Why can't people spell or write in complete sentences when education is free?
494517
I agree! It's amazing how many people can't, or won't spell or write correctly, especially here in Yahoo! Answers. The excuse I always get is "Well, this is the Internet, you're SUPPOSED to misspell!". Please! It's no wonder our country is falling behind so many other countries in literacy and other areas of knowledge. We, as a society have become lazy in such basic things as spelling, grammar, math and science.
244002
Yeah I've seen that before. But it only works if you are fluent in the language been written. So spelling is important so that youngsters can learn to read and other people can learn the language.
4464
First, it pays for a person to learn something of the structure of the language they want to learn, especially in the ways it differs from their native language.  That is, if this language normally puts the verb at the end of the sentence, whereas English normally puts it between the subject and the object.  However, this also presupposes they know something of the structure of their own native language.  In America, that's not a foregoing conclusion.  The schools teach very little of English structure anymore.  I have asked any number of young people of my acquaintance, and they have never even heard of diagramming sentences, not even as an exercise the teacher might put on the blackboard, let alone something they would be expected to do.  In my sixth grade class, we had ten sentences to diagram for homework every day.
1117612
there are certain european countries which offer free education to everyone, these include germany,norway,denmark,finland etc. but most of the corses taught in these countries are in their own languages so u gotta learn their language first, dunno abt scholarships
364253
It's your basic apathy and ignorance. To most people it's just not important any more - even schools don't rate spelling and grammar. Ignorance is said to be bliss and unfortunately people accept that.
461253
It should be unacceptable to allow kids to continue to the next academic level if they are unable to spell and write simple sentences at their current level. The idea of "No Child Left Behind" is a good one, if it were organized differently and funded better. Many international students that I have talked with feel a certain disdain for the level of illiteracy of many American students. Education doesn't seem to be taken very seriously here as compared to many countries in the world. Many students want to take the easiest route possible. That is one of the reasons so many upper level scientific and engineering professionals come from elsewhere, and, according to some of the things I have read, why certain jobs go overseas. The jobs are taken more seriously.
43861
Because many people come back to their roots to teach and revert to talking like those around them. It's not too hard to learn the right ways of doing things and to actually do them. It's even easier to just run a spelling/grammar check and fix everything Word tells you is wrong. And, finally, most people have better (ie, more correct) grammar when writing than speaking.
1118721
I'm amazed of the lack of education or the lack of quality of education many of these people have...Next question for yahoo should be...pick the sentence that is correct..."I speak english well" or "i speak a good english" I can only imagine what answer people will choose
111938
Technically, there is not a problem with literacy in the United States.  Virtually everyone can read and write.\n\nHowever, there are these people online who, it seems, cannot form a complete sentence.  I think mostly they are just kids and they are trying to seem 'cool'.  At least, I really hope so.\n\nJust because the United States is a literate country, though, does not mean that all literate people have good grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc.  Unfortunately, good grammar skills seem to be growing more and more rare -- at least, it seems that way on sites like this.
1086065
How come you can't spell?\nI went to the college I could afford and got an education. \nYou, you maroon, went to the best and most expensive and didn't learn diddly poop.
1065064
Lack of emphasis on its importance in primary schools and lack of active participation on the part of parents in their childrens' education. Yes, it does matter. Because:-\n\n1) Inability to spell and use punctuation reduces the ability to communicate effectively (just look at some of the incomprehensible answers given on this site).\n\n2) Arguably, ability to use the written English language (and mathematics) is indicative of an ordered, logical mind. However, that's not to say that the English language is logical. It isn't. Take trough and plough, for example.
684849
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
726351
Laziness and lack of accountability in school.  If no one has made them get assignments correct they see no reason why they should spend the extra time to do so.  After all it takes about three seconds to do the spell check.  Why should they waste those three seconds of their life just to show the public that they are actually educated?
1174839
It seems so. I have never seen so many children who can 't spell basic vocabulary words and form a complete sentence without error. It boggles my mind why they would intentionally spell words wrong too in order to seem like they are talking cool. No Child Left Behind, uh huh..........
1159656
It's becoming less of a focus, in large part due to technology and how it will, arguably in the near future, be integrated entirely into school curricula.  The spell check feature is going to replace spelling lessons.  Just another way technology "makes life easier."\n\nTheorists also believe that we'll "pick up" our mistakes and thier solutions as they're identified-- but these folks obviously haven't spent any time in the real world.  Theory and real-world application rarely coincide.  Why would any child take the time to recognize a spelling deficiency if there will always be a button to click that will correct things for them?  What is the motivation?
77711
You have to go to school, to learn how to spell answer.
456661
some people really can't spell. others, as I tend to do sometimes, just don't feel like using correct grammar and punctuation when the message can get across by using slang or a homemade version of shorthand.