A writer’s purpose is to convey a clear message, rather than inadvertently offend or solicit laughter from the reader, as in the example title of this article. Is a mistake really that important? Yes. An awareness that omitting a comma affects meaning is critical, especially if the document is for business purposes or a formal contract. Being unclear or vague can carry significant monetary ramifications or important policy implications. Two well-known court cases, Kevin O’Connor v. Oakhurst Dairy and District of Columbia v. Heller, have been litigated with the decisions hinging on the use of a comma. In one suit, substantial back pay of $10 million is at stake, while in the other, the Founding Fathers’ Second Amendment intentions regarding “the right to bear arms” were questioned…all based on the placement of a comma. Grammar and mechanics (capitalization, punctuation, and spelling) truly do matter.
The U.S. Supreme Court
It's not just a bureaucratic issue for lawyers or law makers. According to the most recent National Assessment of Educational Progress, three-quarters of both 8th and 12th grade students do not possess the skills necessary to be considered proficient in writing. Forty percent of the graduating class of 2016 who took the ACT college entrance exam lack the reading and writing skills to successfully complete a college-level composition class. Improving writing skills is not a new focus for American educators. However, the Common Core State Standards, currently used in two-thirds of the states—including California, was supposed to remedy this deficiency. Common Core State Standards require students to be taught argumentative, informational, and narrative style essays. Despite six years of implementation, however, college freshmen continue to need to enroll in remedial classes to acquire basic writing skills.
A strong language arts program not only teaches grammar and mechanics, it contains an exemplary writing program so that students apply the concepts learned.
Clearly, communicating effectively and writing critically are important. A strong language arts program not only teaches grammar and mechanics, it contains an exemplary writing program so that students apply the concepts learned. Quality programs require students to write frequently. Schools with smaller class sizes enable teachers to routinely meet with students to discuss the nuances that foster clear communication. Students not only receive continual feedback, they respond to the critique by rewriting their work to better clarify its meaning. Schools where all teachers assess and grade work based on content as well as the organization of ideas, grammar and mechanics, and writing style cultivate effective communicators.
Education matters. However, it’s not just any education. Talk to your children and determine how often and what language arts instruction they are receiving. How frequently are your children writing and what type of critique are they receiving? Enroll your children in a school whose curriculum and assignments enable them to notice the faux pas in statements like, “Today we will cut and paste students.” rather than being the person to make the error.
