I have always taken great pride in my spelling and punctuation and such. Are kids just not being taught correctly or are they just too apathetic to care?
208609
As the society drifts further from its Judeo-Christian moorings, it loses its reason to care about real literacy.  The shift is from the word (or more appropriately, the proposition) to the multimedia "image," which can include words (as a soundbite) but is predominantly visual and always aimed at emotive, rather than mental, impact.  With a vast educational establishment, it has taken a while for spelling and grammar to become affected, but they have been.  Absent another Great Awakening, look for it to become worse instead of better, and look for the church and the synagogue to once again become repositories of print culture (and therefore, Western civilization).\nWhy the connection with Judeo-Christianity?  The adherents of propositionally revealed religion have been the custodians and promoters of literacy wherever they went.  The history of the modern literacy movement *is,* to a large extent, the history of what Christians have done.  Even today, virtually the only people willing to help reduce an unwritten language to writing and teach a people group to read their own language are Christian missionaries.
536827
Keep in mind, there are a lot of young kids and teenagers on here that mostly have the spelling errors and the weird slang. That's probably what you are seeing on here lately. You are right, though, it's hard to answer a question when somebody messes up most of their spelling or they use nothing but slang. It's nothing against anybody, and I like giving advice, but if people are serious about getting answers to  their questions, they would at least respect other fellow answerer's by using the "Check Spelling" option.
301717
I love you, man. I couldn't agree with you further than I could with my existence. I also love the fact there is a "CHECK SPELLING" button right above the box you type in that no one seems to utilize. The kids on here are just too trendy to learn; didn't you know that it's the cool thing now? I guess I'm not trendy, oh dear. </3
444822
I am a High School English teacher, my sister is and Elementary School teacher and our cousin teaches special needs so I think I can answer this with a degree of knowledge.....the answer is a definitive ....YES.  newyorkgal 71 says that she believes that most teachers just don't care anymore but I can tell you that those of us who do care see a drastic down slide in the grammatical structure of most individuals writing and speech. I believe it is because we as a society have made it acceptable to use slang as a substitute for appropriate speech, until we as a whole make a change we as teachers can teach and instruct as much as we can and want but  what is learned at home will usually prevail.
572126
You are definitely not alone!  I agree that we can't be harsh on those for whom English is a second language; but for those of us who have been speaking and writing it almost since birth - well, it's a disgrace!  You are not a "boring old pedant"; bad grammar and spelling make it very difficult sometimes even to understand a question, or comprehend what the asker is saying.  It's all about communication, and badly constructed sentences impede that communication.\n\nMy pet irritations are (if you're interested!):\nYour and you're\nBetween you and I (between you and me!)\nMe and John went to the shops (John and I...)\nLets go to the shop's (let's go to the shops)\nHe took a photgraph of John and I (...of John and me)\nWho and whose\nThose who are obsessed with putting apostrophes before any "s"\nThose who are obsessed with using mainly unnecessary "myselfs"\nAnd many more...\n\nAnother boring old pedant...
672204
No: I notice everything, including grammar.  \n\n" Am I the only one who notices all the misspelled words?  And do they know of the 'Check spelling' button?  And am I the only one who seems bothered by this?"\n\nI am bothered, because it displays an inordinate amount of laziness in modern thinking; however, it probably stems from that insidious precept launched, I believe, in the 1960s, where parents brought up their children to express themselves freely, never mind how, leading to a lamentable lack of discipline in so many areas!\n\nGrumble, grumble ... but at least people are interested in all kinds of things, as we can see on this site - and learning from the answers!
99633
That is pretty funny. What is even funnier is that everyone who answers this question will be weary of spelling correctly (or vice versa). The education system is lacking; however, I think that when people feel comfortable in an environment where spelling correctly is not an expectation, they just go crazy. Most like that slang, but I truly find it atrocious.
512437
unfortunately with more and more young people using computers and the abbreviations common to computer"shorthand", the proper  grammar and use of the written language with correct punctuation is lost\nit has become its own popular but to me lazy vernacular\nthe use of u for you\nthe use of r for are  etc.\nsome much time is spent watching  TV\nplaying video games\nnot enough reading and thinking thoughts through\nmy niece who teaches English told me a funny story\nshe gave a writing assignment and the student's opening sentence  asked the question can u ......?\nshe read no further\nher remark on the paper next to the grade\nwas U FAIL\ncomputers have spell check so you do not have to learn to spell\nit is not only language but math\ndid you ever notice some younger people who have part time jobs as cashiers cannot do simple arithmetic?\nthe cash registers now tell them how much change to give\nthere was a young girl who started a job in a local small shop who upon finding the register in the store was the old type that did not tell you how much change to give had to quit or be fired because she couldn't figure out on her own how much change from a twenty dollar bill was due back from a $6.25 purchase\nno wonder the world is such a mess\nall these gadgets today do the thinking for us- and everyone is in such a hurry to get where?
19132
I no wut you meen. :) People learn how to speak properly, they just don't care and forget how to do it. Lose/loose, your/you're, they're/their/there misspelligs are real annoying..
477871
Could it be that you are hiding behind the fact that your are dyslexic and that you really do not care about grammar full stop. \n\nNot being mean here but merely trying to point out that grammar is important and more so as you are dyslexic. You will need all the kudos you can get which will help you to get on in life. I mean if you can get to gribs with your spelling and grammar you will get there in the end.\n\nGood luck and all the very best for the future.
49260
I am bothered by anyone, from any nationality, over the age of 18, that cannot spell or read words from their own language. What bothers me more is the fact that many of them have completed grade school, high school and college and still cannot spell properly and apparently don't care enough to learn. There is something wrong with a school system that will pass children through who cannot read or spell correctly. There is something wrong with parents who do not take any actions when they realize the school system has failed and their child can't spell or read. There is also something wrong with the person who is willing to go through life unable to read or spell words from their own language. Hopefully our school systems will change the way they teach and go back to putting more emphasis on reading and spelling.
176709
I have often seen these mistakes go unchecked by the teachers at my daughter's school. When I asked why, I was told that the thoughts and emotions being expressed were more important than the manner in which they were expressed. I disagree. I cannot take a person seriously if they cannot spell and punctuate. I'm afraid I automatically assume they are stupid. Sorry!
654754
While I don't know if this is true in private schools, the public and charter schools near me have stopped correcting spelling errors in student's work so as not to hurt their feelings.\n\nIf anything, while spell check is not perfect (I've been known to disagree with it from time to time), the fact that students today have access to an immediate source of correction, should raise the spelling bar not lower it.  \n\nThe school teachers I know claim that many students actually turn in papers using the modified instant messaging language.\n\nSomebody somewhere needs to say, "Enough is enough" and start holding students accountable, for their own good.  \n\nSounds like you'd be a great candidate, go get 'em.
588562
Idk- Is it the school's fault that you can't spell and poor at grammer?
561958
I taught in a public school for three years.  The "powers that be" actually told me to stop grading for grammatical and spelling errors, saying all of my students would fail.  That is a travesty.  From my perspective as a teacher, ignorance (which is what I believe you are really asking) is on the rise.  Despite compulsory education, it almost appears to me that we are reverting to a 19th century-like model with an educated few and masses of ignorance.
616790
in my opinion spelling is not that important on the internet.. it's not like it's  a class and your getting graded for spelling. I hate it too. everyone isnt perfect and i guess whoever has a problem with the way people spell things should get a life and stop worrying about it.
333378
One of the very first things they teach you in college writing courses is that you should never use a contraction in formal writing (fiction being an exception). Part of the reason is because contractions are not formal, but part of it is also that if you use contractions a lot, it is easy to start confusing things like "you're" and "your". \n\nI think, honestly, that many people have no idea what proper usage is, and for that I blame our educational system. I know that a lot of public school systems have changed their English programs since the good old days when I was in school. Now, instead of teaching a solid grammar and usage foundation, they try to teach things like how to write a proper business letter or resume. I think those things are important, but if they forget to teach kids grammar, of what use is knowing where the date goes in a block-style business letter? \n\nYou mention laziness, and I think that, too, is a component, but not in the sense you mention. I don't think people are too lazy to type things correctly, I think they are too lazy to pay attention to grammar rules and proofreading. And in all fairness, I don't think they are entirely to blame. Schools don't give a solid foundation, and society doesn't put enough emphasis on the importance of acquiring and keeping those skills.\n\nPersonally, I think the spell-checker program is the bane of modern civilization. People run the spell checker and figure they are good to go, not realizing that it only catches words which are misspelled, not instances of using the entirely incorrect word. I think the prevalence of technology-driven communication is also part of the problem. People who send and receive text messages on their phones frequently type "u r" instead of "you are" or "you're". People in chat rooms are typing so quickly that no one bothers to pay attention to the little details like grammar. Even keyboarding skills play a part. Once you reach a certain proficiency in typing, your fingers are flying very fast, and reaching that speed requires your fingers to memorize certain words and word combinations. If you aren't careful when you are learning to type, you end up repeating the same mistakes over and over, and homophones are a prime place for mistakes.\n\nIf it makes you feel any better, I am your companion in grammar whoredom :) Some of the other common mistakes that drive me batty are the frequent confusion of "its" and "it's" and the random appearance of apostrophes when there is no possession going on. The worst part is that it all seems to be getting more and more common, and people are minding and caring less and less. Several years ago, after finding four or five mistakes in the first two paragraphs of a lead story in our local newspaper, I wrote a letter to the editor about it. They didn't print my letter in the paper, but the editor was kind enough to call me on the telephone about it. The main point of his conversation was that in rushing to put out a daily paper, mistakes get made and things get overlooked. The main point of my response was that I understand about deadlines and such, but isn't that the type of stuff that editors and proofers are supposed to look for? I think the conversation was unsatisfactory on both ends, because I haven't written to him since then, and he hasn't ever called me back for a relaxing discussion on grammar.\n\nOn a final note, I should tell you that my sister-in-law is a high school teacher. She told me recently that the school district for which she works administered a pretty basic English test a few years ago. It was an English test that was given to seniors in her school district back in the 1960's, and which they were required to pass in order to graduate. She said there was quite a fuss in the school district because more than 50% of the teachers who took the test failed it. That&#39