Grammar Pet Peeves: A #CMWorld Twitter Chat with Ann Handley

With writing being a critical component to content marketing, it’s no surprise that many members of our #CMWorld community, both online and offline, have a deep love of language, words, and usage. With that passion comes an equally strong distaste for grammar errors, habits, mix-ups, and yes, even the Oxford comma. While it felt like this chat was preaching to the choir of excellent storytellers and exceptional writers, it was nice to have an hour to spend together discussing some of our grammar pet peeves.

Ann Handley, Chief Content Officer of MarketingProfs and best-selling author of Everybody Writes, was our special guest on this week’s #CMWorld Twitter chat. Who better to help lead the chat than the world’s first chief content officer, and one of the most inspiring writers we know?

Monina Wagner and I were emailing back in March, and we came up with this idea after some consistent and blatant errors we were seeing on blog posts, websites and social media. Some of my biggest pet peeves? Usually misplaced apostrophes, or ones that just don’t belong there in the first place.

On this Twitter chat we talk not only about our biggest grammar pet peeves, but also ways to avoid it.

If you were there, thank you for participating! If you weren’t, these Twitter Moments (part 1 and part 2) might help ease some of the FOMO. Check out the entire #CMWorld hashtag to see the entire conversation from our many participants.

We hope to see you on another #CMWorld Twitter chat soon!

Step 1: Get your team on board. How do you do it? Do you monitor things? Get everyone on the same page? How do you do it without policing your team and micromanaging?

Q3: How do you get the team on the same page regarding grammar, style, etc. so the audience has the same quality experience across the brand? #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/oH60agPKaK

— Content Marketing Institute (@CMIContent) June 11, 2019

A3: Standards are so important. Make some decisions about the standards your brand will follow (even if it’s your personal brand) then communicate them. A lot. #CMWorld

— Mike Myers 🤠 (@mikemyers614) June 11, 2019

A3. By having documented branding / editorial guidelines and a process that’s clearly stated. This will help writers / content creators / editors / SEOs understand expectations and follow through on ensuring grammar is correct and style is consistent. #CMWorld

— Patrick Delehanty (@MDigitalPatrick) June 11, 2019

A3: Having brand guidelines that detail styles of writing to follow that can be easily shared/discussed with the team. There can always be room for individual creative flair, but on the whole the writing and its goals should be similar or you run the risk of confusion #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/50PKdBUl4u

— Allee Creative, LLC (@alleecreative) June 11, 2019

A3: Style guides all day. But don’t overcomplicate things, you know? You aren’t being paid by the number of rules. My favorite is from @uberflip > https://t.co/sqLRbAyAvt #cmworld

— Ann Handley (@annhandley) June 11, 2019

But really, we wanted to get to the heart of the #CMWorld Twitter chat. What are YOUR biggest grammar pet peeves? What makes you cringe? Our chat participants had a lot to say.

Q7: What grammar mistakes make you cringe? #CMWorld pic.twitter.com/UYGnKbZ1dA

— Content Marketing Institute (@CMIContent) June 11, 2019

A7: I think unknowing typos make me cringe more than grammar mistakes, generally it’s when people try to sound sophisticated.

It peaked my interest.
His suggestion complimented mine.#CMWorld

— Judy Gombita (@jgombita) June 11, 2019

A7:

The attack of the random apostrophe!

Yes, there’s an ‘s’ at the end of that word. No, it doesn’t mean that word has to have an apostrophe added to it.

I’m not sure there’s a grammar error I see more than that one.

Except for missing apostrophes, of course.#CMWorld

— James Tennant (@JamesConverge) June 11, 2019

A7: Grammar peeves include: Mixing up fewer/less. “Between you and I” (NOOOOOOOOOOO). Anytime someone uses “when it comes to.” #cmworld

— Ann Handley (@annhandley) June 11, 2019

What say you? Leave a note in the comments and let’s continue the conversation. See you next Tueday at 12pm Eastern!

Are you missing out on the #CMWorld community? Join us in Cleveland this September at Content Marketing World. Register with code SM100 to save $100 off all main conference passes. September will be here before we know it. Register today!