Did you know that F. Scott Fitzgerald, considered one of the greatest American writers of the 20th century, had terrible grammar? His first drafts were full of spelling and punctuation errors, giving his editor quite the headache when pulling out the masterful content beneath the mistakes.
If only he had Grammar Girl, aka Mignon Fogarty, around to help. Luckily for us, we do. Although she probably won’t help you write the next Great Gatsby, she can guide you through the murky waters of tricky comma rules and obscure apostrophe standards. Grammar Girl knows that mastering grammar can sometimes feel like learning a second version of English—especially when zealous grammar experts pounce at the first sign of error—so she is committed to being a friendly and educational voice in the English learning world.
Join our #ILAchat on at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 12, to hear from the grammar hero herself as we discuss how to make grammar less scary and more fun for casual writers and published authors alike. Topics to be discussed include the changing rules of grammar on social media, teaching styles as opposed to rules, and the always charged Oxford comma debate.
Fogarty is the founder and managing director of Quick and Dirty Tips, an online resource for all things punctuation, style, and business related. With a range of experience in both writing and editing, Fogarty strives “to be a friendly guide in the writing world.” Her award-winning Grammar Girl podcast has thousands of subscribers, and her equally popular blog was recently recognized as one of Writer’s Digest’s 101 Best Websites for Writers.
Follow #ILAchat and @ILAToday at 8:00 p.m. ET on Thursday, May 12, to join the conversation about the sometimes scary but never boring world of grammar.
Nicole Lund is ILA’s communications intern.