Why can't everyone write like this?

When I first saw that we were support to read the ENTIRE book, Under the Grammar Hammer by Douglas Cazort, I was a bit speechless. But immediately, when I started reading it, I wished every author that aims at producing some sort of guidebook would consider taking Cazort's relaxed approach. In fact, the tone Cazort uses will be influential when it comes time for me to write my blog papers.

It may differ for others, but I remember very clearly that 7th grade was the year of the dreaded grammar curriculum, which of course included one of those awfully painful workbooks. It's funny because all of that intense work on grammar back in the day isn't what really taught me the insides of English sentence structure--learning Spanish is what did. Learning the Spanish language and Spanish grammar involves a lot of comparisons to English language and grammar and that is really the way I learned the components to a sentence...such as direct object pronouns and all of that other good stuff.

Ironically, on page 20 of Under the Grammar Hammer, Cozart classifies as "Grammar's Top 20 Misses". All of the given examples for these specific 20 rules emphasize how simple sentences are actually stronger then long, complex, fancy-sounding ones. After all the main point of writing is to convey a message, idea, theory, or opinion in a clear, concise matter that the reader can understand, comprehend, and interpret. This makes me wonder where in our academic careers we crossed the line formuling of strong (and often short) sentences, to these confusing (and often overly lengthy) sentences.

The remaining chapters in Under the Grammer Hammer get into more detail about common grammar mistakes, misunderstood usages, and the like. I love how Cazort repeats every single "Rule #1" as, "Write first; edit later". I'm guilty of making probably every error mentioned by Cazort but at least his book reassures me it doesn't matter, getting the content out comes first. (That said, the importance of proof reading must not be neglected either.) This concept made me consider the adverse: do some people write with a lot of grammatical mistakes because they simply don't understand what they are even trying to say? Maybe some writer struggle with their ideas in the first place, so their grammar just reflects that struggle as well. Just a thought to consider…

Finally, I want to briefly mention my person favorite section from Under the Grammar Hammer. Starting on page 101, the chapter "Spelling Is a Four-Letter Word" provides the 5 rules to improving spelling. Honestly nothing Cazort says in this chapter is new to me-- use sources for spelling and the more you read, the better your spelling skills will become. But it was definitely interesting to read a section completely dedicated to my lowest point in the realm of writing. Anyone who really knows me knows that I am a TERRIBLE speller when it comes to regular communication. And of course ‘regular communication’ is just my way of saying Facebook, texting, and email. For those familiar with the game Sporcle, my friends refuse to play with me if I'm typing because my spelling is so bad. And if it weren't for automated texting and automatic spell check, I don't think anyone would ever believe I actually made it to college.

I think Cazort's book might not be the easiest go-to for a grammar inquiry, but it definitely provides a great background to integrate the main concepts of ‘grammatics’. I want to end on a quote that Cazort mentions in the start of the book: “I hope to free you from the idea that the English language is the sole property of English teachers and other authorities on correct usage. It belongs to all of us who use it…” (page 4). That right—even though you might be a business or biology major, you need to learn proper English too.