Writing allows us to precisely craft the garble in our brains in order to communicate that garble to others. How do we do that? How do we ensure that what we are communicating through writing, is indeed reflective of what we intend to communicate? How do we prevent confusion?
Rules.
Each language comes with a set of rules, instructions. We were exposed to these rules before we were even born, as we heard our mother's voice. This exposure continued after we were born, as we absorbed the sounds our parents made, and long before we were capable of imitating those sounds adults called "words." Eventually, when we were old enough, we began learning those rules formally in school.
What are these rules? Grammar. Syntax. These are the rules which bind language together. These rules, when used properly, can help prevent confusion.
That being said, we know that people rarely follow rules 100% of the time. Additionally, there are a lot of rules to keep track of! Some of us remember those language rules better than others, and that's okay. Like I said last week, any person can learn and use these skills - it's simply a matter of practice.
Here's an entertaining article about how grammar rules are sometimes fairly confusing! http://mentalfloss.com/article/49238/7-sentences-sound-crazy-are-still-grammatical
Additionally, here is a link with plenty of information regarding the most common grammatical errors: http://www.grammar.com/common-grammatical-mistakes-definition-overview-and-lists-of-examples/
Here is an interactive grammar tool to help people familiarize themselves with grammar: http://roadtogrammar.com/
Bonus points to anyone correctly citing the following line: "There are rules, man, this is not 'Nam"
...Until next week!
Thumbs up! Rules are what seperate "Please, don't, stop!" from "Please don't stop."
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