Grammar nerds rejoiced last week when Weird Al Yankovic released with parody of the 2013 smash summer hit Blurred Lines, with his linguistically delightful song and video about Word Crimes. His opening verse states:

If you can't write in the proper way
If you don't know how to conjugate
Maybe you flunked that class
And maybe now you find
That people mock you online

He goes on to skewer text speak, the inability to understand homophones and using quotation marks as emphasis. I had a good chuckle while listening to the song.

Reflecting on grammar puns has been particularly relevant as I’ve been working on the Brilliant Ink style guide. Brilliant Style has been a project aimed at capturing what makes our voice unique. We’ve come to pride ourselves on creating content that is:

• Clear and easily understood
• Concise and imaginative
• Approachable and human

Sounds easy, right? Well, we think we’ve found a way to make it a little more approachable. From understanding readability scores to defining Brilliant Standards and rounding the guide out with some Tips and Tricks – we’ve mapped out a journey to Brilliant Writing. We believe everyone has the capacity for brilliance within them, and our guide will help us tap into that writing genius.

If you find your writing could get you indicted with a Word Crime, leave us a comment. We’d love help you get out of those charges!

P.S. For more giggles, check out Weird Al’s take on corporate lingo.