Post by Deleted on Mar 29, 2015 9:14:32 GMT -6
This post should have been posted under 'rants', but I see it's no longer available.
OK, here's the deal. I have a pet peeve.
My question is ' Is the correct usage of English grammar a dying art ' ?
If so, then I have to ask.. why ?
We may not all have a degree in English from an institution of higher learning, however, I doubt there is any one who has not had basic English grammar and composition in grade school.
That being said, why do we hear such bad grammar used on a daily basis ?
My Aunt was a high school English teacher, it was her passion.
She was 'old school', she followed the art to a T.
My Granddaughter is a second year college student. She has been taught proper grammar from an early age.
That also being said, I find that when she is in the company of some of her peers, that she sometimes 'dumbs down'. I'll give her that 'look' and I get a shoulder shrug in reply. That tells me, that in today's society, it is better to be 'socially accepted' than to use grammar as designed.
I know, I must sound like a complete snob, and that is not my intention. I just want to know... what happened ?
Did some never 'get it' in the first place and were allowed to advance in school without the proper language skills, or did they, at one time, 'get it' but later decided it's just not that important ?
I can remember in fourth grade, diagramming sentences. We diagrammed sentences all year long, but by golly, at the end of the year you knew parts of speech. You knew how to use them correctly in sentence construction. We're talking 'Fourth grade'
I was appalled to find that kids no longer are required to do that.. again my question is 'why' or better', why not ' ?
Ask a fourth grader if he/she knows how to diagram a sentence, and I'll guarantee you they will look at you as if you've just sprouted three heads.
Some people will ask " What difference does it make , as long as you make your point ?
I read a lot of comments written by people on various sites. I'm amazed by their spelling and use of the language. Now I know these people aren't all illiterate. Again, do they just not care ?
After a conversation with my Granddaughter, I found that her take was that people will think you're a snob if you use proper grammar..WTH ? She can turn it off and on like flipping a light switch, but at least I know that the foundation is there, but I have to admit that it irks me.
So you tell me. Petty ? I don't think so.
Am I a grammar snob, or am I correct in believing that we are doing ourselves no big favor when we 'dumb down ' ?
While I'm on my morning rant, I may as well go all the way.
Where do some people get the unfounded idea that Southerners are 'hicks', 'hillbillies, uneducated' or just plain 'stupid' ?
Everything these days has been proclaimed as 'politically incorrect'.. however, categorizing and making false accusations about Southerners still seems to be A-OK.
It may come as a surprise to some, that Southerners now have inside plumbing, all their natural teeth and don't engage in sexual relations with one's sister or other relative.
Every time I hear a backward jab at the general state of education in the South, I am reminded of some of the literary works of art penned by Southerners.
Margaret Mitchell
Eudora Welty
Tennessee Williams
William Faulkner
Truman Capote
Rick Bragg
Margaret Maron
Anne Rivers Siddons
Harper Lee
Pat Conroy
The list is too long to name them all, but the running theme is that, they all came from the South, and somehow ( imagine that ) managed to leave a lasting mark on the world of literature.
OK, here's the deal. I have a pet peeve.
My question is ' Is the correct usage of English grammar a dying art ' ?
If so, then I have to ask.. why ?
We may not all have a degree in English from an institution of higher learning, however, I doubt there is any one who has not had basic English grammar and composition in grade school.
That being said, why do we hear such bad grammar used on a daily basis ?
My Aunt was a high school English teacher, it was her passion.
She was 'old school', she followed the art to a T.
My Granddaughter is a second year college student. She has been taught proper grammar from an early age.
That also being said, I find that when she is in the company of some of her peers, that she sometimes 'dumbs down'. I'll give her that 'look' and I get a shoulder shrug in reply. That tells me, that in today's society, it is better to be 'socially accepted' than to use grammar as designed.
I know, I must sound like a complete snob, and that is not my intention. I just want to know... what happened ?
Did some never 'get it' in the first place and were allowed to advance in school without the proper language skills, or did they, at one time, 'get it' but later decided it's just not that important ?
I can remember in fourth grade, diagramming sentences. We diagrammed sentences all year long, but by golly, at the end of the year you knew parts of speech. You knew how to use them correctly in sentence construction. We're talking 'Fourth grade'
I was appalled to find that kids no longer are required to do that.. again my question is 'why' or better', why not ' ?
Ask a fourth grader if he/she knows how to diagram a sentence, and I'll guarantee you they will look at you as if you've just sprouted three heads.
Some people will ask " What difference does it make , as long as you make your point ?
I read a lot of comments written by people on various sites. I'm amazed by their spelling and use of the language. Now I know these people aren't all illiterate. Again, do they just not care ?
After a conversation with my Granddaughter, I found that her take was that people will think you're a snob if you use proper grammar..WTH ? She can turn it off and on like flipping a light switch, but at least I know that the foundation is there, but I have to admit that it irks me.
So you tell me. Petty ? I don't think so.
Am I a grammar snob, or am I correct in believing that we are doing ourselves no big favor when we 'dumb down ' ?
While I'm on my morning rant, I may as well go all the way.
Where do some people get the unfounded idea that Southerners are 'hicks', 'hillbillies, uneducated' or just plain 'stupid' ?
Everything these days has been proclaimed as 'politically incorrect'.. however, categorizing and making false accusations about Southerners still seems to be A-OK.
It may come as a surprise to some, that Southerners now have inside plumbing, all their natural teeth and don't engage in sexual relations with one's sister or other relative.
Every time I hear a backward jab at the general state of education in the South, I am reminded of some of the literary works of art penned by Southerners.
Margaret Mitchell
Eudora Welty
Tennessee Williams
William Faulkner
Truman Capote
Rick Bragg
Margaret Maron
Anne Rivers Siddons
Harper Lee
Pat Conroy
The list is too long to name them all, but the running theme is that, they all came from the South, and somehow ( imagine that ) managed to leave a lasting mark on the world of literature.