Accurate spelling and grammar are important for all surveys, but particularly self-administered surveys. What wold you thenk if you readed this passige in a mail survay? Always have someone help you proofread your survey before you give it to any participants. When we create a survey we usually go through many drafts. In this situation, we may no longer notice small mistakes because we have read the questions so many times. Word-processing tools can help but they will not pick up homonyms (e.g., to, too, two).

Poor grammar can send a message that you did not care enough to correct your survey. At the same time, common usage sometimes is grammatically incorrect. For example, we often hear people say, "You need to make sure you protect the child in your care; they can suddenly run into the street or put something harmful into their mouth). The word "child" is singular but it would be very awkward to use the grammatically correct form of "his or her" in everyday conversation. We would never say, "You need to make sure that you protect the child in your care; he or she can suddenly run into the street or put something harmful into his or her mouth). Using the plural form can help us avoid the choice between correct grammar and common usage. We can also avoid appearing pretentious (or being incorrect) by avoiding "who and whom". If you are not sure about the accuracy or tone of your survey, be sure to consult with others.