The Importance of Being Grammatical

I interviewed a professor from the English Department. Obviously in the field of English and literature, grammar is essential. The professor I interviewed acknowledged this to be the case as well. Yet she felt grammar in her profession was a rudimentary necessity. She spoke about the need to submit work samples prior to graduate school. She explored the idea that in this work sample, a person literally becomes his or her work. She contemplated the power or loss of power a person could experience in this one piece of work. Yet grammatical correctness does not create an excellent writer. She also believes a successful writer explores complex ideas through clarity and sophistication. To have the language and skills at one's disposal makes the complexity of thought fall onto the page in written form. It seems quite accurate when she mentioned in her profession, intellect and writing are direct correlations. The power of writing in English professions is a necessity.

On a lighter note, the professor also told a personal story. When she was in high school she dated someone who had left for college. Over the year the two of them had a correspondence through letters. Yet when summer came around, she broke up with him. The reason being, his grammar and writing skills were too bothersome to the professor. His errors and lack of rudimentary writing skills ended their relationship. Writing must be quite powerful because the professor even stated, "He was very cute too, but I just couldn't do it."