Grammar/informal discourse

[hyphenate]

I don't know whether I'm alone in this or not, but I thought I would ask anyhow in order to solicit opinions.

I was an English major in college, and have been a writer since I was a child. In high school, my favorite courses were English and as a writer, I always took pride in grammar, spelling, and the English language in general. One of my favorite books as a child was Roget's Thesaurus (you can tell how bad I am by that!).

When I write, I know I write with more formal English and grammar, and if a word is misspelled it's likely a typo, not because I can't spell it properly.

So the question is--do I write in such a manner that makes what I write appear snobbish? I don't "talk" like I write, though. In my everyday world, I pretty much talk like everyone else, but set pen to paper, or keystrokes to the computer, and suddenly I write in a manner that can be viewed as pompous to some.

It's very difficult NOT to write like that, though. It just happens to be my style, I guess. Does this bother anyone? Or am I being too self-conscious about it?

[RoBear]

1. Former English teacher here.

And erstwhile editor, proofreader, etc. Your writing style doesn't seem bad to me. That old thing about "write like you speak" is only good if you're writing dialogue. Otherwise, it's normal for writing to be a little more formal (some would say "stilted") than speaking.

[SmokingJacket]

2. No one notices.

Lots of people here are grammar and spelling fiends.

That super-informal cyberEnglish that some people use is a rarity here.

[arwalden]

3. I Prefer It That Way... Your Way.

I wish that everyone wrote the way that you do. (But then again, I also wish that everyone was precise and concise and got directly to the point too.)

Don't worry about it. Your writing style suits you just fine.

[Droopy]

4. You sound just fine to me

I don't talk like I write, either. You wouldn't want to try to read what I talk like if I were to try to type that way. It would also be harder for me to type how I actually talk. Just do what comes natural.

[XemaSab]

5. Na dude

It's all good.

[NV Whino]

6. I find it quite refreshing.

[Greyhound]

7. Yes, you're being too self-conscious about it. Does this feature...

come with the writing gene? All of them that I know, even the really pompous ones, are horribly self-conscious. :shrug:

[Gormy Cuss]

8. Are you asking whether correct use of the language is a bad thing?

I worked in a company where writing was an essential skill but they used a verbose styling with a heavy reliance on the passive voice to describe action. It took me years to adopt this style. Now that I no longer work there, I find it hard to write in my own voice.

Please write as well as you can. English is a beautiful language.

[Dervill Crow]

9. Nope, doesn't bother me in the least.

I don't think your writing is too formal. Of course, I had my daughters saying, "This is she," rather than "yeah, it's me," by the time they were old enough to have friends calling them.

I'm lazy and conversational on DU, but that doesn't mean I don't appreciate good grammar and good writing. Keep it coming!

[hyphenate]

10. Thanks for the comments

It's good to know I'm not too much of an oddball. ;)