Grammar vs Content

Some grammar rules (and embarrassing mistakes!) transcend the uniqueness of different regions and style guides. This new International Grammar section by OnlineBookClub.org ultimately identifies those rules thus providing a simple, flexible rule-set, respecting the differences between regions and style guides. You can feel free to ask general questions about spelling and grammar. You can also provide example sentences for other members to proofread and inform you of any grammar mistakes.

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Sanju Lali
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Re: Grammar vs Content

Post by Sanju Lali »

content is the most important but at the same time there should be at least minimum grammar requirement in that to make it understand to the user , grammar mistakes happen but can be minimized by investing same time in proof reading
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Post by jgraney8 »

Content is obviously very important, but the art of writing includes how the content is communicated. Writers can get by without perfect grammar and many do. However, when the grammar distracts or frustrates, it takes the pleasure out of the reading because I as a reader am no longer concentrating on the story but on the sordid mess the writer has made of his or her sentences.
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Post by Mallory Porshnev »

I know content should be important, but I can't even see past poor grammar. I loose focus on the content then.
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Post by MikleoKrein »

Both are important, but I side more with having little to no grammatical error.

Even if the plot, storyline, character development, and twists are good? I can't read it if it has rampant grammatical errors. That's because whenever I encounter an error, I always correct it within my mind, even as simple as punctuation errors.

I lose focus and my interest wanes on the story itself.
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ireadnow
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Post by ireadnow »

You won't be able to put your idea across effectively to the reader. Therefore, the purpose of having good content would be lost.
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Post by Melekwe Anthony »

Please for the sake of clarity. We should first look at what grammar is.
Grammar is a set of rules that governs a language. So both grammar and context are important being the essence of writing.

Mind you, I feel content weighs more than grammar. It all depends on who is writing? What he is writing? And who is writing too?
For this he could use the prescriptive grammar or the descriptive grammar
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Post by zarah_ »

I'd rather read a great story with poor grammar than a poorly written story with great grammar. As the other comments have mentioned, you could correct grammar but great content is hard to come by.
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Post by teevic_o »

I choose grammar, my obsession with the English language knows no bounds. For me, Bad content with good grammar is far more appealing and deserves a greater chance than good content with bad grammar. The writer with bad grammar to some extent is far more careless than the one with bad content. And doesn't the quality of content vary depending on the reader while bad grammar remains bad grammar through and through? Also, There's a lot of grammatical errors that can make most readers loose interest fast, no matter how great the content is.
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Post by fernsmom »

I think the content is the most important. I recently read and reviewed a book that had good content and the plot had twist and turns that I enjoyed reading, but the errors were excessive. The most frequent error were the use of "I" and "me" that were used incorrectly. For instance, "Jessie and me had fun". Did I understand what the author was saying? Yes, but it was sort of annoying. Would I have enjoyed the book more without all these errors? Yes, but without the plot being captivating in this book I would have never finished it.
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