In Honor of National Grammar Day: Why Developers Should Care About Grammar

As a full-stack developer and professional coder, I spend the majority of my workday writing in languages like JavaScript, Python, and SQL. But despite focusing on programming languages, I‘ve found that having a strong grasp of grammar and natural language is still incredibly important.

In honor of National Grammar Day, let‘s explore why good grammar matters for developers and how we can improve our language skills.

The Cost of Poor Grammar

Numerous studies have shown that grammatical errors can have a significant negative impact on the perception of a writer‘s credibility and professionalism. For example:

• A 2013 study by UK firm Global Lingo found that 59% of UK adults would not use a company that had obvious grammatical or spelling mistakes on its website or marketing material. (Source)

• A 2014 Grammarly study of 100 LinkedIn profiles found that professionals with fewer grammatical errors in their profiles achieved higher positions. Those who failed to progress to a director-level position within the first 10 years of their careers made 2.5 times as many grammar mistakes as their director-level colleagues. (Source)

• In a 2018 survey by SHRM, 45% of employers said they were increasing employee training programs to improve communication skills, including writing. (Source)

While most of these statistics focus on marketing and business writing, the same principles apply to writing code and documentation. If your comments, commit messages, and technical documents are riddled with errors, it reflects poorly on your attention to detail and professionalism.

Grammar and Coding Performance

But poor grammar doesn‘t just make you look bad – it can actually hinder your ability to code well. A 2019 study published in the journal Scientific Reports found that developers with stronger natural language skills tend to have better programming skills.

The researchers analyzed over 1.4 million GitHub repositories and compared the linguistic characteristics of the README files with the quality of the code. They found:

• Repositories with higher quality code tended to have README files with fewer linguistic errors, better readability, and more sophisticated word usage.
• The README files of higher quality repositories also tended to be longer and use more complex language patterns, demonstrating higher proficiency in natural language.

The study authors concluded that "this suggests that developers with strong language skills can produce better software". They hypothesize that better language skills allow developers to write clearer comments, variable names, and documentation, making their code easier to understand and maintain.

How Grammar Knowledge Can Improve Your Code

Understanding grammar and linguistics can also give you a deeper understanding of programming language design and help you write more readable, expressive code. Many programming languages borrow concepts and terminology from natural language. For example:

• Functions are like verbs – they perform actions
• Variables and objects are like nouns – they represent things
• Conditional statements (if/else) are like conjunctions – they connect and modify phrases
• Comments are like adjectives – they describe and clarify code

Thinking about code in terms of grammatical structures can make it easier to break down and reason about complex systems. It can also help you communicate more effectively with non-technical stakeholders.

As Stephen Wolfram, creator of the Wolfram Language, puts it: "In a sense, the Wolfram Language is an effort to tie together the things we‘ve achieved in natural language and in programming — and to do so in a way that combines the best of both." (Source)

The History of National Grammar Day

So who came up with this idea of dedicating a day to grammar? National Grammar Day was established in 2008 by author Martha Brockenbrough. She chose March 4th (march forth) as the date for the holiday as a clever play on words.

Brockenbrough is the founder of the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar (SPOGG) and has written several books on grammar and language, including "Things That Make Us [Sic]" and "The Game of Love and Grammar".

The goal of National Grammar Day is to promote awareness and appreciation of proper grammar and language. It‘s a day for grammar enthusiasts to come together and celebrate their love of language, but also to educate and encourage others to improve their grammar skills.

Common Grammar Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

In honor of National Grammar Day, let‘s take a look at some of the most common grammar errors and how to avoid them. According to data from Grammarly, the top 5 most common grammar mistakes are:

1. Missing comma after an introductory phrase (appears in 30% of all written work)
2. Incorrect subject-verb agreement (appears in 14% of all written work)
3. Missing or misused apostrophes (appears in 13% of all written work)
4. Incorrect capitalization (appears in 11% of all written work)
5. Wordiness or unnecessary words (appears in 11% of all written work)

Here are some tips for avoiding these common mistakes:

• Always proofread your work, whether it‘s an email, documentation, or code comments. Reading your writing out loud can help you catch awkward phrasing or missing words.

• Use spelling and grammar checking tools like Grammarly or Hemingway Editor. While they aren‘t perfect, they can help identify potential errors and suggest improvements.

• Consult style guides and language references when you‘re unsure about usage or mechanics. Some popular guides for developers include the Google Developer Documentation Style Guide and the Microsoft Writing Style Guide.

• Practice writing in different contexts and for different audiences. The more you write, the more comfortable you‘ll become with the nuances of language and the better you‘ll be able to adapt your writing to fit the situation.

The Future of Grammar and Communication in Tech

As natural language processing (NLP) and artificial intelligence continue to advance, strong language and communication skills will become even more important for developers.

Many of the most exciting applications of AI, such as chatbots, virtual assistants, and sentiment analysis, rely heavily on NLP and computational linguistics. To build these systems, developers need to have a deep understanding of how language works and how to model it computationally.

At the same time, as AI takes over more routine communication tasks, the most valuable skills will be those that machines can‘t easily replicate, such as creativity, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence. Writing and communication are key ways we demonstrate those higher-level skills.

"I think in the future, being able to express yourself clearly and having a mastery of language will become even more important," says Grammarly CEO Brad Hoover. "The ability to communicate complex ideas will be an essential skill, even as technology automates many tasks." (Source)

Continuing the Conversation

National Grammar Day may only come once a year, but the importance of good grammar and communication is relevant every day. As developers, we have a responsibility to uphold high standards of clarity and professionalism in our writing, whether we‘re commenting code or drafting client emails.

So let‘s use this day as an opportunity to recommit to improving our language skills and helping others do the same. Here are some ideas for how you can celebrate National Grammar Day and promote better writing all year long:

• Share your favorite grammar tips and resources on social media with the hashtag #NationalGrammarDay
• Organize a grammar-themed hackathon or code review at your company
• Volunteer to tutor or mentor students or junior developers to help them improve their writing skills
• Participate in online language and writing communities, such as the Grammarist forum or the "English Language & Usage" Stack Exchange
• Advocate for the importance of communication skills in hiring, training, and performance evaluations at your workplace

By making grammar and language a priority, we can become better developers, communicators, and leaders in the tech industry. And that‘s something worth celebrating not just on March 4th, but every day.