and you thought punctuation wasn’t important

there is a cold war waging on the interwebs, between the grammatically precise and the laissez-faire conversationalists. the precise long to see the honour of English grammar preserved everywhere, from formal business pages to juvenile YouTube comment insults (it’s “You’re a gaywad,” not “Your a gaywad.”). the conversationalists counter this with the arguments of “u no wat i ment” and “ur gay.”

and generally, i fall between the two extremes. i enjoy, nay, cherish grammar in all its delicious nonsensical contradictions. but i do think some slack might be let out to comprehensible, if not completely correct, writings. if i understand the object of the statement, is it so necessary the sentence not end with a preposition?

mind you, this does not exclude formal writing, including formal e-mails, from the laws of English. it just keeps me from freaking out in my special obsessive-compulsive way over grammar. i will dissect everything, from adverts to captions, if i feel compelled, tearing apart any syntax error with glee, particularly if i already have a bias against the author. yes, i have been known to knit-pick a song or two.

i’m also a firm believer of knowing the rules before you break them. i’m much more likely to avoid rolling my eyes internally when an afficiando of grammar breaks a rule. any poet worth his or her salt will tell you that it is the fine structure of English grammar and punctuation that makes it so delightful and powerful to write with poor grammar and punctuation.

as such, it delights me that a single period sent crashing the internet for an entire country.