Importance of grammar

Question

If you can understand what someone is saying perfectly fine, why does grammar matter?  For example, what is wrong with  "Me and Bob are walking to the store."   It is just as easily understood as "Bob and I are walking to the store."   So why does that sort of grammar matter?   All that matters is that you can understand what the person is saying.

Clive · Accepted Answer

Hi,

Few here comments a are.

For primitive statements, I suppose primitive grammar would be OK.

But better grammar is needed to express your meaning clearly as what you say gets more complex, subtle and abstract. I notice that you expressed yourself in good grammar in writing your previous post. Why did you bother?

Of course, you are free to use whatever grammar you wish. But you may not get the good job, or the university place, for example. Cares who!

Let's not even discuss whether gud spelink matters!

Best wishes, Clive

CalifJim · Answer

AnonymousIf you can understand what someone is saying perfectly fine, why does grammar matter?

Maybe it doesn't. Not to you, anyway. You're the one who's listening to them. Quite often it doesn't matter a lot to me either -- as long as I can understand them, as you say.

AnonymousFor example, what is wrong with "Me and Bob are walking to the store."

Wrong? You mean morally? Nothing morally wrong with it. Or do you mean "How does it not conform to the patterns of standard English?" In that case it doesn't conform because that compound subject is expressed "Bob and I" in standard English.

AnonymousIt is just as easily understood as "Bob and I are walking to the store."

Yes, I suppose so, provided you have some knowledge of English in the first place. The two are not really that different.

AnonymousSo why does that sort of grammar matter?

For the purposes of communication, I don't suppose it does matter unless the shortcuts start to get out of hand and fewer and fewer people understand them anymore. You could argue that "Bob me walking store" is really just as good as anything else in getting that same point across, but the farther you get from what most other people are saying, the more chance you have of not getting your message across. If you say something like that and it's not understood, you'll just have to say it again in a more standard way. Repeating things in different ways to get your point across is a pain in the neck.

AnonymousAll that matters is that you can understand what the person is saying.

All that matters? You don't care about how intelligent they are? You don't care about how good-looking they are? You don't care about how clean or sloppy they are? You don't care how neat and clean and stylish their clothes are? You don't care if they eat everything -- even soup -- with their hands? You don't care about how willing they are to share with others? About how willing they are to help if you need their help? You don't care about their ability to solve problems? About how willing they are to cooperate with you? About their tone of voice -- not too loud, not too fast, friendly rather than belligerent?

That's a little strange I think. For most people there are a lot of other things that matter about the person they are talking to. Understanding what they say is only one of them. In fact, sometimes I think understanding is pretty low on people's concerns. I sometimes wonder if they're even listening!!!

CJ

Importance of grammar

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