How important is a good understanding of English

[MWagner]

As I've remarked elsewhere recently, though, as native speakers we imbibe a lot of the rules of grammar without knowing that there actually are rules, let alone what they are called. The more widely we read in good literature -- in this context, most likely something written some while ago -- the more we subconsciously take the rules on board. For instance, I knew about subjunctives -- eg "I wouldn't do that if I were you", not "if I was you" -- long before I knew what they were called and why they are as they are (actually I still don't know why), and the same with gerunds eg "My being here is no accident" rather than "Me being here".

I don't think it is necessary to know the technical names for these things -- which is just as well, as I know precious few of them. I do think it is necessary to have sufficient basic grasp to feel when a sentence is right or wrong, and to have sufficient drive then to find out more. However, while it isn't imperative to know everything unless you want to be an editor (and not even then if the sub-editing in the paper I read is any guide) the more you know, the more you can use that knowledge in your writing.

On the first day of an English composition class at university, the professor had us each write a short essay so she could identify which of five common grammatical weaknesses each of us needed to work on. My essay was returned with 0/5, which meant I pretty much aced it. The funny part is that in the next class she presented a problem and asked us to identity which part of the sentence was out of place. When nobody raised their hand, she prompted me, presumably confident that I knew the answer and could help the class out. Nope. I didn't even know the difference between a verb and an adjective.

I later learned to write much more deliberately, and in my job I routinely edit the work of my colleagues. Still, I'm not entirely clear on what exactly past participles and dangling modifiers are, though I'm confident I could recognise them as errors in a body of text.

Which is why I have my doubts about encouraging kids and teens to read whatever they want, regardless of the quality of its prose. My kids are still under 10, so right now I'm okay with them reading anything age appropriate. However, as they get older I will encourage them to read higher-quality fiction, if only so they can internalise sound language construction.

 

[Hanz Carlisle Westwick]

This is a harsh reality, by virtue of the fact that English is our global lingua franca today and as a matter of fact, it's the Language of the 21st Century! Putting this mindset into tactical terms, this means that you have got to integrate your practicing of English from multi-directional and multi-developmental angles into your everyday lifestyle. Seek every opportunity in your daily activities to practicing English. Like, reading an English story book regularly, or the daily English newspaper, in the case of news, expands your writing with your view of their implications, say politically, economically, technologically and/or social-demographically. This is my stance, drawn from my own learning experience.

 

[Diranew]

Good understanding of English is important when writing. In my case English not my native language and I have difficulties with the grammar. I have just started writing and I'm still struggling with reviewing my work for grammar mistakes. Will definitely follow Hanz's suggestions.

 

[AshaWildling]

As a writer, your primary aim is to communicate your story. Poor punctuation and misleading grammar are hindrances to achieving that goal. At best they are distractions, at worst they make your work unreadable. In general, native English speakers pick up the grammar that is necessary in order to communicate their meaning without having to know the correct terms. However, a deeper understanding of grammar gives us greater flexibility when we want to create characters and show different points of view. By understanding the correct way, the formal way, of communicating, we can be more deliberate in the way we step away from it by using colloquialisms and more modern sentence structures. Fiction doesn't require us to follow every rule but it helps us to communicate better if we understand the rules and know why we are breaking them. I find that working as both an editor and a writer is hugely advantageous in this respect

 

[CAKnight]

English is my native language and, as such, I have a poor understanding of its construction. I know when I learnt French, we were taught about the basics of sentence construction and the various components thereof but I can't remember that in English (maybe I was too young? Not sure).

A couple of recent threads have highlighted my woeful lack of knowledge about the various aspects of verbs/tenses/etc and their use in sentence construction and the affect that sentences have on the reader. It made me wonder how essential it is to know these things to be a good fiction writer. Is it imperative that we know how to form the perfect sentence or is it enough to 'just know it's wrong/right'? Surely we need to know the basics so we can identify what is/isn't working in a sentence and need the tools to fix it if required?

There's mixed opinions on whether having formal education on these matters is useful or not, I'd be interested in what others have to say on this. I read some posts on threads and it's like they've been written in a foreign language! I try to read up on things I don't know but even a basic tuition can be over my head!

I think this is a difficult one to answer. I'm a trained proofreader/editor and think that it's important to get grammar right otherwise the meaning of the words can be easily lost. A single comma in the wrong place can reverse the meaning of a sentence! However, that said, I think trying to be word-perfect is overkill as sometimes the rules are so varied and precise that you'd spend all your time researching grammar. Critiques and proofreads are the way to go, I'd say.

 

[Steve Harrison]

I think this is a difficult one to answer. I'm a trained proofreader/editor and think that it's important to get grammar right otherwise the meaning of the words can be easily lost. A single comma in the wrong place can reverse the meaning of a sentence! However, that said, I think trying to be word-perfect is overkill as sometimes the rules are so varied and precise that you'd spend all your time researching grammar. Critiques and proofreads are the way to go, I'd say.

This is why I'll never self-publish!

I flunked English at school and still, many years later and despite having a novel traditionally published, grammar and grammatical terminology remain a mystery, although I instinctively know when something 'sounds' wrong. But even if this was not the case, I cannot overstate the necessity of a professional editor and proof reader.

As my editor says, regardless of ability or knowledge, it's very hard for a writer to edit his own work, because he sees what he meant and not what he wrote.

 

[Cathbad]

regardless of ability or knowledge, it's very hard for a writer to edit his own work, because he sees what he meant and not what he wrote

That should be put on a meme... so I can distribute it!!

 

[Kathy Trueman]

I hate to admit this, but if I start to read any story and find several grammatical errors in a short time, I will stop there. So call me a grammar snob. I will give you one piece of advice - learn to diagram sentences. You can find websites that will tell you how (free!). By the time you figure it out and look up all the terms so you can diagram it correctly, you'll have a pretty good grasp of grammar!

 

[Danny McG]

I wasn't aware there were so many rules and terms in grammar. I'm a heavy sci fi reader but, like most keen readers, am not genre specific.
I can usually tell, after the first few paragraphs, if a new book is written in 'good' English or 'poor' English but I couldn't explain why. I think this must be the already mentioned osmosis effect as I've never had any significant grammar training.
However I've found that a lot of times, if you're prepared to wince occasionally but carry on reading, there are some brilliant stories out there that would annoy a 'grammar purist'. I mean misplaced commas and minor spelling errors, not the garbled Facebook speak that seems to be bleeding into mainstream writing.
Is my overlooking minor issues part of the modern problem? Do we all tend to frown twice a page yet carry on reading?
I spent some years, a good while ago, as a technical author, so I tend to subconsciously slip into 'engineering speak' when writing. This comes across as robotic and stilted to people unless they're from a similar background. By the same principle it's quite difficult for me to ascertain when an item I'm reading is poor grammar as long as it sounds technical.

 

[Nick B]

This is why I'll never self-publish!

I don't really understand why you woukdn't self publish? Self published doesn't (and shouldn't!) mean self edited. Everyone should still be using professional editors, proof readers, beta readers and cover artists.
I've just had a little rant on twitter about this, and feel a blog entry is in order. The sheer volume of un-edited work out there is shocking, the bad covers too. And thats one thing that is still holding indie authors back. People see so much trash and assume the worst.

 

[Ursa major]

Bearing in mind that this is a thread in the writing section of the Chrons....

Is my overlooking minor issues part of the modern problem? Do we all tend to frown twice a page yet carry on reading?

I suppose that if a writer knows -- not just believes -- that their story is irresistibly compelling, they might think it less worthwhile making sure it makes sense (which is the sole purpose of grammar: letting the reader know, as clearly as possible, what the author intended they should)...


...but as no author can actually know this, it's probably worth their while to get the grammar correct before they release their "masterpiece" to the world.

 

[Steve Harrison]

I don't really understand why you woukdn't self publish? Self published doesn't (and shouldn't!) mean self edited. Everyone should still be using professional editors, proof readers, beta readers and cover artists.
I've just had a little rant on twitter about this, and feel a blog entry is in order. The sheer volume of un-edited work out there is shocking, the bad covers too. And thats one thing that is still holding indie authors back. People see so much trash and assume the worst.

My decision not to self publish is not based on self-editing. It's because I don't want to publish a novel based on my opinion as to whether the work is publishable. I can write anything, use readers and hire a professional editor and proof reader to ensure the work is in good shape, but I feel that as the writer, I am too close to the work to be objective. The only way I feel comfortable is if an independent third party (a publisher) believes the work to be publishable and is willing to invest money in the project.

I have no issue with self-publishing and I have read half a dozen excellent novels in the last year. My preference is just a condition I imposed on myself a long time ago and something I will continue to do. I have only had one book published, so my decision has no doubt limited my output, but it's not something I plan to change.

 

[Nick B]

Don't forget though that publishers don't just work on the basis of whether the standard is good, or even if the story is good, but whether they think it will sell and make them a good profit.
Don't rule out self publishing the ones the publishers overlook, you may be missing out on a market.