Why do you need to worry about spelling and grammar?
==========================
In browsing the allpoetry site, I've noticed that often people are loose with their spelling and grammar. This can seriously affect the message of the poem.
Think about it. Poetry is a heightened form of language, an attempt to communicate images or emotions and make the message so vivid that the reader feels drawn in to the poet's vision. Professional poets use every means at their disposal to heighten their message: structure, rhyme, rhythm, language, metaphor. Each word affects the overall tone of the poem, and so to truly communicate your ideas, spelling and grammar are essential.
There is such a thing as "poetic licence", but it should be used very carefully. People notice when you break the rules, and in poetry, everything noticed should be there for a reason, should add to the overall impression. Carelessness in poetry is unforgiveable.
I have heard the argument that poets simply want to write their emotions, and that any re-writing can only detract from the overall impression. This, I disagree with. Powerful emotion of any sort is a very good inspiration, but with a good dose of thought, what was previously slightly incoherent becomes clear, and the whole impression can be sharpened to a point that cuts straight through to the reader's heart. This, to me, is real poetry. Only by viewing your poetry with a calm head can you see how the poem is viewed by the reader, can you be sure that the reader sees and understands what you are trying to communicate.
Of course, if you write poetry to purge yourself of emotion, then continue, don't re-write and don't listen to advice from anyone else. If you write to communicate, then re-write, fine tune and hone your poem until the message is clear. And don't stand for typos.
Some common mistakes I've noticed.
=================
1) There, their and they're. There are three variations of the word "there", all of which mean very specific and different things, although in the spoken language they sound the same.
Their: This means "belonging to them". It does not mean anything else.
They're: This is a contraction of "they are".
There: is used in all other cases, including indicating a location: "over there", or that something exists: "there is".
2) On capitals. Be careful with capitals. In these days of email and instant messaging conversation, there are many ways to communicate emotion using solely the characters on a keyboard, including smileys and so on. Typing all in caps is, in this emotionally-charged medium, equivalent to shouting at someone, and can come across as rude. SENTENCES TYPED ALL IN CAPS HAVE A NATURAL EMPHASIS and this should be used sparingly.
There is a common idea that the first letter of each line of a poem should be capitalised. This is not necessary. In strongly structured poems with very regular rhythm and rhyme, this is usually done. In non-rhyming poems you may find it's better if only key lines have a capital at the beginning. In general, it's down to the judgement of the poet for the poem in question.
However, names should always be capitalised.
3) Titles. The title of your poem, at least, should use correct English, grammar, and capitalisation, unless the poem uses (for example) txt-language for effect. I cannot take a poem seriously if the wannabe-poet appears to have no grasp of the subtleties of the English language. After all, that's what poetry is all about.
4) A note on punctuation. Poems are, in general, loose in structure. There is no rule about whether each line should be punctuated or begin with a capital letter. But these things do make a difference to the feel of the poem. Punctuation in a poem works in much the same way as in text - again the point stands, if you break a rule, notice that you're doing it, and know why. See below for more information on punctuation.
5) On regional variations. I'm from the UK. You may have noticed from my spelling. I would never pull up someone from the US for their spelling of "colour" or "flavour". I would, however, expect consistency within a poem. For example "The dawning color of realisation" uses the British spelling of "realisation" and the American spelling of "colour". If your native language is not English, these faults can be overlooked, as I'd imagine it's difficult to know the difference. As a very quick guide, generally, -isation is British and -ization is American. American spelling usually has less letters rather than more. So color or flavor use US English, while the corresponding British English is colour or flavour.
6) About to and too. Everyone knows about the word "two" - it's the spelling of the numeral 2. The word "too" is used to indicate an excess, so there are too many people in that car. The word "to" is more difficult to define. It's used at the beginning of any verb in its infinitive form: to go, to play, to sleep. It's also used to indicate a direction (we're going to the zoo, I'm following Jack to the museum) or in a more subtle sense, such as: you can talk to me. As a hint, if you don't mean that there's too much of something or the number two, the spelling is "to".
Use the correct form. It's important!
7) Your and you're. You're is a contraction of you are, and your should never be used in this context. "Your" means belonging to you: I'll take your hand, you're standing on my fingers. It's not mine, it's yours. You're going to fall on your face.
8) Then and than. I've had a request for this. Then is an indication of time, and can also mean "in that case". Than is a comparison - holier than thou, bigger than me.
9) The myth of whom. You'll be surprised to learn that, despite the efforts of the grammar police, mostly when someone says "who" they actually mean "who". "Whom" means the same as who, but is used when it refers to the object of the sentence. Compare "Who should I give it to?" to "I'm sorry, to whom should I give it?" If this confuses you, it's probably the grammatical term 'object'. The object of the sentence is the noun that has an action performed on it. The subject of the sentence performs the action.
Another problem with "who" in English comes from the existence of the word "whose" - e.g. I worked with Tom, whose experience was absolutely invaluable. "Whose" is used when indicating something that belongs to somebody. Again, "who's" is a contraction of "who is".
Examples: Whose coat is this? Who's coming to the cinema? Who lives in this house? To whom should I give my ticket? I should give my ticket to whom, sorry? I lived with my parents whose niggling rules really suppressed my creativity.
10) When referring to yourself, please, *please* capitalise the I.
11) Definitely. It's easy to spell: finite, infinite, definite. Where do people find all the odd vowels that get slotted into that word?
Common Latin Phrases and Abbreviations
============================
etc. is short for et cetera, which means "and so on".
e.g. is "exempli gratia" and means "for example"
ie is "id est" and means "that is".
cf is from "confer" and means "compare".
et al is short fo "et alii" and means "and others", usually used in author lists.
NB is short for "Nota Bene" which means "note well".
If you remember the translation it'll help you on two seperate occasions. One is, of course, when you want to use them in your writing. The other is when you're readin aloud. People generally read "e.g." as "for example" when speaking aloud.
About Punctuation
=========
Punctuation is not often used in poetry. In prose, it is an essential tool which indicates to the reader how the text should be read. It adds clarity and meaning to the text. Similarly, punctuation can be used in poetry, only in a poem, most of the information usually conveyed by punctuation is also conveyed by the rhythm, stanzas and line breaks in the poem. Punctuation should generally be used sparsely in poetry. but when used well, it can really add to the whole feel of the poem. Here I describe some of the punctuation marks common in English.
1) The apostrophe: '. (Sometimes I see it represented as ?, which I think is an html/browser problem.) This is mis-used a lot, and it really makes a difference. Here's an introduction to its use.
(i) Plurals do not usually have an apostrophe.
(ii) If something belongs to someone, it is somebody's.
(iii) It's means it is or it has. It is a contraction. Similarly for there's. If you mean "belonging to them", use theirs.
(iv) Its means "belonging to it".
(v) If something belongs to multiple people, then the apostrophe comes after the s, not before. Therefore if it belongs to one person, it is somebody's. If it belongs to lots of people, it is somebodies'.
Examples:
John's bike, my sister's hair, my parents' rules, it's no fun, it's been great, it clawed its eyes (compare to he clawed his eyes), everyone's friend, James' yo-yo.
2) The comma. This is used in two ways. The first is simply to indicate a pause in the flow of speech. For example: It wasn't time for dinner, it was just past ten am. The second is to indicate a clause. A clause is a part of a sentence which stands alone, but can be contained within a whole sentence. For example: The minister, who liked cats, bent over to scratch Fred's ears. In this case, the sentence contains two commas, indicating the beginning and the end of the clause. Clauses can also be indicated by dashes - , but these indicate a stronger break from the rest of the sentence. Brackets can be used in a similar way, but these are basically an aside, and generally give information that is not necessary to the flow of the sentence e.g. The minister, who liked cats (he had four or five at home), bent over to scratch Fred's - the cat's name - ears. It's a compicated sentence with a lot of unnecessary information. Generally you should not use all three in one sentence!
3) The full stop (or period). This is easy in normal text, as it simply indicates the end of a sentence. In poetry, full stops are not used so often, as the flow of the words tends to be indicated by line breaks and commas rather than sentences. However, full stops can be used effectively in poems. They are usually unexpected and they therefore make the reader stop and take notice. They indicate a complete break from what has been before, a place where the poem changes direction. In poetry, a well-placed full stop can mean more than the break between verses, because ideas and sentences can flow between verses, but not across a full stop.
4) Quotation marks. These vary widely between countries. Generally, in English, either ' or " can be used. The rules are simple: if you open with ", close with ". If you change paragraphs during a speech, the old paragraph should not end in closed quotes, but the new paragraph should open with quotes, otherwise you indicate a new speaker. If someone within a speech makes a speech, you should use two different types of quotation marks for clarity. For example: Jill said "He'd come with me every morning. He'd say, 'May I take your bag?'. He was so polite!"
In summary
=====
I encourage you, when writing, to consider what you're saying. Look out for typos, for spelling mistakes and sloppy grammar, because, at the end of the day, you're trying to communicate. Anything which detracts from the reader's attention detracts from your message, and I'd always rather come away with "that was a very poignant poem" than "that poet mis-used 'their' four times in that poem".
Perhaps I'm nitpicking, but if so, then so will any other person who reads a lot of poetry and spends time thinking about what they read. The more you put into a poem, the more your readers can get out of it.
The use of grammar and spelling in the context of poetry, and some examples of common mistakes.
Included in the list
Add a comment
Comments
1 - 37 of 37
-
Thank you so much for this column! This echoes my thoughts exactly! I've seen too many poems that don't follow simple spelling/grammar/etc rules, it's alarming. Thank you so much for this!
~lavender shadpws~ -
This is very good to have as a reference. I know these differenses, yet due to using so much shorthand as a moderator on a game site, I consistantly make mistakes. It seems my mind wants one thing and my brain reads it another way. Thank you for this information. God Bless You
-
Worthy write
This is very brilliant writing on the guidelines for a poet or any writer who wants to spek in words with the reader to convey his ideas as well as his emotions attached to his ideas. In poetry the coma, capital leter use, quotation, rhythm, use of the articles, spellingin general and with respect to american and british english, use of colloquial words in written english, the appropriate title fixing and many guidelines like this. It is a worthy write! -
Yes, I hear you.
Of course such things matter, especially when ambiguities arise. "You're beautiful, Fanny" does not mean quite the same as "your beautiful fanny" and so on.
Your article doesn't come across as preachy: I think it will be a useful resource.
Whose/Who's is another to consider. Bob Dylan used to misuse "whom" as a nominative, you know. Shame, shame. -
informative
i agree with you and what really gets me the most is our youth are attending class studying english on a daily spelling and their spelling and grammar is atrocious to say the least.i think if we make it a practice to make grammatical corrections and correct misspeiied words,it will reflect to others the importance this plays in the presentation of your work.some may struggle with capturing certain phrases,but that can also be remedied if we all try to do the right thing.this was a necessary column and i hope those who read it will see it as the learning tool it was meant to be. -
Wonderful
I will like to suggest this piece is placed on the page of every member of this site.Poetry is been abuse in the name of freely expressing ones emotions.Causion is the word,i'm glad you have pointed this important point out.Thanks a million. -
THANK YOU (and yes, I meant for the extra emphasis
)!
I heartily agree with everything that you have written on the subject. The people from this site range in all ages and backgrounds. Hence, many either do not know the proper rules to follow as of yet, or are just lazy.
Correct grammatical syntax DOES make a difference in the readability factor. Props to you for this column
PS - Only thing I would add is the the proper spelling for 'a lot.' Okay, I lied. I'd add 'etc.' as well
PPS - It's spelled 'capitalize.'
PPS - THANK YOU for using affect/effect properly
-
Great point you've made here. I hate spelling and grammar mistakes in my writing so I always appreciate when people point them out to me so I can correct them. Its easy to overlook them, but a lot of the time I think people just don't care. My biggest problem is puncuation. I usually try to have a friend help me with that though.
I am going to recommend this on my list
-
Hi Jobob,I don't mind you correcting my mistakes. I have trouble with my grammar and where to put my commas and so forth sometimes. I will do my best to watch out for this in my work. Laura Lynn Petersen
-
I have problems with English grammar, but I try to do my best. Who and whom always confuse me, thanks for the explanation about it!
I agree with you about the use of contractions. I read so many poems where I see your beautiful; it isn't so much trouble to write you're instead and make the line reads better. As one write a poem, he should at least try to write it so good as possible, showing so, respect to the readers.
I take gladly any kind of correction on my writes.
Thanks for this write!
Mari
-
I think you're being a little hard on foetus, FaceValue. I don't want to be the "Spelling Gestapo" or anything like that. I just want people to *know* when they're breaking the rules, and to take care that the mistakes they make are deliberate. I have nothing against poems written all in small letters, but if they are, it should emphasise a theme in the poem - perhaps it's from a child's perspective. It's sloppiness that annoys me, not some hard-nosed notion about breaking the rules of poetry!
Thanks for your clicking, applause and comments, everyone! -
dear foetus
you said --> "But I don't think anyone can really set the rules of poetry, even if it's as simple as using proper grammar"
I hate to goof up your "opinion", but the rules have already been set for poetry, and all Jobob did was tell the truth. If you don't want to improve your "work", don't worry - no one will ever call you a poet - sloppy, maybe, but never a poet.
Most people are just too lazy to do things right. It takes too much time. It take a little effort. That's okay - but don't expect to go too far. Heck - be a prose writer !! -
This is excellent, I am one of those that reads and comments on misuse of words, spellings etc. I always use spell check and use the grammer section of my word processing program...I am a great believer in if you are proud enough of your piece of work to post it for the world to see, you should in fact be proud enough to check it properly.......Great column, has helped me a little also....... will keep it bookmarked for further reference...... Take Care
Sanity.
-
Should Be Embraced by All
I put a lot of effort and work in checking the spelling and grammar in my own work, so I expect no less in anyone else's. There should probably be one more point to be brought up in the apostrophe section; namely, words in singular that express multiple people/things. "Everyone's", for example, is a word in singular but signifies many. This is not a big deal, your reader can use common sense and arrive at that conclusion himself while reading this column.
I can only hope more people read this column and take it to heart; I think anyone who dares call himself a poet should have some respect for these basic rules.
Thanks!
- Giovanni -
Well done and important... If there's anything that rips my head out of the flow of the content of a poem it is poor grammar and spelling. I will admit though, that it is better to post ones pitiful attempts and wear a thick skin than to not post for fear of criticism. In time, with care and patiences the writing skill will come.
-
Reviewing people on mere message and ignoring grammar and spelling is like having a singing contest based on passion only and ignoring pitch and tone. Very nicely put.
Your Cerulean Dreamer,
Michele -
I agree, but I've found that I'm quick to try to correct other people's grammar and spelling problems while letting mine slide (though, usually the only problem I have is being too lazy to capitalize things...part of me feels like, this isn't being published, it doesn't need to be perfect. But then, I have to remember that, despite not needing to convey some sort of professionalism [aside from me wanting to be looked at as a well-spoken/written and intelligent], I still want the message to get across to the reader without them getting side-tracked by the careless mistakes I'm making).
Anyway, I enjoyed this muchly.
Edited on Mar 08, 12:37 because ''. -
Preach on, sistah.
-
But you forget that the essential belief of language poets is to avoid giving a clear or any kind of message in a poem. I think that belief is extreme, but why can't a poet confuse the reader? Why does the message have to be clear? It can give a challenge to the reader, a sort of puzzle. Why does there even have to be a message? A rose has no message but people still admire its beauty. I apply all of this to poetry, not to essays and the like -- that is where the misuse of proper grammar has no excuse. But poetry has no clear boundaries as to what you should or shouldn't do. People should be allowed to write how they want, editors and critics do the tough job of deciding whether it should be called a good poem (or at least, a publishable poem).
I say, let people go their own direction. They may end up hitting gold. And if not, it at least narrows the competition.
On the other hand, I practice proper grammar and spelling, the majority of the time. So I do agree with you to some degree. But I don't think anyone can really set the rules of poetry, even if it's as simple as using proper grammar. STP -
Then again, there are those on this site who never post a single poem in fear of getting critiqued. I suppose that they can't stomach the fact that they aren't the "perfect poem writing machines" that they once believed themselves to be.
Kudos for posting this column. It is about time. Now only if there were some way to get many more to read it. It is enlightening... for me, I'd have to say that the apostrophe was almost like the sword of Damocles hanging above my head. I still have qualms about adding them in certain instances because I always lapse in logical thought when they rear their ugly heads.
I applaud this, based solely on the informative nature, and the information contained therein.
Edited on Mar 04, 10:46 p.m. because ''. -
I completely agree. *Everything* about a poem should be well-thought out. It's pretty arrogant to think that a poem is perfect without editing--and that it doesn't need grammar. Some poems don't, but a good many do. Of course, some poeple do write to vent and don't really care about their style (that's fine, I suppose), but then they should uncheck the 'critical review' box. Bravo on this.
-
I completely and totally agree with this piece! And I, too, have had people get mad at me when I comment on their pieces and mention spelling errors. Maybe they don't understand that we're critiquing the poetry, etc, not the person or their feelings, you know? I have several poems where I use no punctuation, for various reasons, but on all of them I try to have proper spelling and grammar as, like you said, otherwise it distracts the reader from the poem itself. I'm glad I'm not the only one that thinks this way. See you around the site.
Renay. -
Thanks for you help.
Most of these "poets"
go 'round calling themselves poets,
and don't know an iamb from sideways.
Why would you expect them to be able to spell ?
FWIW
Face-Value -
Nice job! The one thing that irks me the most is when people misuse their forms of 'there'. Drives me absolutly up the wall! I use spell check too, which can't be used in notes...so I apoligize if I mispell the words I'm using I do have a question though. I cannot for the life of me get down then and than. I've had it explained a million times and just do not grasp this concept. Any insight?
Eh, and on a side note, I don't particularly like puncuation in poetry (when it comes to periods and such). I don't usually notice them, and definatly don't use them in my own. Just too much trouble for my taste
-
Thanks for posting this. I am also picky when it comes to spelling, grammar and the like. Chatspeak and misspelling easy words like the examples you gave are my pet peeves when browsing other people's work!! It really isn't difficult to learn these things, and you did a great job of explaining. I hope people take your advice.
Edited on Mar 04, 8:30 p.m. because ''. -
very good
Thank you for posting this. I found it well laid out with lots of handy information. I especially like the help on punctuation, which for poetry, I have found quite sparse.
thanks,
John -
capitals are a complete waste of time, and the elipse is your friend. everything else is mumbo jumbo
but i agree with you on the spelling. people who dont take the time to correctly spell something out, make me want to scream. especially when the word is so obvious, that when it is spelt wrong, the person who did it, simply looks like a moron.
(and if you say spelt is wrong i beat you. spelt is the english [british] past tense for spell. )
Nyx... -
Thanks for the comments (particularly shaggy - I love the idea of someone skim-reading this piece to check for spelling and grammar mistakes! Of course, I checked it myself, but I've always had a bit of a blind spot for effect/affect).
I had a bad experience where I made an in-depth critical comment on someone's writing and they took offence. They im'd me saying their work is from the heart and should never be re-written, and made a fairly nasty comment on one of my favourites of my own poems! (Not really nasty, more just not nice or helpful. I had the comment removed, as it offended me.) The whole issue is one I feel strongly about. -
This is a very good information drive.
An education to a certain extent.
Thank you for sharing.
-
"To truly communicate your ideas, spelling and grammar are essential"
BRAVO on this piece. Nothing makes me hit the "next" button quicker than a post with sloppy spelling and grammar. Human nature states we will make mistakes, I would be horrified if someone noticed an error in one of my posts and didn't put it in their comment. It is a damn shame that more don't have your attitude...I think too many are just happy to write what they feel and post without giving it another look.
"I have heard the argument that poets simply want to write their emotions" yeah, point taken - but once the emotions are down, correcting grammar and spelling issues is not going to detract from the emotive force of the piece...if anything, it will only serve to heighten the reader's experience. A post full of "wont cant i dont check when i speel" only appear to me as laziness.
Thanks for posting and promoting this piece.
-
A wide array of pertinent points, none of which can be made too often. Now, if you can only get a few takers...
: )
-Nando- -
I couldn't agree more.
-
Good collumn. (Is that how you spell it?
Lol.) Good colum. Good column. All three goods, I meant. But on a more serious level, I am a supporter of puncuation (I use it heavily in my non-free verse and free-verse) and I generally capitalize the "write" things. Now, I'm for puns, and I'm not a splendid speller...I love inventing my own spellings of things. Enjoyed the column.
-
You've brought up some good points and for the most part, I agree. Incorrect spelling and the computer lingo is very annoying to see, puncuation isn't always important to a piece but would help in some places. I also think that some aren't good typers (like me) and they just hit the wrong button or want to put the piece out as fast as possible and make common mistakes. Hopefully the habitual offenders will read this and take your advice.
-
hooray! i too skimmed this, but i wholeheartedly agree...yes i am using all small case letters, but i am just being lazy! the thing that gets me is their instead of they're, and of course the other stuff, that was only an example. i really hate it when someone enters a poem with crappy spelling or punctuation into a contest (unless they are a foreigner, then i tend to overlook it.)
-
I read through this pretty quickly, but it looks like a good article. In your second sentence, "effect" is incorrect: "affect" is the proper word to use. Other than that, my cursory glance spied no mistakes. I like the article, and I hope it doesn't go unnoticed or unheeded.
-
Thank you for the reminder on the importance of punctuation. As writers, we all make mistakes, but it is important to put our best foot forward (excuse the cliche'). I know if I notice too many spelling or grammar errors in a poem, I assume a poet does not care very much about his work. I consider it a favor if someone helps me out by pointing out a spelling or grammar error in a poem.
Jennifer
Adding your comment:
1 - 37 of 37
