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Grammar and spelling - Mary W (27th Jul 2011 - 19:33:37) I\'ve just been wading through a long thread where a load of teenagers have been posting their comments. Am I living in another world, where correct English (grammar and spelling) is no longer taught in our schools? I could hardly understand some of of the writers - I wonder what foreigners would make of it? I realise this makes me sound very \'prissy\', but I received a state education and all my contemporaries are able to express themselves intelligibly. What has gone wrong?

Re: Grammar and spelling - Dave (27th Jul 2011 - 21:21:37) I couldn't agree more Mary. However, if you look at some of the other threads on this site many adults are equally as bad. There is also an element of laziness that seems to have crept in recently where people take shortcuts and spell things using "txt spk." Times move on but I can't help thinking progress isn't always for the better.

Re: Grammar and spelling - helen (27th Jul 2011 - 22:39:08) The irony is that the teenagers on the previous blog were 16yr olds having to let off steam after the pressure of their exams! [which they will all pass!]

Re: Grammar and spelling - David (27th Jul 2011 - 22:39:57) This is a point I have made on a number of previous threads. Bring back the standards we needed to get a GCE pass rather than an ability to write your name correctly two times out of three gets you a GCSE pass.

Re: Grammar and spelling - Mary W (27th Jul 2011 - 23:12:31) What I really can't understand is how they can have reached sixteen or so without being able to spell or pronounce simple everyday words. In a world where, increasingly, we have to be able to communicate with people all round the world, is this country going to be alienated and sidelined because half its population is unintelligible?

Re: Grammar and spelling - Tom (27th Jul 2011 - 23:23:09) REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU ACTUALLY FELT THE NEED TO WRITE A THREAD ON SPELLING & GRAMMAR????????? how about google GET A LIFE

Re: Grammar and spelling - Eneida (28th Jul 2011 - 00:05:06) I agree with you Mary. The thing that most shocked me about the 'Activity in Liphook' thread was the truly appalling spelling and grammar of most of the posters...and clearly not only those of the teenagers. Another thing which is puzzling me is what is all this recent use of a slash before an apostrophe (which you have also used) all about!! I think it is a software bug at our end, I'll get it checked out.

Re: Grammar and spelling - Michael (28th Jul 2011 - 04:23:13) Mary, We also knew times tables, lords prayer, national anthem............

Re: Grammar and spelling - Rosie (28th Jul 2011 - 06:52:58) I noticed the poor grammar and spelling throughout recent posts from all age ranges. However I thought these youngsters might take it as yet another criticism. I can understand when txt spk is used for these short posts and for text messaging. However I have first hand knowledge of the standard of English in exam papers. Many of these youngsters are marked down because their English is so poor. They are being seriously let down by their teachers and the education system if this is how they enter the world of work.

Re: Grammar and spelling - lily (28th Jul 2011 - 07:57:40) Well said Tom.

Re: Grammar and spelling - Dave (28th Jul 2011 - 08:40:12) Do people really not recognise the importance of spelling and grammar? The fact that some don't is more worrying than the poor grammar and spelling itself.

Re: Grammar and spelling - liz (28th Jul 2011 - 09:20:04) I suppose whether or not you think spelling or grammar is important depends on whether you want a good job or not. Yes, I know there are exceptions, but they ARE exceptions. You can use spellcheck or whatever to check spelling but it doesn't help that much with grammar. Also if you can't write good English you probably don't speak it - and you can't google that.

Re: Grammar and spelling - James (28th Jul 2011 - 21:35:03) When my son was at the junior school he came home with a list of twenty spellings to learn. I glanced down the list and was concerned to see that three were spelled incorrectly. ('Archelology' was one!). So I phoned his teacher to point it out. I thought she would be grateful but instead she sounded absolutely furious, insisting that all the words had been through a computer spell checker, which clearly they hadn't. I corrected the list with a red pen and '17/20' and sent it back. I was left quite depressed at the thought that such sloppiness was being passed on to our children. What chance do they have?

Re: Grammar and spelling - Tom (28th Jul 2011 - 22:08:46) @ Liz, Im far too polite to tell you what you can google!!!

Re: Grammar and spelling - Mary W (28th Jul 2011 - 23:55:34) @Tom Surely you must see that it is important for people to be able to make themselves understood? How can any information about anything be passed on if it isn't written in a way that can be readily assimilated? It doesn't help anyone to trade insults and be offensive. Nobody is trying to belittle the youngsters who are seem to be unable to write properly. It is good that they made an effort to explain their own frustrations when, possibly by no fault of their own, their party had to be stopped when some of the people got a bit carried away. The fact that they posted here is testimony to the fact that they have some character and enthusiasm. But if they haven't been taught how to marshal their thoughts and explain themselves, this will affect them all through their lives. I don't really see that anyone can blame them if they haven't been taught properly. This is the terrible shame of educational standards as they are today.

Re: Grammar and spelling - helen (29th Jul 2011 - 00:47:48) I agree that spelling is important, equally irritating to me is the way some younger people speak. Everything is"like". Every sentence seems to include this word. Either something is or is not, without being "like".Also the imported Australian habit of inflection at the end of a sentence instead of asking a proper question. I will now chillax!

Re: Grammar and spelling - Rosie (29th Jul 2011 - 07:09:16) I know we are a technological society but are we over-relying on spell check and Google? (I'm getting paranoid about my spelling now!). The same applies to calculators for maths. We need to be giving our future generations a good foundation in numeracy and literature (without using technology) starting in Infant schools, and not just relying on the teachers. I wish my parents had been a little more proactive in taking an interest as opposed to 'have you done your homework?'

Re: Grammar and spelling - liz (29th Jul 2011 - 07:50:28) @Tom It's not google you need to worry about!

Re: Grammar and spelling - Tom (29th Jul 2011 - 08:59:35) @ All, I offer my apologies this morning, I feel that I was rather over emotive last night on this subject and am sorry if offence taken, I was just trying to highlight that if anyone from outside village were to log on they would see a lot of threads with a lot of people having gripes about local people, teens and adults alike. I think people would much prefer to log on and see people saying how great local services, clubs and groups are. It would in my opinion see an increase in spending in Liphook to the local businesses. But once again, I feel I was over emotive last night and maybe could have worded the phrase much much better, I was trying to put the point across of googling community spirit. I like Liphook for the community & church halls, the flowers, the carnivals, the fact that many many unique and independent shops, the only chains I can think of is the Co-op and Sainsburys, apart from the Banks, I think everything else is independent which is GREAT.

Re: Grammar and spelling - liz (29th Jul 2011 - 12:10:34) I wasn't offended Tom, my reply was only in jest. I agree that its nice to see the good news - and its certainly not all bad news on Talkback. The negative stuff comes to the fore as people comment on what they think needs changing. OK then, on a positive note for Liphook - its an easy walk to Waggoners Wells which is beautiful, and surprisingly, never seems to be mentioned on here with the other places to visit.

Re: Grammar and spelling - jenny (29th Jul 2011 - 18:06:25) My HUGE bug bear is the use of apostrophes! You even see them misused on supermarket posters, and websites even! It is NOT photo's, potato's, bargain's, special offer's!!!! Has anyone heard of plurals?

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