If you want to light up the Discussions boards on LinkedIn®, post something about punctuation.
You create a similar response on:
- Typos
- Misspellings
- Grammar faux pas
That last one has the tricky plural of faux pas – in case anyone questions it.
Heat Gauge
In a previous post, I covered early results from a question presented to human resource professionals on typos in resumes.
At the time of the post, there were 59 responses. That ballooned to well over 300 responses (the last time I saw it).
A couple of questions on punctuation didn’t quite reach the typo response level, but comments were passionate.
- The first question dealt with commas
- An even bigger pot-stirring question focused on the innocent apostrophe
Here was the punctuation question on apostrophes—
Should apostrophes be scrapped?
Major kudos to the one who asked the question. I bet she writes great headlines.
As someone who has seen the furor these topics generate, I wisely rolled back – away from the screen.
Temperature Reading
So, what is it about punctuation blunders and their cousins that create such passion when they trip up?
- Does it stem from our early school days where it was drilled into our heads?
- Maybe it’s just those darn kids showing disrespect for tradition
Whatever the reason, writing about punctuation is an A ticket ride of passion.
Cool Experts
I have great respect for well-written, grammatically-correct, punctuated- perfect prose.
Although I think this is an area of proficiency, we all need a bit of help from time to time.
Here are some of my favorite resources.
- BusinessWritingBlog – few are more knowledgeable than Lynn Gaertner-Johnson on grammar, punctuation and business writing etiquette
- Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL) – OWL offers over 200 resources, including help on writing, grammar, and style guides
- Grammar Girl – offers “Quick and Dirty Tips”
Maybe we need to add posts about punctuation to the Top Ways to Increase Comments.
Let’s test the theory. What do you think about punctuation blunders?
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Oh gosh, grammatical errors are something that will majorily frost my petunias!
It’s gotten to the point that supposedly intelligent carbon-based life forms (ie, teenagers) will happily write on Facebook:
Bord in class – txt me threw out the day
Karate Girls – Not Only BFF But Kicking Buts Too!
ARGH!!!! (insert sound of ripping hair here)
For me personally, when I get stupid grammatical errors like mis-using ‘your’ and ‘you’re’, I immediately put that marketer into the IGNORE aspect of my mind. It’s sooo easy to take the time to talk gooder than a fossilized clam, u no. (pun intended). 🙂
Hi Barbara:
LOL! Isn’t it sad that it’s gotten so bad that you had to clarify that you intended the talk gooder?.
The discussions on LinkedIn have been really fascinating on these topics. Some blame texting. Others blame teachers. The one thing, for sure, is people feel strongly one way or the other.
I also found it interesting how many discussions contained all of the above errors. On several, I was never sure if it was intended.
Thanks again for stopping by. I do appreciate it.