The other day I spent a frustrating 10 minutes arguing with a young relative over the case for “less than” (when referring to countable nouns) instead of “fewer”. Less trouble, fewer bottles – that sort of thing.
She saw nothing wrong in saying “less than 20 people saw it”, while I was adamant that “fewer than 20” was the correct and only form.
Her reply was, however, does it matter when no English speaker would misunderstand what is meant by “less than 20 people saw that movie”?
Even more chillingly, she declared: “You don’t always have to stick to these rules you keep talking about.”
Let’s explore why anyone might think grammar doesn’t matter. Grammar is a scary word. Some people see it and stop reading. They fear to appear stupid because they can’t list the nine parts of speech, or will be bored because they don’t care that there are nine parts of speech.
Perhaps we should give grammar another description. Let’s call it “being understandable”.
Grammar is merely a framework for how English is written or spoken so that meaning is clear. It encompasses many disciplines: punctuation, spelling, idiom usage, and word definitions, among others – but in every one of those disciplines the aim is simplicity.
Good grammar is the process of writing a sentence in such a way that anyone reading it will effortlessly know what you are trying to say.
Yes, there are “rules”. But while linguistics experts use highfalutin terms (conjugated verb, subjunctive clause, etc.) they all boil down to the simple notion that they make sense of what is being spoken or read.
Why should anyone care?
Good grammar is an integral part of achieving what every Youtuber, vlogger, online influencer, or communicator (in any medium) aches for. They desire to be memorable. They want “likes”. They want to be quoted (although they call it being retweeted or re-posted). They need people to pay attention.
Saying something memorable requires that you first be understood. And that requires you to express yourself well. If everyone would learn and use just a few of the basic rules of grammar then, when they speak or write, they have a better chance of changing the world.
All who put pen to paper or fingers to keys should know what nouns, verbs, and adjectives are. They should discipline themselves to put a capital at the start of a sentence, and a full-stop at the end. That would be a start.
“No u ditnt less than 20 saw” is impenetrable, illiterate gobbledygook.
Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something. But both need good grammar so their “something” is understood.
Word of the week
Diuturnal (adjective)
Long-lasting. EG: “If your words are to have a diuturnal effect, you must express them well.”
Read the latest Oh my word! every Saturday in The Courier. Contact me at sfinan@dctmedia.co.uk
