Ask Sally #5 - Grammar, Spelling and Punctuation

Do grammar, spelling and punctuation really matter that much?

Imagine this scenario.

Flo goes into hospital for a triple heart bypass. A man in a white coat
comes to see her and says 'I've always wanted to be a surgeon. It's what I
want more than anything in the world. However, I've never read a medical book, I can't cut very straight and the only tool I've got is my trusty and quite rusty screwdriver. But this is something I really really want to do, so please let me perform your triple heart bypass.'

What do you think Flo is going to say? Will she say 'Go ahead, I trust you
to get it right because it's something you really really want.' Or will she
demand a proper surgeon before running screaming from the hospital?

Okay, so mistaken spelling, grammar and punctuation in a story won't kill someone, but these are the tools of your trade and if you really really want to be a writer, then you should learn how to use them properly.

It's startling how many writers don't think they have to bother, and accuse those of us who do of fascism. Well that's okay. They can continue getting it wrong, so that when their work comes up against the work of those of us who do bother, we look even better. But if you care about being a writer then you should care about getting it right.

If you have a problem with spelling, grammar and punctuation, there are classes out there for people who struggle. Alternatively you could ask a friend to check your work for you, or use a good spellchecking device. The BBC site has some Bitesize courses on Spelling and Grammar. You can pick up lots of books on grammar from your local bookshop or at Amazon. Another way you can improve your spelling and grammar is to read a lot. It's amazing how much we learn by absorbing the 'rules' rather than fighting our way through a book on spelling and grammar. Because I missed a lot of school, that's how I learned.

Okay, we all make the odd spelling mistake, and editors may forgive that odd mistake within a story, as long as it's not obvious carelessness. Judges in short story competitions might well feel differently, and that mispelled word might be what stops your story gaining a prize.


Surely they're something an editor can easily fix.

Hmm, of course, in between reading thousands of submissions a year, and having to work to a deadline, the editors of publications are just waiting for that one writer who can't be bothered, so they can waste their precious time putting it right for them.

Editors are very busy people, for all the reasons listed above and in previous Ask Sally features Response Times and Timing Submissions. If they've got two pieces of work to choose from and the main editor is breathing down their neck to produce a story for the weekly fiction slot, what do you think they're going to choose? The one that's used correct grammar, spelling and punctuation, or the one by the writer who thinks that such things are beneath him/her, so hasn't bothered to even use a spellchecker. Think about it.

Illiterate prose makes for difficult reading, and no editor is going to waste his or her time fighting through your story to find the gem that hides within.

As for short story competition judges, if you can't be bothered to get things right, then you've just wasted your five pound entry fee. They most certainly won't rewrite your story for you.

More Links (note: these sites deal with UK usage of English)

Some Rules and Suggestions about Spelling

Guide to Grammar and Writing

Learn English