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My hairdresser gave me a look of shock when I recently told him I love grammar.
“Not me,” he said.
The topic came up because my 15-year-old son had a grammar final for his high school English class in January. I was excited to help him study. (My son may or may not have been as excited.)
But when I took a look at what his teacher gave them to learn the grammar, and then the practice quiz to test themselves, my enthusiasm waned. The instructions were so complicated. I had to read and re-read them several times. (Keep in mind: I graduated with a BA in English Literature. I’ve been around grammar.)
My son and I were able to make some progress. But the experience left me wondering why people insist on making writing (and grammar) not fun. Why do they make grammar seem so complicated?
A resource to make grammar more fun
If grammar is something you struggle with, or if you know someone who gets confused by it, I have an amazing resource to share: copywriter Sara Rosinsky.
I found Sara on LinkedIn in 2019. The way she explains grammar makes my heart melt. Seriously. She uses simple, beautiful prose and straightforward examples to clarify those questions that confound many—including me!
Here’s one of my favorite explanations from Sara:
Check Sara’s website out here. That’s where you can sign up for her weekly newsletter, in which she shares helpful tips like the one above.
Don’t let a high school English teacher squelch your fun
Regardless of your experience with grammar, don’t let a high school English teacher (we’ve all had one) stall your creativity and squelch your fun. Yes, there are some important basics, but if you’re too afraid of making a grammatical mistake, you’ll never get anything on the page.
Use words in ways that work for you. When it comes down to it, what’s most important is getting your words out there.
If you’re curious…the results just came in. My son received 18/26 on the final. Not great. Not terrible. The class average was 13/26. Yup, the average was an “F,” and it’s an honors English class. Like I said, it’s time we make grammar more fun and way less complicated.
