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Monday, December 8, 2008

When it's okay to break the rules

You can break the rules of grammar and punctuation that you learned as a kid.

I know this intuitively. But I've had a hard time coming up with guidelines for when to break the rules. Until now.

I like what Susan Gunelius said in her Entrepreneur.com article, "Copywriting Grammar Ain't Perfect."
In simplest terms, you can break any grammar rule in copywriting as long as doing so makes your copy sound conversational and more appealing to your target audience without negatively affecting your business's professional image.
So, you need to know your audience before you break rules. But that's another essential element of good communication.

I learned about Gunelius' article on Kristen King's InkThinker blog for freelance writers. Thanks, Kristen!

Related post: "It's okay to end a sentence with a preposition"


_________________
Susan B. Weiner, CFA
Check out my website at www.InvestmentWriting.com or sign up for my free monthly e-newsletter.
Copyright 2008 by Susan B. Weiner All rights reserved

2 comments:

  1. I'm glad you liked my article, Susan. I cover that topic and much more in my book, "Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps."

    Also, it looks like you provide great information on your blog for women working in business. May I add your blog to the Businesswomen Bloggers Directory on WomenOnBusiness.com (http://womenonbusiness.com/businesswomen-bloggers-directory)? That's my blog for women working in business. Send me a message through the contact form on WomenOnBusiness.com (http://womenonbusiness.com/contact/) if you're interested.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Susan,

    Thank you for taking the time to comment and offering a link from your directory!

    I will contact you and look for your book.

    ReplyDelete

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