About Kathleen Watson

I’m disappointed when I hear highly paid television personalities and announcers use poor grammar. It bothers me to see errors on a company’s website. I cringe when I hear or read mistakes made by a person who otherwise conveys a polished professional image.

And I know I'm not alone.

I guess love of words, writing — and correctness — is in my genes. Both of my parents were highly literate people: My father wrote exquisite letters and poetry to my mom while he was serving in World War II; my mother left a rich written history, from her earliest childhood memories to reflections on how she had lived her life. (“Don’t postpone joy,” she often urged.) Both were frequent contributors to our local newspaper’s letters-to-the-editor feature.

I also was blessed to have an excellent high school English teacher who taught me the importance and value of rewriting, rewriting … and more rewriting.

There are so many forms of abbreviated communication in today’s world that I worry we’re losing the ability not only to communicate effectively, but to use language to eloquently describe, inspire and convince.

And lax attention to language and punctuation can have ramifications. Consider this amusing Facebook posting:

Punctuation Saves Lives! followed by:

Let’s eat Grandma vs. Let’s eat, Grandma.

This may evoke smiles, but there is no humor in the fallout that results from poor communication in the business world. Mistakes, misunderstandings and misperceptions can be costly.

Are there a lot of rules to remember? Yes! Do we all occasionally make mistakes? Of course. But I agree with columnist William Raspberry who wrote: “Good English, well spoken and well written, will open more doors than a college degree. Bad English will slam doors you didn’t even know existed.”

I want to make sure doors open for you. Contact me if you need an objective set of eyes to review your message or if you want me to help you build one from the ground up. Words — and punctuation — matter.

888.838.3109 or info@RuthlessEditor.com

If you'd like to receive Kathy's FREE monthly tips on grammar and punctuation, email your request to: kathy@ruthlesseditor.com.