Bad Writing: What it Means for Your Career (INFOGRAPHIC)

Is poor writing an indicator that you will be less successful in your career?

Kyle Wiens, CEO at iFixit, suggested as much in a July 20, 2012 article (“I Won’t Hire People Who Use Poor Grammar. Here’s Why.”) which appeared in Harvard Business Review’s blog network.

Yesterday, in honor of National Grammar Day, Harvard Business Review posted another article (“Grammar Should Be Everyone’s Business”) written by Grammarly CEO Brad Hoover. Brad’s article provides real data to back up Mr. Wiens’ supposition that poor grammar predicts poor career outcomes.

Here’s a breakdown of the data:

• Professionals with fewer grammar errors in their Linkedin profiles achieved higher positions. Those who failed to progress to a director-level position within the first 10 years of their careers made 2.5 times as many grammar mistakes as their director-level colleagues.

• Fewer grammar errors correlate with more promotions. Professionals with one to four promotions over their 10-year careers made 45 percent more grammar errors than those with six to nine promotions in the same time frame.

• Fewer grammar errors associate with frequent job changes. Those who remained at the same company for more than 10 years made 20 percent more grammar mistakes than those who held six jobs in the same period. This could be explained in a couple of ways: People with better grammar may be more ambitious in their search for promising career opportunities, or job-hoppers may simply recheck their résumés between jobs.

Are you interested in sharing the data? Tweet about it now!

Or, let us know what you think in the comments below. Have your writing skills ever influenced your career in a positive or a negative manner?

Grammar Basics: How to Use Singular “They”

You probably learned about “they” and other pronouns in the first grade. “They” is the third-person plural pronoun, used for talking about groups of things or people.

Henry and Lucy want to go to the movies, but they (Henry and Lucy) don’t have enough money.

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they (people in general) will surprise you with their ingenuity.” —George S. Patton

When you’re only talking about one person, though, the only pronoun choices you have are “he” or “she,” even if you don’t know the gender of the person in question. At one time, usage guides advised writers to always use “he,” but in time, people started to think about gender equality. Should the pronoun “he” continue to represent indefinite pronouns and singular nouns in cases of unknown or unspecified gender? In speech and even in some writing, people had already started using “they” as a singular pronoun. In fact, people were using the singular “they” all the way back in the fourteenth century. So why not also accept the singular “they” in formal writing? Some people still balk at the practice, calling it an antecedent-pronoun agreement error. However, the American Dialect Society voted the singular “they” as the 2015 Word of the Year. Bill Walsh, copy editor and author of “The Elephants of Style” calls the move “the only sensible solution to English’s lack of a gender-neutral third-person singular personal pronoun.” How do you use it?

Use the singular “they” to replace unknown or unspecified gender:

I will have an interview with an executive. (You have never met this person, and you do not know their sex.) Rather than the bulky “he or she,” use “they” to refer to this singular person: They will ask me questions that I hope I can answer!

Formerly, “he” filled this role. Now, you have a gender-neutral option. What will “they” think of next?

Which kind of writing mistakes most reduce news articles’ credibility?

This poll is part of a series that Grammarly is running aimed at better understanding how the public feels about writing, language learning, and grammar.

Please take the poll and share your thoughts in the comments. We can’t wait to hear from you!

If you are interested in more, check out last week’s poll.

Grammar Basics: What is Subjunctive?

Isn’t the imagination a wonderful thing? In English, the subjunctive mood expresses hypothetical and conditional expressions. Let’s explore.

How to Recognize the Subjunctive

Most of the time, the subjunctive mood of a verb looks exactly like the indicative form. The only way to know the difference between the two is by the context of the sentence. However, you can recognize third person singular verbs in the subjunctive mood because there is no S on the end of the them. The verb “to be” is also distinct because it stays in the form “be”. Here are some examples:

To Be

I suggest that you be alert during the presentation. I suggest that they be alert during the presentation.

Other Verbs

The teacher recommended that he leave the classroom. (Subjunctive) He leaves the classroom as soon as the bell rings. (Indicative)

Using the Subjunctive Mood

In archaic English, the subjunctive mood was more common than it is now. For example, older versions of the King James Bible include expressions such as, “Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven…” Also, fossilized expressions like “be that as it may,” “heaven forbid,” and “come what may” are still in use.

Nowadays, the subjunctive follows hypothetical situations introduced by “if” clauses. For example, Beyoncé sings a song called, “If I Were a Boy.” This imagined state of being requires the subjunctive mood. It’s also used to express desires, wishes, hopes, or suggestions. If the word “let” is used to convey desire for a hypothetical situation, you will get sentences like: Let the latecomer sit in the back row. Finally, “might” or “may” occasionally take the subjunctive, though the indicative is more likely: A thief might steal your car if you were to leave it unlocked at night.

Does the subjunctive mood intrigue you? You don’t have to leave its usage up to your imagination. Check out “The Skinny on the Subjunctive” for more direction.

Is spelling important to you when shopping? Take the poll!

This poll is part of a series that Grammarly is running aimed at better understanding how the public feels about writing, language learning, and grammar.

Please take the poll and share your thoughts in the comments. We can’t wait to hear from you!

If you are interested in more, check out last week’s poll.

3 Books to Read with Your BFF

Reading is often a solitary experience. But good books can bring people together in surprising and meaningful ways. Here are three books we think would be great to read with a close friend, or someone with whom you might want to become close friends:

The Anne of Green Gables series by Lucy Maud Montgomery

The friendship between Diana Barry and Anne Shirley in the Anne of Green Gables series is famous for providing us with the term “bosom friend.” Anne and Diana are friends through thick and thin, stirring up mischief and helping each other through life’s struggles in equal measure. Read this book with: your “bosom friend” and reflect on what makes your relationship so special.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Nothing solidifies friendships quite like an epic adventure. Follow this group of friends and allies as they battle trolls, giant birds, and other surprising foes in their search for hidden treasure. Read this book with: a friend who is always up for adventure.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

When you’re a teenager, parents just don’t seem understand what’s important. But your friends do. Follow along as Charlie learns what it means to be a true friend. Read this book with: your BFF from high school.

Which books do you think friends (or book groups) should read together? Share your suggestions in the comments!

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