I prefer putting language meaning across, rather than perfecting grammar rules,

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   Lita C. Malicdemposted 13 years ago

   I prefer  putting language meaning across, rather than perfecting grammar rules, how about you?

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   wrhapsodyposted 13 years ago

   I prefer to sound professional and like I may possibly have learned something after all the money my parents put into my schooling.

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   WordCustardposted 13 years ago

   I think it depends on who I am communicating with and the specific situation. In a job application or when writing articles it is important to present yourself as educated and professional. In forum posts it might be less important to have correct grammar.

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   wychicposted 13 years ago

   I focused on the meaning first, then went to work on grammar. Now grammar is pretty much second nature to me (though not always perfect in forum posts, etc., because it doesn't have to be!) and I can focus on meaning while still keeping good structure. Now one of my big, ongoing projects is to go back over tons of old articles and get them up to the level that I expect from articles I edit...and it's going to take a while.

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   Sam-Hookposted 13 years ago

   It depends on the type of writing and the audience.  Also, English is an ever-evolving language, and so some rules of grammar need not always be followed to a tee as long as meaning can come across.  This is dangerous territory though, because if some rules of grammar and syntax aren't observed then a sentence may not make sense to the reader. If you don't make sense, then you aren't communicating - if you aren't communicating then the letters on the page are meaningless symbols.  Take for instance Faulkner's stream of consciousness in "The Sound and the Fury" - he doesn't follow every rule of grammar (by a long shot) but meaning still comes across. 
   As a rule, people who do not adhere to grammatical rules seem unprofessional unless they have already proven that they know the rules and choose to stray from them for some artistic reason.

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