Precision obsession

Despite the tech available to us–AI, Grammarly, or autocorrect–these tools are still far behind what a master in the English language could offer. I’ve been using many tools to improve my writing this year and have been diligent about verb choice, comma placement, and sentence length. These tools have suggestions to improve clarity and conciseness, which have been helpful…but I am still not satisfied with the quality of my writing.

Last week, I sat down with the only English expert I knew–my mom. She has taught English at the post-secondary level and has a far better grasp of English grammar than I–a native English speaker–ever will.

I loaded my assignment on her laptop for her to review. She read it sentence by sentence and precisely pinpointed where my grammar was incorrect. Sometimes a subject was missing, verb tenses did not agree, or parts of a paragraph did not flow smoothly. I already checked my assignment through a grammar check, but it didn’t catch these types of errors.

I’ve been on this journey to develop my writing since last year, and it hasn’t been easy nor straightforward. This is where mentors and teachers play a critical role in taking us to the next level we seek. Someone who could provide instant feedback and share specific areas we could improve on.

Precision has been my latest obsession. I wonder how I could specifically articulate my perspectives; or confidently explain why a comma belongs in a particular sentence; or why this specific marketing tactic is effective for a campaign; or what about a design makes it beautiful. With the rise of tools like AI that promise to save time and increase productivity, I’ve realized that it’s more important than ever for us to strengthen our dedication to developing expertise so we continue to create work only humans are capable of.