Importance of Grammar in Writing – A Comprehensive Guide

You may have seen people spending tens or hundreds of bucks on proofreaders and software tools to ensure their writing aligns with proper grammar practices. Right? But why do they do that?

Why can’t people just go with the grammatically wrong form of text? Well, the answer is simple—good grammar is one of the keys to successful written communication. If you’re wondering why that is, don’t worry—this blog post has all the answers.

From the basic overview of grammar, its different types, and its importance in writing, we have covered everything in this post. Moreover, we will also share some effective tips that help you follow the appropriate grammar practices while writing. So, without further ado, let’s delve into the details.

The Definition and Concept of Grammar — What Exactly Is It?

Grammar in simple words, is the collection of guidelines that shape a language’s structure and usage. It revolves around the following things:

• Morphology: the formation of words.
• Syntax: the arrangement of words and sentence structure.
• Phonology: the sounds of a language.
• Semantics: the study of meaning in language.

By keeping all these factors in check, grammar ensures that sentences are comprehensive and meaningful. Hence, it is the backbone of text because its absence makes the entire written communication sound unclear and chaotic.

Common Types of Grammar

Grammar determines how words are put together into sentences and how readers or speakers understand those phrases. However, since it covers the whole system and structure of all the languages, the entire written communication contains the involvement of different types of grammar. 

Some of the most common ones are these:

1. Comparative

As the name suggests, this form of grammar revolves around comparison. To be more specific, it compares the structure of grammar in different languages to study their evolution and understand their relationships.

For instance, it may involve comparative situations such as the following:

The general order of a sentence’s components in English is ‘subject-verb-object’ (I love you). However, the sentence component order in Japanese is ‘subject-object-verb’ (I you love).

2. Descriptive

Descriptive grammar describes the patterns and rules that people, especially natives, use in day-to-day communication. Instead of judging correctness, this type of grammar focuses entirely on how native speakers and writers use language in everyday scenarios.

For instance, consider the following phrase:

I ain’t got no money.

This sentence may not follow all the standard grammar rules, but it is common in many English dialects. So, it is a perfect example of descriptive grammar.

3. Generative

This type of grammar focuses on generating sentences by following all the fundamental set of principles. It predicts the grammatical structure of any phrase in a language. Therefore, it covers the mental process behind the usage of the language.

For example, let’s say that you want to ask a question that the girl is singing. So, the generative type of grammar suggests asking the question in the following way: ‘Is the girl singing?’

4. Prescriptive

The perspective grammar refers to all the correct and standard conventions and rules used in a language to communicate. It is mostly common in the school sector, especially when teachers have to work on students’ linguistic fundamentals. It dictates the right way to use a language. Therefore, it is also common in all the formal sectors.

For instance, instead of saying, ‘I ain’t got no money,’ the prescriptive form of grammar suggests following the right way—I don’t have any money.

Why is Grammar Important in Writing? [4 Major Reasons]

By now, you may have grasped all the essential basics of grammar. Let’s discuss the importance of grammar. So, these are the most important reasons that will help you realize the need for grammar in writing:

1. Effective Grammar Makes Write-Ups Clear and Precise

Imagine speaking to a huge crowd or writing something only to find out that the audience couldn’t understand even a single word you said. This problem mostly happens when your text lacks accuracy and clarity. However, it doesn’t matter how such an issue occurs; the main thing is that it can embarrass the speaker or writer. But do not worry—you can avoid such a situation by ensuring that your written communication follows all the appropriate grammatical practices.

Good grammar helps convey the intended meaning to the audience properly. Whether your text contains any complicated information or not, it doesn’t matter—if you follow the correct grammar rules, your message will always be clear and accurate. Consider the following example:

Wrong Practice: She finds inspiration in cooking her family and traveling

Correct Practice: She finds inspiration in cooking, her family, and traveling.

As you can see in the above example, a punctuation sign, such as a comma, makes a major difference and enhances the clarity and accuracy of the text.

2. Good Grammar Translates to Professionalism and Credibility

Let’s say you’re a writer, and your job is to educate and inform others with the power of your words. But how would someone know that you’re a pro at what you do and they can trust you? Well, the answer to this question lies in providing correct information. But how would readers understand your content if you don’t follow the proper grammar rules? So, if you want your content to convey professionalism, you must follow all the appropriate grammar conventions while writing it.

Let’s understand it through an example. Consider the following situation where a writer intends to ask someone to join a meeting by crafting an email:

BAD PRACTICE:

Subject: Can We Meet?

Hey, can we meet sometime? I want to talk about stuff.

CORRECT PRACTICE

Subject: Request for Meeting

Dear Rachel,

I hope this message finds you well. I would like to schedule a meeting to discuss the progress of our project. Please let me know your availability next week.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

Monica Bellula.

The first version makes the email look unauthentic and robot-generated. So, the receiver may consider it spam and ignore it. However, the correct version uses appropriate wording, sentence structure, and tone to make the entire email more professional. Therefore, it has a better chance of achieving its desired results.

3. Excellent Grammar Shapes the Readability and Engagement of Text

The problem with textual material is that no matter how informative a content piece is, the entire effort will be ineffective if the audience finds it difficult to read. So, if you want to ensure that your text doesn’t pose the same issue to readers, make it reader-friendly first.

Yes, you can present the information in an organized manner. However, the more important thing is to work on the actual readability and engagement of the content. To do that, you need to follow all the standard grammatical conventions while crafting the wording and sentences of your content.

Consider the following sample paragraph:

Sample: The dog ran quickly to the park it was happy to see its friends. The sun was shining bright and the birds were singing. He was barking loudly, wagging his tail, and he was jumping around. Everyone who was there was having fun.

As you can see, this example contains various grammatical issues, like run-on sentences, lack of sentence variety, and repetition. These things make the entire paragraph monotonous and less engaging. 

Now, here is a revised and improved version of the same passage:

Improved and Revised Form: The dog sprinted joyfully to the park, eager to greet his friends. The sun shone brightly overhead, and cheerful birds sang from the trees. Barking excitedly, he wagged his tail and jumped around, filling the air with his infectious energy. Laughter echoed as everyone present enjoyed the delightful afternoon together.

The second version looks more engaging to read. Even if you read it now, you’ll enjoy your experience. So, that’s the power of following the correct grammatical practices.

4. The Right Usage of Grammatical Rules Helps With SEO Benefits

Search engines have become more advanced. Thanks to the power of artificial intelligence, more specifically, natural language processing (NLP), they now review content similarly to humans. Therefore, your work may be considered unprofessional if you write and post a content piece without following the appropriate grammar rules. And if you continue this practice, search engines might label your website as uncredible and untrustworthy. Why?

Well, simply because search engines rely more on readers and user experience nowadays. If they detect that a user quickly leaves a web page even if it perfectly matches the user’s query, their algorithms may categorize it as an unreliable source. As a result, that web page won’t be able to drive organic traffic. Therefore, the appropriate usage of grammatical practices can indirectly help satisfy the content-reviewing algorithms of search engines.

How to Improve Your Grammar? – Useful Tips

Improving the usage of grammar demands time, consistency, and effort. So, if you believe that you have the ability to do these things, consider the following recommendations to use grammar effectively in all types of write-ups:

1. Develop a Reading Habit

It is impossible to learn the proper usage of grammar conventions if you don’t read at all. So, the first thing you need to do is to start reading books, research papers, or something else. Reading on a daily basis is the best approach, but even occasional reading activities will do the trick. However, make sure that whatever you read is written by someone professional or credible. Doing so will help you learn the implementation of different grammatical practices in real-life scenarios.

2. Use Credible Grammar Resources

The internet has a plethora of authentic resources that can help you learn grammar rules. Some use engaging interactive exercises, while others stick to the conventional methods. So, find a reliable source that aligns with your learning style and start learning.

3. Regularly Write Something

After learning and analyzing the usage of different grammar components in various real-life scenarios, it’s time to put your knowledge to the test. So, start writing. It doesn’t have to be something big. In fact, even if it’s a journal and you do it daily, this practice will eventually improve your writing.

4. Polish Your Writing

How can you expect to improve your grammar use if you don’t even know what is right or wrong in your write-up? To improve your grammar skills, you must learn to differentiate between the correct and incorrect use of grammar rules. One of the best and easiest ways to improve your English grammar is to incorporate an AI-powered grammar checker in your writing workflow. This tool can help you find flaws in your writing and recommend adjustments for clarity and coherence. By following the suggestions provided by the tool, you can enhance your writing skills and write more impactful content.

5. Get Feedback and Take Action Accordingly

Like designers, writers also need feedback about their content. As a matter of fact, that’s how they get better at writing. So, do not hesitate to ask someone professional to review your content. Doing so will help you get a reader’s opinion about your content. By following the suggestions, you can refine your content and improve its chances of success.

Summing Up:

All in all, grammar is the combination of conventions or rules that guide the formation and structuring of sentences, as well as the use of vocabulary and punctuation marks. It plays a crucial role in effective communication, regardless of whether your use case belongs to the written or verbal context. For instance, its proper usage enhances clarity, professionalism, accuracy, consistency, and style. These things make the entire text more effective and impactful. So, pay attention to them if you want to write something polished and impactful.