Recently, my six-year old daughter was looking over my shoulder as I was writing some ad copy.
She then said, “Hey Mom, you can’t start a sentence with and.”
“Well, Gina,” I said, rather at a loss for words, wondering how does she know this, “I’m writing Web copy. It’s okay to break the rules.”
My apologies to Gina’s first-grade teacher Mrs. Willis, I am one of those responsible for the decline of the English language. But as a copywriter, I’m not writing to please English teachers, I’m writing to strike an emotional chord with consumers in a hope to reach their wallets.
Occasionally, when a client reviews Web copy, they may question grammar usage. While overly formal, grammatically perfect copy may be a put off, overly casual language may look unprofessional. The idea is to find an appropriate balance.
In short, what’s the golden rule to remember? Consider your audience. When your readership is financial investors, the tone should more formal than when selling fish tacos.
Grammar rules that are okay to break:
1. Starting a sentence with “And” or “But”: Yes, it’s perfectly acceptable to start with conjunctions. Just remember that it is slightly more informal.
2. Contractions: Don’t. Aren’t. Isn’t. They’re all [...] Continue Reading
