Grammar Is Dead, Long Live Grammar Nerds

<--- Fellow Grammar Nazi.

I have been teaching my husband the difference in 'their, there, or they're' for so long..it's frustrating me! I go insane from all the idiots on facebook that use your instead of you're.

And supposubly instead of supposedly?!?!

I do my best with spelling and grammar. Computers and texting have killed spelling, grammar and handwriting.

I don't think we can blame technology. I may be biased because I'm the biggest computer geek this side of the Mississippi, but I don't believe it's because of computer use. Even when I was in school (back in the early days of man--LOL) people would always ask professors in science classes "do spelling and grammar count? Even then, I wondered why spelling and grammar should only matter in English classes, but I kept my mouth shut. Very few professors down-graded for spelling and grammar errors (though a few did) and that never seemed right. Aren't spelling and grammar all about clear communication? WOuldn't clear communication be very important in science? We didn't have computers, but students in my day didn't care about spelling and grammar!

And I really do see a need for LOL or something like it until we develop the <just_kidding></just_kidding>, <sarcasm></sarcasm>, and <snark></snark> tags in HTML.

I don't think we can blame technology. I may be biased because I'm the biggest computer geek this side of the Mississippi, but I don't believe it's because of computer use.

Are you serious? Have you not taken note of the rapid decline in the English language since texting and using social media on the internet has taken off over the last decade? Yes, it may not be fully to blame, but it clearly has played the biggest role in feeding it like a cancerous tumor.

I became a Wikipedia editor solely to do copyediting. I'm in the Guild of Copyeditors there. I've never written a Wikipedia article; I only copyedit.
(Note the proper use of the semicolon! My mom would be so proud!)

Nice article. I, too, am a grammar nerd. Actually, I just know how to write and speak in my native language (English). So, if that makes me a nerd, then so be it.

^THAT^ Ha! I have always loved the English language and I really detest when others take being able to speak properly for granted. I wouldn't allow my wife to speak "baby talk" to our daughter. Hate that! Speak to them and they will eventually understand.

I don't think we can blame technology. I may be biased because I'm the biggest computer geek this side of the Mississippi, but I don't believe it's because of computer use.

Are you serious? Have you not taken note of the rapid decline in the English language since texting and using social media on the internet has taken off over the last decade? Yes, it may not be fully to blame, but it clearly has played the biggest role in feeding it like a cancerous tumor.

Texting and social media do not equal "computers and technology." Many, if not most, hackers don't use social media, and real hackers don't use l337 sp33k. It's about accuracy as well, and computers are not to blame for the decline in spelling and grammar skills. If, as you seem to argue, texting and social media are, that is not the same thing as saying computers are to blame.

And as far as texting goes, texting abbreviations, when used in text messages or tweets, are an art. Cramming a coherent thought into 120 or 160 characters isn't easy. It's when these are used in business correspondence that they become problematic, and there is no excuse for using them in forums like this one where no character limit is imposed. Texting abbreviations are not about laziness. Misspellings and poor grammar on forums is.

Technophobes bother me just as much as poor spelling and grammar. Computers are a huge leap forward for mankind, and they are not going away.

Fellow grammar nerd here! My biggest pet peeve is when people on MFP state they want to "loose" X amount of weight. The correct spelling LOSE!

Fellow grammar nerd here! My biggest pet peeve is when people on MFP state they want to "loose" X amount of weight. The correct spelling LOSE!

LOL I get irritated with it too! And I don't know why, because I know correct grammar is difficult for many people but it just bothers me. Especially when people don't know the difference between their, they're, and there. They should have NEVER graduated.

Did not know #4! :embarassed: :laugh:

I am as shocked as you!

Canada Geese, however, do exist.

Canadian Geese exist, too. Any goose from Canada is a Canadian Goose. However, the Canada Goose is a specific type of goose, and therefore isn't Canadian unless it's from Canada. See the difference?

Also, number six is dead wrong. "Whom" is an object and should always be used as such. Using it is NOT archaic, although it's a bit ignorant to be used as a pronoun.

Grammar nazis FTW!

Canada grants citizenship to geese? I have a friend who lives in London. His citizenship is from Canada, so he's Canadian. Where a goose is "from" is irrelevant since geese migrate. If Canada grants them citizenship, they are "Canadian geese." Do you see the difference?

There are no Canadian geese.

I read #6 differently. Nowhere did it say whom was archaic, they said not to use whom to sound smarter. I took the old English following it to mean that words like whilst are often also used in an effort to sound more intelligent. They did not say to never use whom, which absolutely is the objective case of who, but not to use it to sound smart.

LOL I get irritated with it too! And I don't know why, because I know correct grammar is difficult for many people but it just bothers me. Especially when people don't know the difference between their, they're, and there. They should have NEVER graduated.

WOW what a moron! Just because someone cannot speak English properly doesn't mean he/she isn't entitled to a college degree. Not all people are native English speakers (like myself). At least me & others are either bilingual or trilingual & can read, write & speak in 2,3,4 etc. languages, what about you? English only, huh? Seriously I don't even see anything special in your language that everyone needs to be "perfect" at it?

EDIT: and there are actually more native Spanish speakers in this planet than English & yet we don't make it a deal if people cannot speak Spanish properly

Texting and social media do not equal "computers and technology." Many, if not most, hackers don't use social media, and real hackers don't use l337 sp33k. It's about accuracy as well, and computers are not to blame for the decline in spelling and grammar skills. If, as you seem to argue, texting and social media are, that is not the same thing as saying computers are to blame.

And as far as texting goes, texting abbreviations, when used in text messages or tweets, are an art. Cramming a coherent thought into 120 or 160 characters isn't easy. It's when these are used in business correspondence that they become problematic, and there is no excuse for using them in forums like this one where no character limit is imposed. Texting abbreviations are not about laziness. Misspellings and poor grammar on forums is.

Technophobes bother me just as much as poor spelling and grammar. Computers are a huge leap forward for mankind, and they are not going away.

I'm not talking about ridding the world of computer technology, I'm talking about the damage social networking via technology is doing to our language. Obviously, I am not a complete moron. I realize the importance of technology and I am very technologically savvy. Also, when someone sends me a text saying, "wut r u doing?" it's not art, it's laziness. When you call it an art form I get a knot in my stomach.

^^^I agree! I support technology as well, but too many young children and adolescents are learning how to be lazy with the English language. This often translates into them never learning proper grammar and spelling.

Fellow grammar nerd here! My biggest pet peeve is when people on MFP state they want to "loose" X amount of weight. The correct spelling LOSE!

LOL I get irritated with it too! And I don't know why, because I know correct grammar is difficult for many people but it just bothers me. Especially when people don't know the difference between their, they're, and there. They should have NEVER graduated.

I know what you mean. I feel bad feeling this way also because members of my own family struggle with proper grammar and spelling, but I'm tired of people butchering the English language!

Ditto, many members of my family have difficulty, mostly the older family members. I don't ever correct them or say anything though. Not respectful lol.

Texting and social media do not equal "computers and technology." Many, if not most, hackers don't use social media, and real hackers don't use l337 sp33k. It's about accuracy as well, and computers are not to blame for the decline in spelling and grammar skills. If, as you seem to argue, texting and social media are, that is not the same thing as saying computers are to blame.

And as far as texting goes, texting abbreviations, when used in text messages or tweets, are an art. Cramming a coherent thought into 120 or 160 characters isn't easy. It's when these are used in business correspondence that they become problematic, and there is no excuse for using them in forums like this one where no character limit is imposed. Texting abbreviations are not about laziness. Misspellings and poor grammar on forums is.

Technophobes bother me just as much as poor spelling and grammar. Computers are a huge leap forward for mankind, and they are not going away.

I'm not talking about ridding the world of computer technology, I'm talking about the damage social networking via technology is doing to our language. Obviously, I am not a complete moron. I realize the importance of technology and I am very technologically savvy. Also, when someone sends me a text saying, "wut r u doing?" it's not art, it's laziness. When you call it an art form I get a knot in my stomach.

And "What are you doing?' fits in 120 characters, but "Text Speak" came about because we can't fit many coherent ideas into 120 characters. On older phones, typing characters took three or four taps per letter, so keeping the letter count down also helped speed and prevented thumb problems. Texting didn't "create" laziness, it was already there. As I pointed out, this generation may say "Why should spelling and grammar matter on Facebook?" but my generation asked "Why should spelling and grammar matter in science class?" Even l337 sp33k isn't about laziness. It's about expression and being different from your parents. Hackers don't use it because mad computer skills demand clear communication. Computers are far more sensitive to spelling, punctuation, and syntax errors than people--even grammar nazis. If a person doesn't believe spelling, punctuation, and syntax count, teach them Fortran or Cobol. Nowhere does spelling and punctuation matter more than in the typical compiler language; unless it's in an assembly language. When you suggest that because some people who use "Text Speak" are lazy, that means texting made them lazy, that puts a knot in my stomach.

I have a book of recipes that can all be texted or tweeted. Most of them are delicious! Every recipe is 120 characters or less, and text speak is used. It's an art.

Thumbs up on this thread. I too take short cuts on texting and social media. Work - professional and correct all the way!

This!

Being good at grammar is my livelihood. I'm an editor of sorts in my day job. But in my spare time, I read grammar books for fun.

I remember once hanging out with a friend. She passed out drunk, and I played on her phone, texting people. That damn autocorrect kept getting me. It would take 10 minutes just to send one text because I had to keep proof reading everything and fixing it.