation where two people are in a dispute and are arguing it out! (Smedley, 1983).

When it comes to audiences, written and spoken languages have different audiences. When it comes to written, the diction and to be used must be chosen wisely as diction refers to the choice of words that one decides to use on a given audience. If your audience is a young age or rather children, then the words should be simple, very few vocabularies which are not complex and no sexual context. If the audience is grownups then one can use heavy words taking in to account the literacy level of the audience. This is also a situation where professions have to be considered as well as the jargon to be used, in case you are addressing lawyers, then be sure to have some law jargon and so on (Pinker, 2014).

On the other hand when it comes to tonal variation, the audience matters a lot. Tae in to an account that you are addressing an interview panel, you should choose a very respectful, formal and composed tone in answering questions. When addressing an employee who has not done his or her duties then you should use an affirmative and serious tone. Tonal variations are used to show emotions on issues while dictions is all about choosing the right words for the right audience so that the message can be well understood without confusion. For example you cannot be so formal with your family and friends at home whereby you have to use very polite words such as madam, sir, pardon and so on or the use of informal words such as “how are you fairing buddy” when addressing your boss at work (Carroll & Wilson, 2010).

References

Evans, J. (2001). Writing in the elementary classroom: A reconsideration. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann.

Carroll, J. A., & Wilson, E. E. (2010). Brushing up on grammar: An act of teaching approach. Santa Barbara, CA: Libraries Unlimited.

Pinker, S. (2014). The sense of style: The thinking person’s guide to writing in the 21st century!

Smedley, D. (1983). Teaching the basic skills: Spelling, punctuation, and grammar in secondary English. London: Methuen.