Grammar

[AGBF]

Grammar and spelling were mentioned in another thread. I posted that unless there are unusual circumstances I do not correct the grammar or spelling of others posting on the 'net. A few minutes ago I realized that I also do not correct the grammar of my daughter's English teacher. When she was in second grade her teacher made an egregious error in what she was teaching them and I wrote her a note about it. The teacher was defensive and I decided never again to do that, even in private. Now I notice constant errors on reports sent home by my daughter's seventh grade English teacher...and I do nothing. Actually, I do one thing. Although I never deliberately bring an error made by her teacher to my daughter's attention, when she sees a written error or hears an oral one made by a public figure or a teacher in my presence, I correct it. Privately. I want her to speak and write well. If she does not hear good English constantly, she will never develop an ear for it. When did it become proper to teach poor grammar and improper to point it out?

 

[strmrdr]

Wel me dunno what does ya all spect from publik skools.

 

[strmrdr]

Reminds me of a time a client came up to me and said "who has been smoking" (pause)"you stink".
I said your computers still broke.
And walked off.
10 minutes later I get a phone call from him apologizing for being an a$$ but I still let him set with a broken computer for 3 hours.

Same way with english freaks.
I figure if my talkin aint good nuff for them to listen too then they can bite my fanny and fix there own computers.

Being a computer Geek in a world of computer illiterates is really kewl sometimes.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 11/6/2004 9:31:39 PM
Author: strmrdr

Same way with english freaks.

I figure if my talkin aint good nuff for them to listen too then they can bite my fanny and fix there own computers.

Ah...you haven''t met shelbyscout! She''s a computer geek AND a grammar buff. A technical writer who can build a computer from scratch. Her type would make you obsolete quickly!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 11/6/2004 9:41:38 PM
Author: AGBF

Date: 11/6/2004 9:31:39 PM

Author: strmrdr


Same way with english freaks.


I figure if my talkin aint good nuff for them to listen too then they can bite my fanny and fix there own computers.

Ah...you haven''t met shelbyscout! She''s a computer geek AND a grammar buff. A technical writer who can build a computer from scratch. Her type would make you obsolete quickly!

Nopers.
Know the type they cant think outside the box.

 

[Nicrez]

I think that each situation (sadly) seems to call for a different level of speech. On PS, you''ll note that I have attrocious spelling, because i normally type so fast, as not to spend hours and hours on the computer (but end up doing so anyway)...

I know that when I was in the office, I was well spoken and held back no grammatical flourishes. It honestly bothers me when I am on a train and hear, "No, I ain''t got home yet, I''m in the subway goin'' home". In my mind I literally recorrect thier sentance, and do a inward shutter... Double negatives drive me nuts...


But I understand how people become so lax with their e-mails and common speech, because of ease of understanding and blending in. In elementary school, I didn''t have a local accent like the other kids and improprer speech, and found it easier just to fake it sometimes. I learned later on that I didn''t have to, so I stopped, but people still looked at me and said, "What the heck does THAT mean?


Rand gets all irritated when I correct his grammar or word usage. Sometimes he just stops talking and stares at me when I use "an SAT word" on him. Most people in general don''t use "obstreperous" in a normal conversation

I just LOOOOOOOOVE people who are well spoken, especially men, as it''s harder to find those!!!

 

[AGBF]

Glad to see you here, Nicrez. I just read that you are studying for your GG. I don''t know what you used to do (with papers) but I envy you the courage to try something new...especially a field like gemology which all of us here have had a secret hankering to study. Congratulations!

Deborah

 

[Nicrez]

Hey Nan, I was in the legal field. Actually I was a corporate paralegal headed to law school, and was wavering on that, considering several negative factors of a legal career with the type of life I wanted to have...

Family is a big thing for me, so eventually I wanted a flexibility that being a Corporate lawyer offen doesn''t offer. Four of my closest friends are Corporate lawyers, and actually only ONE is still a lawyer. The other three hated it and left the field for slightly more creative fields, or ones with better quality of life. My one friend just quit and started a family. She''s going to be a stay-at-home mom...


Legal writing is usually very technical, but also complex and VERBOSE! I did a lot of reviewing for many of the associates, so they wrote the technical parts as best as they could, and I would polish it up. Fun fun fun...


Now diamonds...

How can you NOT love going to work and see those beauties!

 

[fire&ice]

I would be far more interested in the content of what one says/writes rather than whether one says such with proper grammer.

As I said, good grammer & good spelling are not virtues.

And, strm, when you say "kewl" it expresses far more sentiment than "cool".

 

[AGBF]

Date: 11/7/2004 9:59:20 AM
Author: fire&ice

I would be far more interested in the content of what one says/writes rather than whether one says such with proper grammer.

I am more interested in the content, too, but why must one choose? In fact, content is better understood if expressed clearly.

Deb

 

[Rank Amateur]

Date: 11/7/2004 11:10:20 AM
Author: AGBF


I am more interested in the content, too, but why must one choose?

Deb

Amen to that, sister. The main difficulty I have with correcting others'' grammar or usage is that inevitably I end up in my own sentence from which I can barely manage to extricate myself...uh...from and I end up less of a grammarian and more of a hypocrite! In short, my writing stinks, but I feel free to criticize others.

Ever read Strunk''s The Elements of Style ? My Grandfather (newspaper man and political science professor) left it to me. Great book.

 

[babblingal]

R/A,

Your grandfather and my father would have gotten along famously.

My father actually would correct, and yes with the Red Pen, anything printed by my school that was incorrect regarding spelling and grammar. I remember many a time where he would take a look at a flier from my school and say "Look at this! Terrible." Then go grab the pen. Additionally he would demonstrate to me why he was making the correction. I must confess I did learn a great deal about grammar that way and I always thought more of my dad for doing it. I liked that he was involved. Granted when I was in junior high and high school I did not think it so cool, but by then I was able to figure out that he needed to do what he needed to do. I think he was particularly sensitive to the issue because he himself was a colleg professor and saw first hand what can happen when bad grammar is not corrected and becomes a terrible habit.

Not too long ago there was an article about the changes in what was once regarded as "proper"grammar and the changes in expectations related to spelling in relations hip to the electornic communication. The article delved into how email impacts teens and the way they learn to write. I''ll try to hunt it down some time this week. I''ve been doing some professional-type writing myself these past few months and one of my co-authors, also a grammar queen when it comes to professional stuff, inquired as to when the words "cancelled and travelled became canceled and traveled". I dunno. LOL

I have had success, when I have noticed something that isn''t correct on my child''s school papers by approaching it and saying "I am such a dinosaur, is there a new grammar rule that is being taught because this isn''t how we used to do it when I learned this."