Grammar hacks for clear communication

Swati Rai

Traditionally speaking, Grammar teaching and learning has been considered a watertight compartment, different from other skills of English language learning. This stemmed from the idea that the study of Grammar is more arduous and academic. With the advent of the communicative teaching approach to English language skills, this notion has largely been dispelled. The realisation that the study and need for grammar is integrated in our daily communication for transactional and interactional purposes has transformed the way communication skills training is delivered.

 Grammar usage doesn’t exist in silos and is a crucial aspect of corporate communication context too. It is needed in all spheres of the language learning and application especially in businesses.

Once viewed like this, the difference and the overlaps between the use and usage of language become clear.

In spoken communication, networking, zoom meetings, attending conferences, addressing a gathering, public speaking and other audience speaking engagements, correct Grammar is a must have.

On the other hand, writing faulty professional emails and other office communication can be misconstrued if the grammar appropriacy is awry and off the mark. Apart from a breakdown in communication, there is also the fact that there are people who would consider your message poorly drafted and hurriedly concocted, affecting business prospects in some cases.

 All of grammar is integral to the appropriate and correct usage of English, however, a few Grammar concepts form the backbone of correct and clear communication. Here are a few basics that need to be looked at and brushed upon, with a view to keeping office communication, ambiguity free.

 Punctuation Ps and Qs

 The devil they say, is in the details, and it is in the minutest aspects of language use that a connoisseur’s deftness with the language shows. So, it is with the tiny markers of punctuation. The signs that guide our speech and writing. In speech with pauses and intonation and in writing, with visible, almost hieroglyphics signage. The most commonly misplaced, missed and incorrectly used punctuation marks are the apostrophe, and the ones of the run-on sentences and comma splices.

Apostrophe (‘) is used when possession needs to be shown in a sentence such as, ‘this bag is Sita’s’. Sometimes apostrophes are used to make acronyms plural like UFOs’. Using the apostrophe incorrectly as in: ‘Reading is its own cure.’ falsely inserting an apostrophe here to it (it’s) will make it an erroneous expression- a contracted version of ‘it is’.

A run-on sentence occurs when two or more independent clauses are joined together without any punctuation or conjunction, whereas a comma splice occurs when a comma is used to separate two independent clauses.

 Upon the subject of verbs

 Another main grammatical flaw is in the incorrect usage of the form of verb such as in the incorrect form of ‘write’ –‘I had wrote a letter’, or ‘She write a letter’ or double past form usage as in , ‘She didn’t did it’. Or faulty use of the verb ‘can’ to show ability  as in, ‘I cannot be able to  do my work’. Matching the subject to the verb in form, number tense et al, is an underestimated skill for a polished, clean copy or error free speech.

Of Modals and Modifiers

Gone are the days when one learnt the Subjunctive, imperative and interrogative moods of the verb as a grammar concept. The new age grammar user is employs modal verbs to subtly convey different functions and inflections of the voice and mood. Therefore, a knowledge of modal verbs becomes imperative to convey moods such as ability, possibility, probability and obligation et al.

Modifiers are words, phrases or clauses which describe the word before or after it. A misplaced modifier is called ambiguous or squinting modifier. Placing the modifier next to the wrong word makes the sentence confusing and ambiguous. The meaning changes ever so slightly with the faulty use of in but one that will catch the eye of a trained ear. Faux pas that one needs to avoid at all costs.

 Clean Grammar forms the backbone of a good communication and separates it from the average. Between being a grammar Nazi and ignoramus there lies a species that minds its P’s and Q’s without being academic. Nuanced communication with correct contextual connotations and appropriate choice of lexis should be treated as important as the syntax’s correct grammatical construction and usage.