Yes, it still matters.

I feel your pain, but we must deal with dotting the i’s  and crossing the t’s. Wait. Should those apostrophes be there? Apostrophes denote possession or contraction. But if there were no apostrophes in that sentence, it would have read as “…dotting the is and crossing the ts.” Therefore, the apostrophes are appropriate. Exceptions are few, but exceptions there are. Often they are confusing, as is English grammar generally. But the goal remains unchanged: clarity. This should be the guiding principle for punctuation issues.

This chapter covers grammar essentials. Each section examines a specific element of grammar, punctuation, or sentence structure, which are intimately related to one another. Incorrect punctuation can dramatically alter the meaning of a sentence, sometimes to humorous effect. Particularly in technical writing, where clarity is extremely important, attention to the fine points of grammar and punctuation will make your document clearer, correct, more concise and, most importantly, easier to read and understand.

No matter what type of document you are writing, professional writing requires correct grammar and sentence structure. Sloppy punctuation tells your reader you don’t care. Everyone makes typos and grammar errors, and nobody knows all the guidelines for every situation. Sometimes you have to take a moment to look up the rule. Professional writers do it all the time.

Acquainting yourself with the essentials will give your writing a professional edge. Always run a spellcheck. Let your document rest for a few hours. Then return to it and read through it again. A friend or colleague who is willing to proofread your documents can find the errors that you may have read right past. There is nothing like a fresh set of eyes to discover overlooked errors on the page.

In technical writing, punctuation style is based on the structure of the sentence. The rules generally conform to those of Standard American English, but there are a few exceptions. In the pages that follow, any departures from Standard American English grammar rules are noted in the text.

So…

Figure 1. A Geeky Grammar Meme.