Have people forgotten the fundamentals of the English language? Have we forgotten how to use basic grammar and spelling in our every day lives? Are we raising a generation so dependent on spell and grammar check they are unable to write correctly without it? Why, all of the sudden, do I feel like I am living in grammar hell?!
When I went to school, we learned spelling, vocabulary, phonics, and grammar the old fashion way. A pencil, a piece of paper, and a red pen. There was no spell check. I learned early on to use the correct versions of there, their, and they're or your and you're. It was made clear, in very blunt terms, the correct use of the English language was the only way to write in school. If you did not use proper grammar and correct spelling, my paper was marked red, and my grade was reduced. It was expected.
I learned, the hard way, to read and re-read my papers on my own in order to check for grammar and spelling. The hard way was having my mom and dad read my paper, then marking so much of it with red it looked like my poor paper was bleeding to death. I was then told by my father, "Fix this piece of garbage paper, then bring it back to me." As harsh as it was, I learned a few very important lessons. 1) Do not write a half ass paper and expect it to be good enough for a high grade. 2) Double and triple check grammar and spelling. And 3) Never, under any circumstances, ask my parents to proof read another paper again.
My English teacher freshman year of high school, Mr. O, was determined to teach all the kids in class how to write a proper paragraph and essay. How did he accomplish this? He had each student write a paragraph. The day we turned it in, he stood at the front of the classroom, shuffled all the papers up, then started reading each paper anonymously and grading it in front of the whole class. I remember praying he would not get to my paper the first day. He would criticize and teach us what the person did wrong, then say something along the lines of, "This paper is poorly written. This student earned a F." You could hear a pin drop in the room. After the teaching lesson and another assignment, I made sure I followed all of his advice. The next day, my paper was the first one randomly chosen. After reading it, he said, "I can tell this person used the thesaurus, if not a bit too much. Not bad, I give it a B." I was ecstatic! It might be considered by some to be a harsh teaching method, but every single person in that class was able to write by the end of the year.
Where did this get me? It allowed me to write proper English and get high grades on papers that weren't half ass. I never had to have my parents or anyone else proof read a paper for me again. I learned to finish my writing early, set it aside for a day or two, then come back to proof read it. It's amazing how many mistakes you will find after you come back and read your own paper. And this method worked for all three of my college degrees.
After all this hard work of learning to correctly write, why do I feel like I am living in grammar hell? Let me explain.
I saw two incidents on the Internet and social media within less than a week of each other. The first one I saw was an author answering a question of a reader about the proper use of there, their, and they're. I was flabbergasted someone (an adult, mind you) did not know the difference. There is for a place. Their is possessive. They're is for they are. It's not rocket science people! The second incident was a post on Facebook a friend wrote about stupid people, but incidentally used there instead of they're. I find this hilariously sad. If your are going to make a general insult to stupid people on social media, do not look dumb yourself. Use the correct word because you just made yourself look like an ass (and I'm saying that as nicely as I can).
It seems with texting, social media, and email, many people having forgotten or choose not to use correct grammar. Yes, it is okay to use short cuts and abbreviations in circumstances. That should be a given. Unfortunately, this doesn't always seem to be the case. I've seen news articles extremely poorly written on main domains. How are these people getting published when it is obvious they cannot even write? It boggles my mind!
Use our language correctly, especially the written word. Employers do not want to see typos and incorrect grammar on a resume, cover letter or email. No one wants to read a book or article with so many typos it takes away from the story or news. At least for me, once my brain registers a typo or bad grammar it takes away from what I'm reading.
Parents, teach your children how to speak and write correctly. I will be damned if my kids cannot write a paper. Let's stop living in grammar hell and start taking back the simple right of writing correctly.
And yes, I wrote this, put it down, and came back to edit it two days later. Yes, I did find typos, but I corrected them. See, my method still works!
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