A confession: I can’t diagram a sentence.
I mean, I could once. In seventh grade, I was a master. But now…participles, gerunds, modifiers? I’ve got no fricking idea.
It’s important to understand the rules of English so that you can intelligently break them.
Unless you’re teaching English or writing academic papers, the logistics of gerunds (et al) don’t really come into play all that often. People don’t speak in perfect English and, in most people’s day to day lives, they don’t write in perfect English, either. (And people don’t speak as succinctly as you should write your copy.)
The Connection Between Grammar and Copywriting
And that carries through to copywriting, as well. For most kinds of clients, you’ll write closer to the way people speak—and less like the perfect English you were taught in school.
You’ll use phrases.
Maybe a lot of them.
You might need to dangle modifiers for things you’re referring to.
You can start sentences…
And finish them in the next paragraph.
And you’ll sometimes start sentences with “and.”
Copywriting is not perfect language; copywriting is language that sounds like the client and sounds like the target audience. It’s language that the target audience can relate to.
So, no, you don’t have to be perfect at grammar and punctuation to succeed as a copywriter.
Buuuuuut…
Having an “Ear” for What Sounds Right
You also need to have an understanding of the basics and, maybe more importantly, you need to have an ear for what works and what doesn’t.
There’s a natural cadence with sentences and lines and you have to adhere to that. And understanding this makes you a natural copywriter. It’s a little like poetry; some lines just need to be shorter or longer to sound right.
Here’s an example:
We’re Your Trusted Partners in International Shipping. And Processing Returns.
Now, it’s out of context but…something just doesn’t feel right about that second line, right? It’s not just that it’s a phrase (like I said, that can be fine), but it just doesn’t balance with the first line. It feels awkward and reads awkwardly.
This feel for cadence and rhythm can be honed but, likely, if you love to read, you’ve already got it in you.
If, like me, you love words and you’ve been a reader all your life, you’ve probably developed that skill without even realizing it. The more words you consume, the better able you’ll be to produce them—and produce them well.
(So, keep reading! Here’s your excuse to read more of anything: It’s for your career!)
The Importance of Self-Editing
Now, at the same time, if you find yourself making the most common grammar or punctuation mistakes, you can’t let those slide. You can’t turn in work to a client that has typos or mistakes. Here is why it’s so important to self-edit and some tips to do so >>
So, learn those rules! There aren’t really all that many will come up on a regular basis in your copywriting. Issues like their/there/they’re, its/it’s, using apostrophes to make plurals, capitalizing words in sentences that shouldn’t be, etc.— you can learn to fix all of those!
Make a list of things you commonly mess up and the right way to use/write them and post them somewhere near your computer so they’re always handy.
Your skill and value as a copywriter come from crafting wording that effectively conveys your client’s message and that resonates with the target audience.
While the most fundamental rules of grammar and punctuation (“She are going to the store” or “It grew on it’s own” won’t fly) are important, you don’t need to bust out your seventh-grade textbooks. In fact, you’d be much better served to bust out any other kinds of books you’ll enjoy reading—and, of course, to keep reading and analyzing the copy you see around you.
Your Turn!
Do remember what gerund is? 🙂 Have you been worried your sentence-diagramming skills aren’t up to snuff for copywriting? Let me know in the comments below.
Last Updated on March 17, 2024
Example of a gerund. I want to make writing my full-time career.
Thank you for this post Nikki. I’m making my way through your modules now but all these tips that already reinforce what I know is certainly helpful
Hi John,
Ha – helpful, thank you. 🙂 And I’m glad it’s all making sense!
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
I love this post because English is not my first language. So I am likely to make mistakes here and there and I am wondering if I should stick with French speaking clients.
Any resources you’d recommend to spot and correct most common mistakes ?
Hi Leona,
I definitely recommend that everyone sticks with writing for clients in your native language; there are just too many nuances in each language that even native speakers can have trouble with. And there are certainly plenty of French-speaking clients to support your business! 🙂 Grammarly (as a few other commenters have noted) can be a good place to start, but it’s definitely not perfect. It might be helpful to find a few grammar websites and get into the habit of reading over them for a few minutes each day to help engrain the tips. And, of course, reading in general is always a good idea! 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
I feel really discouraged whenever I read that everyone should try to stick to writing in their own language. Not all of us have a first language like French or Spanish, so we don’t all have so many choices when it comes to finding clients. Also, people today often move from one country to another, and they often have to learn to do the job in another language. I, for example, come from a country where only 2 million people speak my language, and now I live in an English speaking country. I have a background in journalism, marketing and media, so whatever I choose to do will be tightly connected to writing. I try to absorb the language in every possible way, and even though it’s hard, I keep trying. It would be great if we could read something more on this topic.
Hi Irina,
I don’t want you to feel discouraged, but I also don’t want to give anyone false hope. It may be that you are *so* well-versed in another language that you have mastered all of the idiosyncrasies, jargon, and slang, but there are very few people who are able to do so in another language and it would be irresponsible of me to tell them that they can. If you have, that’s fantastic! There are just far *more* people who won’t be able to. If you feel strongly that you can then you can certainly move forward as you decide, but I want to make sure people have a realistic picture of the opportunities and limitations.
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
All I remember about gerunds is they all end in “ing.”
Hi Jessica,
…And, that’s a whole lot more than I can remember! 😀 Certainly hasn’t made one iota of difference in my business, though. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Thank you for sharing! I love that you mention to just keep reading books to get the flow of a sentence instead of buying a grammar textbook. Since reading is part of making us a better copywriter are we able to write books off as a tax-deductible 😉
Hi Kristin,
Good question! I think it might be a stretch to write off *all* books, but it could be worth asking an accountant to be sure… And good for you for thinking about deductions! That’s how to treat your business like a real business!
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
I always have Grammarly on, and that helps to hone my senses. I don’t always make the suggested corrections if it doesn’t fit the mood or cadence I’m aiming for, but it’s good to be mindful of where my voice meets convention. I am also the queen of extraneous commas, (pause for effect, thought, breath, passing butterflies?) because that’s how I talk in real life. ?
Hi J,
I use Grammarly, too, but it’s definitely not perfect – mistakes and typos still sneak in all the time. Like spellcheck in Word, it’s a good resource, but we can’t depend on it 100%. And agreed – as you can see, I’m, similarly, the queen of m-dashes. (Though they show up as n-dashes in this commenting software.) 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Thanks for this, Nicki.
I’ve always had a knack for grammar and spelling. But like most people, I don’t have the AP and Chicago Style guides memorized.
Grammarly is the greatest tool ever. It underlines wrong grammar in red and when I mouse over the line, it tells me what’s wrong!
And if I want to break the rules on purpose, I can click “Ignore”
Hi Frank,
Grammarly is definitely helpful, but I’ve found that I can’t rely on them to catch every mistake. Start with Grammarly and then follow it up with a thorough read-through is my go-to system. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
I was an English major, and my rule is “as long as I know what’s right, I’m allowed to do it wrong.” I use that excuse every time my husband catches me making up a word.
Hi Jody,
Ha – I love that! And it makes complete sense to me; if you know the rules, you know how to break them well. 🙂
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Hi!
I think this article is very interesting.
I would like to ask if the CTA path is also suitable for those who are not native English speakers.
I know it depends on the starting level but…do you think it’s possible to get a job as an ‘english’ copywriter (in a reasonable time) with commitment, practice, and adequate grammar checking tools, after attending CTA?
Thanks
Max
Hi Max,
Copywriting certainly works in any language (and the skills are the same across the board) but I generally don’t recommend that people try to write copy in languages other than their native ones. There are so many idiosyncrasies in languages, not to mention ever-evolving jargon and slang, that it’s often too hard for a non-native speaker to try to write authentically and effectively in a language. This certainly depends on the person, though – I don’t want people to have false hope, but I also can’t possibly know people’s skill levels. It has to be up to each student to decide what’s best for them.
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
What degree(s) should I get to become a copywriter?
Hi! One of the great things about copywriting is that it’s an entirely merit-based career so (once you learn to write effective copy) you’re judged entirely on the quality of your copy. If you can write great copy, people will hire you, regardless of what your background is. And, yes, you do need to build a portfolio, but that’s one of the things we teach.