34 Why Grammar Matters in Professional Communication (4.1.1)

With grammar tools built into word processors and generative AI tools like ChatGPT at your fingertips, you might wonder: Is it still important to know grammar well? The answer is yes.

While these tools can help, they aren’t perfect. Grammar checkers and AI often miss errors—or worse, introduce new ones. They may suggest incorrect changes, misunderstand context, or create sentences that sound awkward or unclear. For example, Microsoft’s Copilot AI recommended tourists visit a food bank in Ottawa “on an empty stomach,” misinterpreting a community support service as a travel attraction (Hern, 2024). Another interesting example is when Google’s Gemini AI invented a fake idiom—“you can’t lick a badger twice”—and confidently explained what it supposedly meant (Vincent, 2024).

These examples show why it’s important to understand grammar yourself, and to have good reading and writing skills in general. If you rely entirely on AI, you risk making embarrassing or confusing mistakes that can damage your credibility or message. By developing your grammar knowledge, you’ll be able to use these tools more wisely—and know when not to trust them.

Having strong grammar skills also benefits you in several other ways:

• Write with greater confidence and control. You won’t need to second-guess whether a sentence is correct—you’ll know.
• Maintain a professional image. Good grammar shows you take your work seriously and can be trusted to represent your team or company.
• Ensure clarity. Clear grammar structures support better understanding for everyone—especially in diverse, multilingual teams.
• Avoid distractions. Readers can focus on your ideas instead of being distracted by unclear or incorrect language.
• Stand out. Anyone can write “detail-oriented” on a resume, but your writing proves whether it’s true. Employers notice strong writing skills. Good grammar sets you apart in job applications, emails, and leadership communication.
• Catch AI errors before others do. You can recognize when AI tools make inaccurate suggestions and fix them before they weaken your message.
• Unlock career opportunities. Clear, confident writing can help you gain promotions, build trust, and succeed in leadership roles.

These points connect back to what you learned in Chapter 1: Foundations of Professional Communication—that communication is “the process of understanding and sharing meaning” (Pearson & Nelson, 2000, as cited in Williams & Sonja, 2022). When your grammar is strong, your meaning is more likely to be clear, complete, and understood the way you intended.

Even minor mistakes can affect how your message is received. For example, confusing “affect” and “effect” in a report may seem small, but it can signal carelessness. Using unclear sentence structure in an email may confuse the reader or result in the wrong action being taken.

In business, your written communication reflects your competence. Whether you’re leading a team, submitting a proposal, or writing a client message, strong grammar helps ensure you’re being understood—and taken seriously.

References

References are at the end of this chapter.