Read the following article about grammar. Then respond to my questions to you, which you'll find at the end of the article. You'll have to read the article first, though.
DALLAS -- A cup of regualar coffee sounds like the perfect way to start your day. Wouldn’t some cheep gas be nice? But if you park your car, you’ve been warned: No in-and-out priviliges. These mangled spellings — on real-life signs around the Dallas-Fort Worth area — underline the obvious: Spelling isn’t always high on our list. And our grammar ain’t that good, to.
It’s enough to make your English teacher cringe — and drive others to break the law. Last month, two men were sentenced to probation and banned from national parks for a year after getting busted for fixing errors on a sign in Grand Canyon National Park. The men travel the country correcting signs as part of the Typo Eradication Advancement League. And, yeah, they might have crossed the line by messing with a historical sign in a national park, but they’ve got a point.
Across the country, our land is littered with signs, posters, ads, menus — you name it — that are riddled with spelling and grammatical errors. In some cases, human spell-checkers battle these boo-boos by fixing the errors on their own. Others snap pictures and trash the typos on their blogs.
GRAMMAR ON A DOWNWARD SPIRAL?
Grammarians say these are bad signs of the times — our language is on a downward spiral. Correct spelling and proper grammar matter and help us understand each other, said Martha Brockenbrough, who founded the Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar. “There are rules for how you play football and there are rules for how you drive,” she said. “Standards of football keep things interesting, fair and fun. I think they do the same for language.”
Sign offenders abound around Dallas-Fort Worth. Hungry and in a hurry? A fast-food restaurant sign showcased a deal for "10 pieses of chicken." A Knox-Henderson restaurant is “Now Open for LUNCH FRIDAY’S” (drop the apostrophe, guys). Want a bargain? You can get it at the Bargin City Bazaar in Oak Cliff. How about this twisted apology at a toy store: “We apologise for the inconveinance.” A mural on the side of a building at the Preston Royal shopping center shows what appears to be a movie theater with a sign that says: “ Premier Tonight.”
Misspelled words and names slip into newspapers and television news graphics every day. An Associated Press story described Joe Lieberman as the 2000 Democratic vice presidential ... well, let’s just say that it was quickly changed to “pick.”
Different groups have different ways of handling the more permanent typos and misspellings, without breaking the law. Brockenbrough’s Society for the Promotion of Good Grammar takes the polite route, sending out friendly letters to offenders encouraging them to make corrections. “It’s not about shame and humiliation,” said Brockenbrough of Seattle, who launched National Grammar Day this year.
TEXTING CONTRIBUTES TO DOWNFALL OF GRAMMAR?
Some also say that students’ text messaging and Twittering — which encourage short notes and abbreviations and spelling-be-damned — are seeping into formal writing. Students are writing informally now more than ever, said Diana Grumbles, director of the First-Year Writing Program at Southern Methodist University. Some of her students don’t capitalize or use punctuation when they send her a quick e-mail. Some will submit in-class writing assignments with symbols. “I always just circle these things and tell them at the end of the paper that they have to write the words out,” Grumbles said. “This is not a quick note dashed off to a friend.”
Then there are these gems collected by Grumbles and her colleagues:
• “There is nothing wrong with my writing, maybe it is her that doesn’t know what she is doing,” one student wrote.
• “After writing numerous papers I feel I have improved existentially,” another student wrote.
• One student meant to say “ludicrous,” but instead wrote “Ludacris,” the rapper.
• And in another paper: “He should not have taken that for granite.”
ACCEPT THE ERRORS?
A university lecturer in England says teachers should accept their students’ errors — Febuary instead of February or speach instead of speech. “Either we go on beating ourselves and our students up over this problem, or we simply give everyone a break,” Ken Smith wrote last month in the Times Higher Education Supplement.
Grumbles isn’t willing to cut her students that much slack. “Certain standards need to stay in place,” she said. But even Brockenbrough admits that there are times when bad grammar or spelling is a good thing. The song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” sounds a lot better than “I Cannot Receive Any Satisfaction,” she said.
Ultimately, to what extent should we care about standard grammar and spelling? How important is it? Is it better to maintain the rules we have, or should we let them go, as long as people understand one another? Post your response.
In your posting, please make sure to respond to the most intriguing argument put forward by one of your peers.
Also, just for the sake of argument, you must use proper grammar. Any response that doesn't will only earn half-credit.
43 comments:
Blanca Hernandez
I believe with the argument that texting does contribute to the downfall of grammar. For the sake of communicating faster people use acronyms or come up with new ways to say something and most of the time it does not use proper grammar. Using proper grammar does allow for people to understand each other. I've seen how the lack of commas can lead to a different understanding of what is really meant.
This is Kyle Trentz.
I agree with Diana Grumbles from Southern Methodist University. Her point of view is the most similar to mine. I believe that we should adhere to the rules of grammar and structure when we are in the classroom. However, I agreed with her most when she said, "sometimes bad grammar is a good thing." The world is changing around us and our generation is becoming use to short and simple messages that are sent in a short amount of time.
I also agree with Blanca when she made the comment about how a simple comma can change the entire meaning of a sentence. When trying to make a point, which we do in almost all papers, we should use correct grammar in order to make sure our point of view is heard correctly. However, if we were chatting with a friend about our day, we should be relaxed in our grammar and not stress perfection.
I disagree with Kyle to a certain extent. I do have to say, however, that Diana Grumbles makes a good point in promoting good grammar skills. However, I think she is a bit of an extremist. Texting and short e-mails with improper grammar does not harm anyone. It's just a way of making things work faster. I understand that this should not be case for formal papers or even media. Especially media, since it could lead to misunderstanding and malcommunition. Like many have said, it doesn't matter how good your ideas are if you cannot state them correctly. So, in a sense, encouraging proper grammar is adequate and okay when not being done in an extreme way, as it was the case of the two men of the Typo Eradiction Advancement League. Again, everything is good with moderation.
-Ana
Since grammar rules are universal, they should be followed when it comes to communicating with someone of authority. For example, when you send your teacher an email, specifically your English teacher, you should respect them by using proper grammar. I don't think that you should have to use grammar all the time. You should know that there is a time and a place to use proper grammar, and it is the only way to communicate with people universally. Personally, i don't understand every acronym used in text messages, so i wouldn't expect others to have to figure them out. When it is formal, grammar rules are necessary.
Tiffany Tsang
I definitely agree with Ana. The reason why is because as the younger generation that we are part of, we don't even know the exact way to use our grammar. Even till this day we still question if our grammar are correct. Though, in the article, I do agree that we have signs and ads all over the place in the US with improper grammar, but we've learn to dealt with it. Some just take it to the extreme and make it a big deal when some don't even care at all. The examples that the writer used may show how many students just don't really care or don't even realize that grammar is such a big deal.
I also agree with JoAnna the fact that we should be able to know when to use proper grammar and when not to. Overall, I believe grammar is a neutral thing because many of us are still not perfected with grammar.
Personally, I believe that grammar and spelling should be taken seriously. The fact that people my age can’t read simple phrases correctly disturbs me greatly. This has a lot to do with the way young people communicate with each other. I agree with Kyle Trentz’s argument that this is a changing world. It is true that as the years go by people find all kinds of ways to make life easier. In doing so, they save time, and time is of the essence in this fast paced society. The bad thing about this new way of communicating is that it does affect how many people speak and learn. We might be able understand the people around us, but it does not change the fact that we won’t be able to comprehend the established way of communicating. Could people stop reading good literary works because they won’t be able to understand correct grammar and spelling? Grammatical and spelling errors in writing are lowering the standards and level of education that kids receive in school. Simple mistakes are always possible, but when it gets to the point that you can’t spell simple words like tomorrow and resort to writing “tmw” then you know we have a problem.
After reading the article, I came into agreement with Diana Grumbles but only to a certain extent. Yes, the grammar used is changing constantly and the capacity of the way people talk is ridiculous. Grammar should be always used correctly because it's a way one can understand each other better. When I'm on a website talking to my friends, I sometimes capture some errors. Maybe I'm weird, but I feel like correcting them. I'm worried that I'll come out rude. Working for a long time with grammar made me want to speak correctly. The slang people use nowadays is being used as just regular language of today. Even the spanish grammar is changing. This shows, well to me, that people are now becoming lazy and would rather talk gibberish. The only time I'll probably use acronyms is when texting; I'd do this just to shorten the messages and not send page long texts.
TEachers and higher authority should enforce grammar so that the language isn't lost.
"Nxt thing we knw is ppl tlkn like dis."
-Miriam Orrego
Robert Slay
I think that grammar should be taken very seriously. When it comes to those signs, I believe they should be checked and rechecked numerous time. The argument exposed in the article tells the truth. The men who change the grammar on the signs should have been punished for writing on the signs, but they should have been given a break for the meaning of it. I believe that our texting language has some part in the way we write. Even though the author makes the argument that texting makes us write bad in our papers, I disagree. I believe that many of us (students), understand when to use texting language and when to not. Grammar and Spelling is very important in the way we read a text. Using commas in a text most of the time indicate a list or cause a scene of suspense. Sometimes, grammar shouldn't be exactly be focused on. As in such cases as some song titles, certain made up languages, more importantly instant messaging and text messaging.
I strongly agree with Kyle Trentz's that the world is changing, therefore we should accept this evolution of language; however I still have my limits on proper grammar and spelling. As society becomes more digitized and indulged in the technological world, it's obvious that it is much easier and faster to type out "c u l8er" than "see you later." It's not only the capability of text messaging that has driven us to poor grammar and spelling, it's our own personal laziness that has led us to this poor usage of English. [That's right, I BLAME YOU] This poor usage eventually teaches younger generations that it is okay to do so which is clearly incorrect. Personally, when I communicate via the internet or text messaging--I average up to 9k messages a month--I still make a strong attempt to use proper punctuation, grammar, and spelling when I do so. Why? Because I strongly believe that even though society is changing, we should still adhere to the rules that exist in English to qualify the words spoken as English. I think I might have lost you now. For example, I get extremely, extremely, pissed off when people say "we be here." It's not "be," it's "ARE" to agree with the subject, indicating that the subject is plural. Or the use of new words that just have a very idiotic and juvenile connotation such as "finna" instead of "going to." If someone is going to use such grammatical style, purposely, then it should qualify as another language, NOT English. For example, all western languages are derived from Latin, right? It's because of small grammatical differences and spelling, but they sound similar. In Spanish you call "blue" as "azul" while in Italian you call it "azzurro." Sometime, way long ago, it was considered as bad spelling and pronunciation, but now it qualifies as a completely different language that is strongly accepted. Did you get my point now? I hope so. So, again, for those who DO TRY to speak English and adhere to the grammar rules, I think they should always try to follow the rules the best that they can. Proper grammar usage and spelling clearly reveals a person's intelligence level, therefore, and often, gain more respect than those who have very low intelligence levels.
Personally, I am one of the worst persons at grammar, but I still make a strong attempt to use it properly because I like to demonstrate my intelligence and educational background.
GRAMMAR IS GOOD.
I definitely agree with Ana and Joanna. I believe there should be a time to respect the rules of grammar, especially when you’re making an argument. I don’t think someone would take you seriously if you were to replace @ with the word at, or used all of these confusing abbreviations. It only confuses those who don’t understand the developing language in youth culture. However, I do find it convenient sending quick abbreviated text or messages because it saves a lot of time. At least I think it does.
Lets say we do ease off on the whole grammar issue? Then what will this show to society? That when something is difficult we should just give up? If we give up on using correct grammar then we should give up on learning the rules of the road, or even the alphabet.
I happen to agree with Kyle and Diana Grumbles on the point that we should adhere to the rules of grammar and structure when we are in the classroom. When sending an email to someone of authority then yes you should use the correct spelling and punctuation in your statement. I don't necessarily believe that texting adds to the downfall of grammar because how important is a text message? As long as my point gets across to you and you understand what I'm saying, then everything is just fine.
Lania West
I agree with both Ana and Johanna. Grammar should be used properly when needed. Personally, however, I believe that people take the whole grammar thing to the extreme. I mean honestly, a couple mispelled words, or misplaced commas never really hurt anyone...(or can it?)...Grammar rules and regulations should be followed when dealing with authority (i.e. school work, or lets say writing a letter to the president). I believe that proper grammar demonstrates a persons level of inteligence, however even the smartest person can make mistakes, and maybe misplace a comma (MAYBE).
Nina I really liked your arguement and agree with you for the most part, but something just kind of stood out to me. I don't believe that the proper use of grammar or spelling depicts a persons intelligence level. For example, I personally use the word "finna" and the phrase "we be going" on certain occassions depending on my surroundings, yet, I'm extremely intelligent. Sometimes people change the way they speak based on their social settings. An intelligent person knows when to use the proper vernacular, an unintelligent person doesn't.
Lania West
Hey, This is Kyle A.
I believe that grammar is important. Though I do not believe that it should everywhere, but when you are in a "English" class. The purpose of English is so that you can have rules in writing. Writing is one of the main resources for communication. When you are communicating with people in authority, as Johanna said, you should use correct grammar, but when you're with your friends, you can break the "rules" of grammar.
I think that grammar should be used correctly in all aspects of our life, when concerning people of authority. I agree with Joanna when she says that even to teachers you should e-mail them with correct grammar. In the professional world, grammar should be the basic structure of how we communicate. However, we should not be so strict on it. However,I also agree Diana Grumbles when she says, "sometimes bad grammar is a good thing." Since the world is changing, It is often in style, or "cool" to not spell words correctly, or to abbreviate simple things. Even in advertising we see this done, many times intentionally. I think using bad grammar is ok, but only in occasions when the person is aware of when and where to use it. Also, a person needs to know how to differentiate between the good and bad grammar, and know how to use it correctly when needed.
First and for most I know I am going to get half credit on this assignment. My grammar is just that bad and I know it. It is probably one of the weakest things in my writing. However I do disagree with Neenah that it shows intelligence and agree more with Lania believing that intelligent people know when to use proper grammar. I agree with the article that proper grammar is needed in the world. However people do take it to the extremes such as Neena saying that is shows intelligence. Most of the time what it really shows is carelessness which isn’t a good thing either but much different from intellengence. Also I would like to say if most of us read over what we wrote at least three times we ourselves would catch our grammar problems but we don’t do this. That is why professional writers revise books, columns, or even sentences 2, 3, or even55 times to get the wanted affect.
Hi, this is Magaly Franco. =]
I believe grammar is very important in order for the reader to understand what the author is trying to portray. However, by this, I don’t mean that everything should be written in proper grammar. I agree with Martha Brockenbrough when she says that bad grammar can sometimes be a good thing. I believe proper grammar should be used in schools, work, for making arguments, and in advertisements. These areas require proper grammar because it is important for the writer’s point of view to be understood and for that person to be taken seriously as someone who knows what they are talking about. If you write for any of those areas with grammatical errors, the reader is not going to be able to follow your argument and/or will most likely think that you are stupid, and that they shouldn’t listen to you. I also agree with JoAnna when she says that we need to use proper grammar as a way to show respect to those in higher authority or someone we have business relations with. I agree with her on that because proper grammar not only convinces people to take us seriously, but it also shows that we take them seriously in return. Grammatical errors should only be made in those areas if they are done on purpose and with the intention of using that error to make a clever statement, like a play on words. Improper grammar is useful, however, when writing a poem, a song, a dialogue, or a story of some sort because it adds personality. These areas are more creative and require different grammar to get their point across by building a different mood. Although I agree with Diana Grumbles that we should not let students get away with bad grammar, and, since I’ve experienced it myself, that texting leads to forming bad grammar habits, I still don’t believe that students should have to use proper grammar even when talking to friends. When speaking to friends, we don’t want to sound like a robot or a serious business man. However, even when texting, emailing, or just writing notes, we should also be able to recognize when it is absolutely necessary not to make a mistake in order for it to be understood because, just as Blanca stated before, something as simple as a grammar punctuation can change its whole meaning. By using grammatical errors, we are able to express ourselves better and build a more light and playful mood, which is usually more comfortable. Even so, I don’t believe that teachers should just accept our errors, but that they should instead enforce them and show us when it’s most important to use it, so we can learn how to use grammar and distinguish when it’s necessary.
• One student meant to say “ludicrous,” but instead wrote “Ludacris,” the rapper.
First of all, I like to say that this line cracked me up! literally. it's something I would do. =] hahaha
aslo i bleive luanguaeg is imprtant. hwoever we dnt have a univresal luanguaeg so therefore i dnt reely see the big point of noeing whn to put a comma or spell a wrod write. i bleive tht no mater what yuo right write or wrng poeple can alwyas understand it diferently. four exmple, if you arre reeding this yuo have notise all the worng spelling errors i hve made. Howvere u yet seamed two understand wht i was righting. write?
What the top said.
[Also i believe laungauge is important. However we don't have a universal language so i don't really see the big point of knowing when to put a comma or spell a word wrong. I believe that no matter what you write, if its gramatically correct or not, people can slways interpret it a different way. ]
just rewritting.Incase ms. levine gets a heart attack. =] since she's a Grammarian. ;)
My point I'm trying to make is that language is changing like kyle said. Text messaging and short emails does have to play a role on this. However, not only are teen doing this, but adults too. Even my teachers, not going to mention names, but they do abreviate words. There is nothing really bad about it. Sure, I can agree that language and grammar does sometimes have to be important. I Just don't believe people should make a big deal when someone miss spells a word or forgets to put a comma we all mistakes.
This is Alicia:
I think Diana Grumbles is right when it comes to her reason of when grammar should be accepted. It is all based on what an individual is writing about. I agree with Ana. Grumbles could be an extremist. I think it's alright to communicate in acronyms and abbreviations in a brief conversation through an e-mail. Grammar is important for when we write papers, such as a fact-based paper. Professors expect us to write properly. Even if we're use to abbreviating through text, we should know when to use it and when not to.
Overall, I believe that it may be better to keep the grammar rules around. Like others mentioned before, grammar is important in getting your message across. Missing a comma or misspelling a word can change what a sentence, in some cases whole paragraphs, really mean. As for the intelligence argument, I would first like to say that judging someone on a misplaced coma seems kind of intense. As for texting, I think that it may be one of the many reasons grammar is ignored now days, especially in youths. When the texting lingo first showed up I had no clue what was what, so I just wrote everything out; I soon changed my ways. Now, I have caught myself using the lingo out of place. Another reason, I think, is that everything now a day is fast paced. People are constantly rushing to get more done in less time. In class, for example, we are always being told to shorten words or come up with a system so we can take notes faster, keep up, or be able to get through the lesson on time. However, I do feel that times are changing and maybe its time some rules were modified. Like Ben said we could all read through an entire article, understand it completely, and never have noticed some of those misplaced commas or misspelled words (except Ms.Levine).
This is Jessica V.
I agree with Kyle that, when texting, it is acceptable to take small short cuts in order to make the text more efficient. However, I also believe that Diana Grumbles has a point in saying that texting is driving society away from using proper spelling and grammar. I believe that it is perfectly acceptable to use bad grammar and short acronyms in text messages, but we must also be able to recognize the mistakes we made and be able to fix them. Furthermore, these errors should only be made in text messages or where appropriate.
I also believe that the media, and anyone else who exposes any type of media to society, should have a responsibility to expose society to proper spelling and grammar. These entities should do this, not only to retain their own dignity, but to encourage others to do the same.
This is Stephanie Hernandez.
Like many I also believe that grammar is important and it should remain accurate. I agree with Grumbles to an extent because I believe that it is especially important for grammar to be correct in written essays or in the media for example. Like Blanca had said, a grammatical error can send the wrong message to the reader(s). I also agree that texting does contribute to a certain extent to the shortened way of writing and to the downfall of grammar. Many have gotten used to shortening their words and use this in their everyday writing. I think that when it comes to writing a note for a friend, writing a text, or something personal, it doesn't matter as much as when you are writing an essay. However, I do think that school (especially professors!) should enforce proper grammar because it is necessary in order to effectively communicate with the world or in the professional industry. Proper grammar is also necessary to be able to prove a point. I think that if teachers or even the media allow poor grammar to be published in public, it can create a problem of miscommunication that can easily be avoid by checking grammar.
In life there are always time when you need to dress professionally in a suit and tie and there are times when you can walk around in your pajamas and slippers. This is the same for grammar and spelling. For people to make a big deal about using bad grammar or spelling in a text between a friend is like calling someone a lazy and dirty person for being in their pajamas at home. I do agree that spelling is important because a letter in a different place can change the word. As far as the comma thing goes that is something i don't think is as important as a spelling. So what if you don't have a comma before a independent phrase your not going to become homeless. The structure of a sentence matters more than commas because if your words are in the wrong order then the reader can get lost. Over all i think people just need to relax on making a big deal over small details like texting and commas because the world will not catch fire and blow up because people say @ instead of at.
Daniel Martinez.
I believe that Fernando has a point and i would like to elaborate further. I fully believe in the fact that there are times when you can be laxed about your grammar and what you are writing, depending on who it is you are writing to. I also believe that there are times when writing in proper grammar is more than apporpriate because it is necassary for some type of work related task or you are dealing with something that requires some sort of professional attitude and proper grammar. I believe more importantly however that we recieve a proper education in school as to what proper grammar consists of. It is the choice of an individual to express their level of professionalism or tone by the grammar selection that they use. For example: "I use text like dis wen im textin to make it seem like im relaxed & things r laid back. " This is my choice to make a statement to express some sort of feeling or attitude. I think that people who argue that language is lost should also recognize that the usage of "slang" and abbreviated text is a movement of young culture and just a decision by young and older people alike to express themselves. This does not necassarily mean that all language is lost and the world of proper grammar is coming to an end.
Krista Chapman
I believe that grammar is important. That having the ability to speech to someone who is in a higher possition than you is important for looking for a job and in my case college.
However, I also see that when it comes to a quick email to a friend the grammar rules don't always need to be followed. I do agree with Blanca about texting. I am one of the people who shorthand text messages because its easier.
With more formal letters, paper, and even in speech, it is necessary to use correct grammar.
Grammar and such…
I do believe that grammar is important, however, I being one of those special people who has given and still gives Ms.Levine mini-heart attacks(sorry about that) have a respect for proper grammar. I still have grammar errors all the time. Yet, I would like to think that I am somehow learning from every little encounter I have with grammar….ie reading, advertisements, and newspapers! All of these require having good grammar, so it’s not hard to be drawn to the conclusion that grammar will always play a universal role in daily lifestyles. I agree with Diana Grumbles, that students shouldn’t be allowed to get away with bad grammar for the simple fact that, I don’t even like my own bad grammar! Biased? Maybe…but at least I would know that I would be taken seriously by co-workers and teachers if I have a legible paper versus one with a billion and one grammatical errors. Why would anyone want to read something formal like a letter or statement chalk full of grammatical errors? Or worse the language of millions of teens and the occasional cool grown- ups… TEXT! I have had to correct a paper before with the language of text embedded…not a pretty picture. However, as I now sit at my desk and look around for little notes on this specific subject, I don’t think ill ever be close to being a perfectionist when it comes to the “wonderful world of grammar!” but, I would at least like to know that I can be understood when I’m writing an argument or the up and coming IB paper. I agree with Kyle Trentz, when he states that, a sentence’s effect can be entirely misinterpreted due to a missing comma; so its best to use proper grammar when doing things for school or the work place. You can however, use slang or whenever you’d like to communicate with friends or texting ,I see nothing wrong with that. Just don’t use your informal grammar for a formal paper!
Erika Marquez
This article was very funny. It reminded me of my teacher from elementary school, who said her retirement plan was to rent a pick-up truck to travel the country and correct grammar mistakes. When she said that, I thought what a freak. I am not the person to speak of bad grammar. Without spell check, my life would be a disaster. Even though it is a live saver, I do think that this might be one of reasons that grammar is so bad. We rely on spell check to fix all our grammatical problems. Obviously it can't, because it can't tell you when you need a comma for instance. I barely know how to spell, if someone where to look at my paper before spell check it would be pretty funny. What can we do? The world is changing and we need to evolve. If we didn't evolve we would still be cavemen living in caves. If, grammar isn't that important in society then oh well. Things changes. A bunch of new words are added to the dictionary all the time, because language is constantly changing. I really really do not believe that having proper grammar is not going to be essential in the future. Right now, we still have the old people bothering us to use commas and apostrophes, but I know my generation will not care at all. It is only a matter of time before we drop all the rules of grammar.
I agree with Nancy that the Ludacris thing was pretty funny. I disagree with Robert. Who uses commas in their text? Seriously. I understand what the people arguing for grammar are saying, because sometimes some grammar is just not acceptable.
Jamie Chan
I never caught on to the whole typing in abbreviations. I can see that eliminates the time that is used on our busy schedule, but the question is how busy can we get when most of us is sitting in front of the computer most of the day. How much time can we save by typing “l8er” instead of “later”? I’m really bad with grammar but I do think it is very important since standards these days just keep lowering itself. When it comes to promoting your company having proper grammar is really a big deal because if the company cannot even catch the little spelling mistake what trust can you put into the company. Since something so simple can be overlooked, I’m sure bigger problems would lie in the company.
Anali Negrete
After reading the article, I also came into agreement with Diana Grumbles. I personally believe that we should use proper grammar so that our language isn't lost. I also agree with Miriam that slang language is very common nowadays. Although people use it to communicate themselves while online, some of them also tend use it when they're not. I know several people that because of texting, they are now not very good at grammar. They are not even capable of spelling simple words. Grammar is very important. For example, missing a comma in a sentence can change its overall meaning and/or effect.
Spencer Harstead:
As most of you know, I take grammar very seriously. Grammar is something that was stressed in my elementary school. I will admit that this has made me critical of others, which is probably annoying. Obviously, my grammar can still use some work, but I try.
I've been texting for several years, and I don't believe that my grammar has gotten any worse. People get lazy with texts, but that laziness doesn't always carry into their daily lives.
I think that just like football, the rules of grammar are there to be followed. It's embarrassing to you when you are making simple mistakes and not trying to correct yourself.
I strongly agree with Nina and her point that new words bring along idiotic connotations. I will never understand the logic behind making up new words when they are unnecessary. There's absolutely no point other than making you look stupid.
Angelica Alcaraz
I definetly agree with Anali when she says she agrees with Diana Grumbles. I also agree with her. I think she is right when she says that correct grammar should still be practiced. I think we should care about correct grammar because there is a reason why there is rules for grammar in the first place. Rules are set out for us to follow them and to understand each other better. Since we all know the rules, we know why certain things are done the way they are. If you decide to go against the rules, whomever is reading what you wrote will not understand you or what you wrote. Therefore, people should do good grammar. For example, if you have a run-on sentence, you will confuse the reader of what you are trying to say. If you added the period like you were supposed to, the reader will have a much easier time to read what you wrote and will not try to figure out what you are trying to say.
We should still keep the rules of grammar because we all know them, and if we get rid of them, we are all going to have a hard time communicating and understanding each other because we will be so confused since we were so used to the rules. Even if you still understand each other, the rules should still be followed because that is the way to do it. If you start changing certain things, we are all going to start having trouble understanding each other. For example, let's say we decide that the word no actually means yes. Wouldn't we have a hard time understandin that since we are so used to no being no. No means no no questions asked. It works the same way with grammar.
I beleive the ONLY reason when good grammar should b ignored is when someone is purposely doing to make a point. For example, authors don't follow correct grammar sometimes because they are trying to make a point, so therefore, they decide to have their own rules. If you are not doing it to make a point, then you should follow correct grammar.
Martin Arriaga
I completely agree with Nina’s view that our views of grammatical structure and correction changes over time. We can compare the lack of attention in grammar to the technological evolution that has sparked over the past few years. Before we relied on loose leaf paper to record our information, but now we have acquired computers that allows us to cut down on our effort in completed our work. We can see this change in grammar by seeing the different slang, gibberish, and any other made up language to cut down on the effort that is needed to communicate with each other. The simple abbreviations that friends or groups make up tend to serve as a quick way to communicate with one another. Even the creation of leet speak shows how far we have gone in communicating with one another without using grammar. Leet speak just uses numbers and symbols to identify words (for example: leet = 1337). I tend twist around my grammar and use abbreviations to communicate with my friends but when I am at school or somewhere professional, I shift back to the proper grammatical structure I was taught in school.
I agree with Diana Grumbles on her point that student text messaging is seeping into formal writing. I know that sometimes, I catch myself writing "u" insead of "you" when i am writing Ms. Levine. I agree with JoAnna that we have the responsiblity to know when, where, and how to use our text messaging grammer. I totally disagree with Ken Smith on the point that teachers should accept these grammer errors because in the real world, grammer errors will give you a disadvantage. By teachers accepting grammer errors, they will allow us to fall short, and that is not their job.
We should maintain the grammer standards that we have. Letting technology and the media deter us from the proper use of grammer would be a waste of every english lesson we have endured since elementary school.
This is Miriam Meza.
I believe that grammer rules should be followed. What I meant to say was I believe grammar rules should be followed. See how one letter changes the entire meaning of the sentence.
One period, comma ,or semi-colon go a long way. Just like Diana Grumbles wrote, " One student meant to say “ludicrous,” but instead wrote “Ludacris,” the rapper." I believe that one mistake in grammar can change an entire meaning and therefore we should avoid it. If we weren't to follow grammar rules we would not understand a word we would say to each other.
I agree with Alexandra C. , Joanna, and Ana that Grammar rules should be followed just.Not only when trying to prove an arguement but, with everything we say and write. I mean when you're typing you're password you don't misspell it and hope the computer guesses you're right! We should be precise in just the same way!
I defenitely also agree with the article and Blanca, when they say that texting contributes to the downfall of grammar. Texting has become increasingly popular througout the world and when texting people don't seem to care whether anything is spelled rigth. I would have to say that I believe grammar is very important. Without proper punctuation it is difficult for people to communicate with eachother. It is difficult for them to understand what is being said. This can be seen when people compile lists. In addition, without proper grammar certain words lose the original meaning they had.
I agree with keeping the grammar the way it has always been. If there are no rules in grammar then why have an English class? Grammar to me is very important because it is essential to life. I disagree with the lecturer of English in England and agree with Grumbles. Whenever I am using myspace or sending out a text I do not spell words thr way theu should be. I think texting, IM, blogging, and myspacing is becoming into a new style of writing. When I first started using myspace, which was back in '04 most of my friends spelled out the words correct. Now, I don't even understand some of them what they are typing to me. That's why I wouldn't want for the grammatical errors to be accepted by teachers. I know how to tell apart the style I use on myspace than on my English paper, but what about younger kids that all they see is that type of style. They are going to see it is fine to type and write like that. We should just stick with the proper way of writing instead of letting everything be ok and destroy the language.
I agree with keeping the grammar the way it has always been. If there are no rules in grammar then why have an English class? Grammar to me is very important because it is essential to life. I disagree with the lecturer of English in England and agree with Grumbles. Whenever I am using myspace or sending out a text I do not spell words thr way theu should be. I think texting, IM, blogging, and myspacing is becoming into a new style of writing. When I first started using myspace, which was back in '04 most of my friends spelled out the words correct. Now, I don't even understand some of them what they are typing to me. That's why I wouldn't want for the grammatical errors to be accepted by teachers. I know how to tell apart the style I use on myspace than on my English paper, but what about younger kids that all they see is that type of style. They are going to see it is fine to type and write like that. We should just stick with the proper way of writing instead of letting everything be ok and destroy the language.
Personally I believe that grammar does matter, especially in the working world. It's allowable to text with incorrect grammer and spelling, but when it comes to school papers, work, etc. it shouldn't occur. Our professional half is what is shown in college and in work. Grammar and spelling actually play a big role in how we make impressions on people. If we walk into an interview using slang and mispronounced words, we won't get the job (well maybe at Mc Donald's). If we go into an interveiw with a wide range vocabulary and correct grammar, we have a better chance at getting employed. I must confess that when we first started with the blogs I didn't agree with the correct grammar and punctuation rule, but now I'm used to it. These blogs are just like a written assignment that we would turn into Ms. Levine. The only difference is that it's on a blog. We tend to use the internet for all of our incorrect grammar through myspace and facebook. I caught myself sending an email to an addmissions counselor filled with casual language. I'm glad I caught myself! Grammar matters simply because of how we are precieved when we don't utilize it. Whenever I hear professionals use incorrect grammer, I don't precieve them as being very smart.
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