Learn/Send-Bad-Grammar-to-the-Slammer
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Well-written text makes your site look professional
When designing or maintaining your web presence, there are a few key flaws to avoid.
Web design is not only costly it can be time consuming as well. Your site is your calling card to potential clients from every corner of the globe. Skimping on good grammar practices is a surefire way to invite editorial errors in online content. You wouldn't print business cards without proofreading the copy first. The same applies to your website.
Incorrect punctuation not only looks bad, it can change the meaning of a sentence. Poor graphics and a poorly laid-out web page are bad enough, but when a prospective customer arrives on your website and finds typos, grammar mistakes and spelling errors, they're not going to believe in your professional competency. Even if you're selling something as down-to-earth as used car parts, you want people to believe you pay attention to details.
Isn't it funny how the simple omission of an apostrophe makes these headings look so unprofessional?
The worst thing your site can convey is that you're sloppy, ignorant, or lacking in clarity... especially when you claim to be an expert.
Below you'll find power sites for grammar, punctuation tips and spelling from some real experts. Help is available -- and it's free for the asking.
Online Writing Resources at the University of Illinois website (visit) ~ The online Grammar Handbook at the Writers' Workshop, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign explains and illustrates the basic grammatical rules concerning parts of speech, phrases, clauses, sentences and common problems of usage.
{{{2}}} (visit) ~ Associated Press Stylebook Online (2010) provides up-to-date guidance on the standard style adopted by most newspapers and magazines in North America -- and around the world. AP also offers tools and rules for when, where, why, and how to use grammar, spelling, and punctuation correctly.
{{{2}}} (visit) ~ The Oxford English Dictionary is the unsurpassed guide to the meaning, history and pronunciation of more than half a million words, both current and archaic. It traces word usage through 2.5 million quotations from a wide range of English writing around the world.
{{{2}}} (visit) ~ Merriam-Webster.com is more than an unabridged online dictionary. The site offers word games and tips for crossword puzzles, a thesaurus, Spanish/English translations, definitions of medical terms, and a link to Encyclopedia Britannica.
Community-Added Grammar Sites
{{{2}}} (visit) - Yahoo takes on the huge task of defining standard style for writing on the web. Valuable information includes writing for SEO (search engine optimization), guidelines on date and time styles, and the Ask an Editor section.