Why Good Grammar?

This wiki supports the Take Elftown Back movement.

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  Why should you use good grammar on the internet? There are many reasons:

1. Your writing becomes easier to read. It will be less likely to be skipped over and people who do read it will only have to use their thought processes on the thoughts you are trying to convey instead of on trying to piece your letters together.

2. Because you have been taught good grammar in school, it is actually more instinctive for you to use it than webspeak. It leaves more room for you, the writer, to think.

3. You gain more respect among circles of people who use good grammar, while not losing respect among those who choose not to.

4. If you don't make a habit of intentionally using poor grammar online, you won't have to worry about it accidentally transferring to your schoolwork or other places where you can't get away with it.

5. It helps you build an online identity, rather than just a persona to escape to. Your online life becomes fuller and richer.

6. If you are trying to post something serious, you are more likely to get a serious answer if you use good grammar.

7. If you are posting something that's not serious, people are more likely to get the joke (unless of course, the bad grammar is a part of the joke).

8. It makes it easier for disabled people to read your work. Because deaf people don't connect the sound of words directly to their letters, they cannot read webspeak words like "u" or "r" (Thanks, [aphrodizzeeack])

8.b. It makes it easier for blind people especially. Their reading programs don't recognize webspeak words and so they can only read decent grammar. (Credit for [Nightshadow])

9. It makes it easier for people just learning to read English or who don't usually use the same alphabet as you (see reason 8). (Credit goes to [I pretend for your sake] for saying this in his bio.)

10. It shows that you respect those reading your work.

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Back to Good Grammar
~[Kiddalee]