Is Technology Responsible for the Demise of Good Grammar?
What are your pet peeves when it comes to today's use of grammar?
There was school grammar, business grammar and, for those of us in the industry, AP style grammar. Then came technology and everything just fell apart. We no longer spell with any uniformity, we no longer use complete sentences and what do you think is the most overused punctuation mark on the Internet? You got it, the exclamation mark!!!!!!!
With so many people now weighing in on almost every topic up for discussion, it is no surprise there's plenty to keep the grammar police busy. Sometimes, it is just a distraction tactic when someone is on the losing end of an argument. A heated debate on some controversial subject has been known a time or two to end up an equally heated discussion on the improper use of the written English language.
Our question to you today is, do you have any pet peeves when it comes to grammar? What time-honored rule of grammar do you see broken on the Internet, Twitter, Facebook or even in text that makes you go, "OMG, I don't believe u just did that!!!!!!!"
Gail Moore
10:08 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
What??? **ME** overusing an exclamation??? NEVER!!!! LOL!
Amy Jellicoe
10:14 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
"Sorry for you lost", "How can I loose this weight", "We went their". People make those mistakes so often, it's starting to look right to me.
Gail Moore
10:17 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
The inevitable "they're" - "their" - and "there"! And "It was HUGH!"
Sharon Swanepoel
10:23 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
I have to confess to dropping the r on your more times than I'd like to, so I absolutely understand you point Amy! LOL
Kim Roberto
11:20 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
As a speech/language pathologist, I could make a list....but I will control myself. The biggest irk I see is the misuse of your & you're. Then there's the pronoun masacre as in "Me and him went to the movies." or "Can you meet her and I at noon?" UGH!!!!! (But I am guilty of the exclamation mark syndrome!!)
Sharon Swanepoel
11:23 am on Saturday, June 23, 2012
I think exclamation mark fever is here to stay Kim. I mean really, Thank you just sounds so inadequate now when there's Thank you!!!!
Brian Crawford
1:15 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
WTF RU tryN 2 say?!!!!? : )
Henry Adams
3:01 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
Technology hasn't made it worse, it's merely exposed how bad the average person is at writing. Since people write things publicly on a daily basis and practice makes perfect, I'm hoping that writing skill of the average person is actually increasing. The trick is, those of us who can write properly need to nudge them occasionally. "Oh, you meant you're not your".
Greg Williams
9:45 am on Sunday, June 24, 2012
When I find someone making an argument and using poor spelling and grammar, it no longer matters to me how good their actual argument is. If they can't write it correctly, then I don't bother to read it.
tjktoml
9:25 am on Monday, June 25, 2012
It ain't responcible for pur grammar, but it has fected good spellin.
Karsten Torch
2:16 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
Apostrophes where they don't belong. Don't make something possessive unless it is. And the use of "its" vs. "it's." I saw a billboard the other day that screwed it up. Seriously? Nobody could catch it?
(BTW - how many times did all of you reread your post to make sure your grammar was right on this post.)
Mitch
2:45 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
I've gone as far as cut and paste my comment from Word or Outlook so I can use the spell/grammar check. How sad is that?
I'M ANNOYED BY PEOPLE THAT FORGET TO TURN OFF THE CAPS LOCK AND ACTUALLY THINK THEIR POINTS ARE MORE VALID IN ALL CAPS!
Karsten Torch
2:45 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
I need a 'like' button....
Karsten Torch
2:33 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
Oh, and "Advise for vacations - and any other time."
Not to single one out, but.....
Karsten Torch
3:23 pm on Monday, June 25, 2012
One more....technology is responsible for the demise of cursive writing. My daughter isn't even being taught it in school, and from what I understand there are no plans to. Print only, since everybody is expected to type everything before long....