Many people dismiss grammar as being unimportant. They claim that grammar adds little meaning to communication and is an unnecessary complication. Although grammar may change over time, it is still a vital element affecting the meaning of sentences. Bad grammar can change the fundamental meaning and cause confusion.
Bad grammar can change meaning by grouping the wrong words in a sentence, confusing the meaning. Punctuation is critical to ensuring the intended message is conveyed. At times spelling can be regarded as a grammatical skill and can negatively influence meaning.
It is frustrating to be misunderstood. Using good grammar allows us to express ourselves clearly, communicating the intended meaning.
Can Bad Grammar Change Meaning?
Bad grammar can change the meaning of a sentence dramatically. It is essential to ensure that grammar is correct and supports the intended message.
Grammar is especially important in written communication as there is no intonation to aid the message. Spoken language often has more context than written messages, giving more clues to meaning. Despite this, grammar is still essential in spoken language.
How Word Order Changes Meaning
Using the correct word order is critical to conveying information correctly. Here are some examples of incorrect word order, which resulted in some interesting messages.
- “The alligator chased the girl with the large teeth.”
Unless the girl has extraordinary dentition, the sentence should read:
- “The alligator, with the large teeth, chased the girl.”
Other examples may affect meaning subtly.
- “Only John can answer your query.”
- “John can only answer your query.”
The first sentence means that John is the only person with the answers to the query. In the second sentence, John can only help with a query and nothing else.
- “I walked just to the corner.”
- “I just walked to the corner.”
In the first sentence, the person walked to the corner and nowhere else. In the second sentence, the person walked without running or jumping to the corner. The second sentence can also mean that the person has recently walked to the corner or that the person walked to the corner and did nothing else.
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How Commas Change Meaning
Commas can significantly affect the meaning, and lawyers will tell you that they pay close attention to commas when drafting agreements.
Newspaper or magazine headings often leave out commas, leading to interesting information.
- “Her inspiration comes from cooking her children and her dogs.”
- “Her inspiration comes from cooking, her children, and her dogs.”
In the first sentence, the woman is probably a twisted psychopath who needs to be imprisoned. In the second sentence, the person is a devoted mother and pet owner who is inspired when she cooks.
Another example shows the importance of using the Oxford comma. The Oxford comma is used before ‘and’ when listing items.
- “I envy my siblings, Superman and Mr. Incredible.”
- “I envy my siblings, Superman, and Mr. Incredible.”
In the first sentence, the writer conveys that Superman and Mr. Incredible are his siblings, and he is envious of them. In the second sentence, the writer lists that Superman, Mr. Incredible, and his siblings make him envious.
The following sign was seen on a farmgate:
- “Cyclists please close the gates behind you when riding cows in the fields.”
From this sentence, it would appear that cyclists have abandoned their bicycles in favor of riding cows. This sign epitomizes the need for accurate punctuation.
Apostrophe Use Changes Meaning
- “The goat’s pen was flooded.”
- “The goats’ pen was flooded.”
In the first sentence, the pen was used by only one goat. In the second sentence, numerous goats used the pen.
- “It’s not raining today.”
- “The cat’s not wearing the red collar.”
- The cat lost its collar.
In the first two sentences, the apostrophe before the/s/ indicates the word /is/ is contracted. In the last sentence, there is no apostrophe as “its” indicates the collar belongs to the cat.
- “Let’s ride bikes.”
- “He lets her ride his bike.”
In the first sentence, “let’s” is a contraction of “let us.” In the second sentence, “lets” acts as a verb.
- “Whose car is this?”
- “Who’s going to the party?”
The first sentence, “whose,” denotes a possessive, and in the second sentence, “who’s” is a contraction of “who is.”
Capital Letters Influence Meaning
Most people know that capital letters are used to start a sentence and denote proper nouns. Sometimes a word may be both a common noun and a proper noun, and the capital letter makes all the difference.
Words that differ in meaning when a capital letter is used are called capitonyms and belong to the class of homonyms. Here are some examples:
- China (country) versus china (porcelain)
- Turkey (country versus turkey (bird)
- March (month) versus march (verb)
- May (month) versus may (verb)
- August (month) versus august (adjective)
- Herb (a man’s name) versus herb (a plant)
- Tom (a man’s name) versus tom ( a male cat or turkey)
- Polish ( a country) versus polish (a verb)
Quite often, people may have names that are normally common nouns. This trend has become more popular in recent years. Some babies are given these names, and life would be confusing without capital letters to identify the name.
- Winter
- Summer
- Rain
- Cat
- Bear
- Apple
Here are some sentences that would be hard to understand without capitals:
- “Cat marched around the whole of March, looking for her cat.”
- “Summer and Rain struggled with the summer heat and could not wait for winter.”
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Spelling Changes The Meaning
Although some argue that spelling is not technically a grammar skill, there are instances when it can be considered part of grammar. Homonyms used incorrectly mean that the writer has chosen the wrong word type and, therefore, their word order is incorrect.
The homonyms “too, to and two” are classic examples. “Two” indicates the number while “to” is used as a preposition and several other functions. “Too” is an adverb indicating also or something excessive.
It is grammatically incorrect to write:
- “I had too shoes.”
- “It is two expensive.”
- “Are you coming to?”
Confusion can arise when the incorrect word is used.
- “Janet is going too.”
- “Who is feeding the cat? Janet is going to.”
If the homonyms were confused in these two sentences, the meaning would be affected, making them hard to understand.
Conclusion
Bad grammar can distort messages, giving them wildly alternate meanings or making them unintelligible. Paying attention to grammar ensures the correct message is clearly conveyed.
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