“You can be a little ungrammatical if you come from the right part of the country.” Robert Frost

I would add that you can also be a little ungrammatical if you come from the right country, one where English isn’t the first language.

If you speak and write English as a second, third or fourth language, it’s unrealistic to expect your grammar to be perfect. English is a notoriously difficult language to master—it’s hard enough for native speakers to be perfect.

It’s true that really bad grammar intrudes on a message and distracts the reader from getting the message. But we need to tolerate small mistakes, especially when the writers are ESL.

We find the ESL learners in our writing courses are often insecure about their grammar—they want to be perfect. They are also the most passionate, enthusiastic learners when we cover grammar. This is great, but grammar isn’t everything. In fact, grammar mistakes are often the least important ones writers make. I will gladly overlook small mistakes such as missing articles if you

• communicate your message clearly so I get it the first time I read it
• get to the point quickly—no rambling
• use a tone that’s friendly, concise and positive
• create a clear structure that allows me to scan your message
• anticipate all my questions and answer them
• use plain language and keep things as simple as possible