This is mostly for those who do not speak English as a first language, or those who wish to improve their grammar skills beyond the norm...would you invest in grammar lessons or information products? This is a question I ask because I'm considering producing workbooks geared towards those wanting to improve their grammar. While my main target is freelance writers wanting to make more money, I also want to target the general public. Please let me know what you think about this idea. Honestly. Also, has anyone had any kind of school grammar training? I've heard from a ton of people that grammar was never really emphasized.
This is, from my perspective, at least, a fantastic idea. I regularly study grammar to refresh my own skills. I do invest in grammar training for myself. A lot of writers on DP could definitely stand to purchase some ebooks on the subject of correct grammar. If you need research material, I suggest taking a look at William Strunk and E.B. White's, Elements of Style. As for the second question, where I went to school, and in my college courses, I did receive a lot of grammar instruction, and it was stressed, absolutely. Half of me is surprised that so many people say grammar wasn't stressed, but the other half isn't.
No, I won't. I am really good at the grammar part and do not need it. Even if I did, I would not. It is not good enough to invest on something which you can develop easily by using the language.
I dont think this is possible. I am very good at grammar part and I dont think I would be willing to invest little money on the subject of teaching oneself what people have been taught in the school for which they always have been paid for that. Language learning is best achieved at the school level, not from buying training courses.
@Roshangjha and Traffic-Bug Thank you for your input! Thank you for your suggestion, I'll have to look into the book. I am gearing this idea towards those writers who want to earn more from their writing and even those writers who just want to write better. I personally didn't receive a lot of instruction on it until about 9th grade.
Speaking purely for myself, I love solving grammar problems. I also realize that the rules of grammar and style are subtly changing by the decade, and that writers need to keep up with whatever is in fashion. Therefore, I'd suggest that you create: 1. Workbooks. I'm probably not the only one who HATES mugging up stuff, but loves solving questions. 2. Specialized mini-guides for specific types of writing - academic writing, feature writing, article writing, advice column writing and so on. (I'm a non-Native speaker too).
I do plan on creating workbooks. As of right now, I'm focusing on the grammar aspect of writing (as far as premium content goes) but I will also be creating guides to certain types of writing as promotional products.
Grammar is much neglected, so I do think this is a good idea in principle. For example, I'm from the UK, and I don't remember receiving any grammar instruction in English class. I assume I must have, at some point - but definitely not to my memory. I did an A-Level in English Language and it wasn't even mentioned then. Nowadays in the UK, school papers are marked without grammar as a consideration (spelling too). I think that's criminal anyway, but it's also producing a lot of native writers who have skill but their grammar is terrible. So I think there's a market for UK users, too
Thank you for your thoughts. Would UK users require special amendments to content, or a UK based section, though? There are slight variations between British English and American English. I can always hire someone from the UK for this purpose, but I'd have to see if there was a big enough market just in those looking to learn British English....
For grammar, I'm not aware of any differences between UK and US English. It's mostly with spelling where it comes in - "color" versus "colour", for example. I write in UK English - it's what I know - and then if for an American audience, I switch the language in MS Word to US English and then run a spell check. That works fine. The differences are fairly minor for spelling, and I don't think there's any difference in grammar in terms of UK/US split. I write for a lot of American clients who have never commented on it, anyway... I think grammar is either right or wrong, not regional as such.
I think creating a guide for common grammar questions and mistakes would be a great idea, and I do think it would be popular among freelancers. But it would be a little harder to market to the general public without getting into a lot of ESL requirements, which would not have the same needs. I would go about this from the perspective as a businessperson, rather than as a writer. Follow the basic rules of business: provide a product to appeal to a specific target audience. Casting too wide a net will actually lose you money. If you want, perhaps you could write two separate ebooks, one for writers, and one for those who are looking to improve their grammar as a second language.
The workbook (it's not really an ebook) is geared towards non-native writers. And it won't just address "common" problems, as you've said. I plan on writing easy-to-understand yet comprehensive guides on all aspects of English grammar ranging from beginner lessons (common mistakes) to intermediate (how to use grammar to build your writing style). Thank you for your thoughts.
Why not? If the book is really effective as what it claims. But I would prefer using the language in daily conversation to improve it.
This is a great idea. I have something similar in mind too. As far as grammar is concerned, I learned the grammar before I learned to speak English. By the way English is not my first langauge
I wouldn't because I can always go to the library. And even though English is not my native language, I learned to speak and write it in the natural way. I never had to take grammar lessons. I'd occasionally consult a book though. Grammar lessons and workbooks are good for people who didn't get the chance to learn English in a natural way. Learning and using a language the natural way takes years of constant usage. You hear, read and speak it over and over. That's how you learn unlesss you're one of those gifted linguists who can master a foreign tongue quickly. Most freelance writers who ought to improve their English skills just don't have the time to do this. So is it a good idea? I think so. A good workbook will improve their skills at the very least, if they use it. There sure are lots of writers that could use one whether they admit it or not. The deciding factor is whether or not their inability to write fluent English is affecting their jobs/salaries. I suggest you break up the book into quick, standalone lessons. Design it with ease of reference and practicality in mind.
To my mind that sounds perfect! Easy-to-understand comprehensive guides on english grammar is worth its weight in gold. I am a non-native speaker, and i have tried scores of books on english grammar, and only a few of those were both very useful and quite simple.