To comma or not to comma
an exploration of why we break grammar rules
To comma or not to comma, that is the question.
Why follow nuanced conventions of grammar when you can break out into the limitless void of lawless writing? Why squint at your words, taking care to add appropriate dots and spaces, when you can instead simply GO FOR IT? I mean, just follow your gut and throw those words down on that page! THAT is the way of freedom seekers- do it YOUR way.
OK, maybe grammar rules exist for a REASON, perhaps those guidelines improve readability or maintain a standard that allows transfer of information without the distractions of visual spin-offs. It sure is fun though to give a little f-you to those rules and allow your words to play on the page according to your own creative whimsies.
Taking a step back, as a mom, thinker, and psychiatrist, I see three five main reasons a person would negate grammar rules.
1) Apathy
2) Lack of education
3) Trends
4) Creativity
5) Personality
The first two are somewhat self-explanatory. Perhaps you don’t care enough to pay attention to the accuracy of your expression; this could be for a variety of reasons I won’t explore here. If you have not been blessed to learn about grammar errors, then it would certainly be understandable to express yourself without successful execution of these details.
The trendy motivation is one that drives me a bit batty as I look over at my three daughters hunched over their screens- their LOL is part lazy and part following the wrong set of rules. They are not using their brains when they make that acronym choice. Instead, their fragile egos stand with an army of followers, each adorned with a mask of expectation. This is a separate essay, so I’ll leave it here this way, I don’t condone blind acronyms that neither coincide with academics nor suggest a clever new way of seeing things. Those LOL’s really PMO (look it up if you don’t know) because they scream trending just because.
On the other hand, I definitely applaud creative use of grammar assaults because, well, I practice them quite often. Admittedly, these choices are debatable and are not born from logic. When I choose to crack open a grammar rule, it is always intentional and always artistic.
The personality category is the one I’ll spend the most time on here.
To be clear, this is not an evidence-based discussion, but rather a fun and dynamic exploration of potential connections between the way we write and the way we see ourselves in the world.
The paranoid writer. This person is only able to share small bits of information at a time. Each thought is held close until released as an isolated and choppy gem. Sentences are short and to the point, disclosing just enough information to be clear. There are no superlatives or extra adjectives. The brevity of their words suggests distrust, suspiciousness, or an anticipation of harm.
The obsessive writer. Each passage of writing is an over-thinking nightmare and so sentences are again often short. This person frequently uses lists, and paragraphs are never longer than three sentences. Grammar rules are followed consistently because this person is a perfectionist, detail-oriented, and preoccupied with rules.
The insecure writer. This person is shy or unsure and expresses thoughts with a hesitant style of writing. They start sentences with lower case letters to whisper their ideas and, especially in the case of “i,” they lack full ownership of their statements. Extra transitional words might be used to try and fuzzy the borders of their thoughts. They may be a two-spaces-between-sentences follower as though the extra distance might keep them safe. Their writing implies a fear of criticism, disapproval, or rejection.
The enthusiastic writer. This person has so much to say that they simply do not have a second to waste adding caps. For entirely different reasons than above, they often start sentences with lower case letters as their hands fly from left to right across their keyboard with lawless passion. One sentence flows into the next like wind blowing through a long tunnel. They don’t waste time with transitional words and definitely only use one space between sentences. Their style suggests a strong and comfortable desire to share personal ideas.
The histrionic writer. This person has an over-inflated ego and seeks attention to match it. They write in all caps to be theatrical, wanting to make everything grander and larger than life. These all-caps words appear on one level across the page, consistent with a shallow lack of true emotional depth. They use too many commas, each little point-drop an attempt to take a bow. Overall, their writing is disproportionately loud and tough to ignore as it’s always center stage.
The narcissistic writer. This person screams in caps as though they are arrogant, but inside their self-esteem is low. They require admiration to survive and go to great lengths to be heard. Each capital letter holds behind it fantasies of power or brilliance. They are entitled and don’t pause to consider how loud their caps are to others. All they see is what they need. Exclamation points attempt to demand subservience. They may be inclined to use semicolons to try and appear smart, but sensitive readers process this as forced or inauthentic. Their tone is grandiose and lacking in true emotional substance.
The borderline writer. This person has an unstable self-image that is projected onto the way they write. Sentences are composed with perfect accuracy to lure the reader into the story, and then BAM, the words shatter like glass breaking into pieces after being thrust against a wall. Choices are impulsive and either all correct or all wrong. The reader is held just close enough to stay engaged, but trust is consistently broken as ideas crumble or decay to nothing.
The antisocial writer. Rules are broken with total disregard for integrity, responsibility, or consequence. No periods just to be confusing, questions without question-marks, lack of follow-through, words dangle as though barely connected to the page. Importantly, there is no remorse when the reader has a negative emotional experience.
The magical writer. This person often italicizes, loves fancy descriptive terms, and writes with flowy sentence structure. Lack of italics looks like blocks of boring. Italics looks like butterflies and sparkles. Ideas appear more whimsical and dance across the page simply by using this slanted form, no matter the content.
For me, I’m gonna take pesky grammar rules on a case-by-case basis. Do I want to be clear? YES. Do I also want to prioritize my own aesthetic flair? 100%. So, I’ll pick and choose, using my brain while also letting my red hair fly in the wind of all lower-case letters because I often prefer the way they mingle on the page that way. I’ll consider the challenge of helpful syntax standards, and I will also seek opportunities to write my thoughts MY WAY.
