The other day at the office, a coworker and I had a bit of a debate about grammar and proper writing. During the discussion and my subsequent rounding up of facts to prove that I was, indeed, correct, I uncovered a realization most people have deeply ingrained thoughts about grammar, but it turns out that many of those thoughts are either myths or rules you can (and should) break in modern writing.
I’m not saying you shouldn’t be aware of the rules of grammar or that you shouldn’t take them seriously, but by knowing the rules, you can feel comfortable in your decision to break them. This is not to say that I never make a grammar mistake or that I don’t have more to learn, but I have made a concerted effort to learn all I can about grammar rules, and I am here to assure you that there are many opportunities to break the real and imagined writing commandments.
You Can’t Write in Fragments
From the time you were a small child, you were told that fragments – or incomplete sentences – are errors that need to be corrected. Since fragments are incomplete, generally, they lack a subject or a verb. They can make a piece of writing confusing, so in formal writing, avoiding fragments often makes a great deal of sense.
That said, marketing copy exists to influence. To persuade. Using sentence fragments, like I just did in the previous sentence, help you to break up elements in your copy and can help you emphasize particular points. When used deliberately, sentence fragments help to create a wide range of effects.
Don’t Start a Sentence with “And” or “But”
Again, this one goes back to childhood. As a child nearly every one of us was taught that you should never start a sentence with a conjunction like and, but, or or. Despite this, nearly all style guides, even the most rigid, have stated that starting sentences with coordinating conjunctions (like and, but, and or) is perfectly acceptable and that examples of such use goes all the way back to Old English.
With experts agreeing that it is fine to start a sentences with a conjunction, how did a rule like this proliferate amongst children for decades? It is thought that back in the 19th century, some schoolteachers took a stance against the practice of beginning a sentence with a conjunction, likely because they noticed young children overusing them in their writing. So instead of educating them on effective use, teachers banned it altogether. I hope you begin at least one sentence with a conjunction today, if only to get back at this decades’ old education conspiracy.
You Should Avoid Slang Expressions in Your Writing
On the surface, avoiding slang expressions is actually sound advice. You don’t want to confuse your reader. That said, when it comes to modern writing – especially marketing copy – it is so important to write in a conversational tone. Write the way you talk. Vary your sentence structure. These are all ways you can keep your reader’s attention.
So as long as you use caution when implementing slang, it is absolutely a rule that can be broken. Using slang correctly can help an audience relate to you better. It can make the reader feel as though you are all a part of the same group or club. It can make you more relatable. Tread lightly and see how your audience responds to your writing and make adjustments when needed. When used effectively, slang is a very simple and subtle way to add some authenticity to your writing.
I hope that loosening the tie on your writing, so to speak, helps you to have a little more fun with it. Sometimes we use the rules rules of grammar to handcuff ourselves and our creativity and, in the end, we bore our reader. Stay tuned for part two of this topic for even more ways to cut yourself a break in your efforts of writing effective copy.
Aubrey Collins is the director of marketing and communications at MediaTree, a supplier of branded digital entertainment cards. She fell in love with the promotional products industry in 2011 at her first PPAI Expo. She shares her perspective on everything from the industry, what parenting continues to teach her about business, to what marketing campaigns make her cry on her blog. Connect with her on Twitter or email her atacollins@mediatreegroup.com.