Grammar

Over the past five months I have begun to realize how my bad grammar really is. I always struggled in school through elementary, middle, and high school. Even through college, which is why this is my fifth attempt over 12 years at getting just an associates degree. So what changed? Why am I just noticing it now?

1. In Dec I started in a weekly writing/editing group
2. I have not turned in a single assignment without a  grammar error
3. I opened my blogging up to the world, who in return let me know my problem with homophones

I don't want to have bad grammar. I wish I knew my comma's and homophones and whatever else I am messing up. But I don't and it is not going to fix itself. Awhile ago I posted my frustrations about this and then later spoke my older brother about it. He recommended a few things.

1. Go through old posts and correct the errors (He advised me I have 5-6 errors per post.)

That is a great tip but I can't start there. If I knew what my problems were then I would catch them when I re-read what I have written.

2. Go through my old edits writing down my common problems

That is good. I can see clearly what my errors are.

3. Go to our local Lake Shore Learning to find workbooks that can help me.

This sounded like the perfect starting point.


I did some research and found online that most of the error's that I am aware of are things you really start to learn in third grade. (Side Note: I am now very concerned about 3rd grade if I started gaining weight and stopped learning that year. I have always had problems with multiplication which I remember trying to learn in 3rd grade and now english problems. But that is a different story.) I went to Lake Shore Learning and started flipping through books. The third grade books did look like the right place to start. I kept wanting to upgrade myself to a fifth or sixth grade book but I felt like I needed a better base that the third grade books offered. So I bought three and they were not cheap!

As I go through these books I feel silly doing books meant for third graders. But I will go through them. I will learn what I need to know so that I sound/write like an adult. I will teach my brain the difference between lose and loose and between roll and role. I will do this because I want to spend more time worried about the content of my assignments then the grammar of my assignments. I will do this because I will not let grammar keep me from a better job.