Why grammar is important and even beautiful

• It's an art. There are rules and exceptions. You can sound really stupid or remarkably intelligent when you master grammar.
• Yes, most of the time we know what you're trying to say. But it makes you look lazy if you are twenty years old and never bothered to learn the difference between "there," "their," and they're." You should have learned that in second grade.
• Good grammar makes your writing clearer and more beautiful; sometimes a paper really needs a good semicolon.
• Learning the rules allows you to play with grammar. While sentences that start with a conjunction are usually frowned upon, you can use them for an extra kick. And then people will think you're creative.
• As shallow as it may be, people will take you more seriously when you speak correctly, and they will judge you when you use an adjective instead of an adverb for describing how you did something. Or maybe just I will.
• Good grammar and good diction compliment each other; if you have one, you probably have the other too.
• It's quite fun to read professional papers or church bulletins and laugh at the mistakes. One of my favorites is "Hark, the Herald Angles Sing." I've heard that obtuse angles have marvelous voices.
• People will twist your grammar like they will twist your words.
• There are others like me who will laugh at you and continue to correct you until you say, "I wanted to see that movie so badly!" instead of "so bad."
• It's rude and demeaning to use poor grammar. You're better than that. So the next time you post something on facebook, send a text, or write a paper, check the following words and punctuation (oh dear, a list within a list!):
• your, you're
• their, they're, there
• angels, angles
• it's, its
• commas
• apostrophes
• periods
• adverbs vs adjectives (yes, it does matter!)