The downfall of grammar

Since more communication is in written form now, you might think that grammar and spelling would improve. I think it's worse. The proliferation of text messaging is partly to blame, since it is dependent on using shortened (incorrectly spelled) words. People don't put any thought into their written words. My biggest pet peeves include "would of," as in "I would of been there" (I would've been there) and using apostrophes for plurals, as in "I have 3 dog's." It's (or its) an endless list but I'll quit there (or their or they're). (I have to admit that I normally violate the "punctuation within quotations rule," and would usually place the comma outside of the quotes in this sentence.)

Email should be a clear form of communication. You have the opportunity to put together some coherent thoughts in your own time. The recipient can then answer at his convenience, also putting time into his responses. This is much better than a phone call, where the caller might blather on endlessly before actually stating the question. Unfortunately, email has degraded into a "type how I speak" form in which the sender simply types exactly the words they would say on the phone. Any semblance of decorum is lost.

Of course, the level of formality depends on the relationship of the two parties. If you are chatting with your buddy, go crazy. If it's a work email or you are trying to prove a logical point, poor grammar really blows your cover.

My son is learning grammar in second grade. I don't recall learning that until junior high school. I am amazed that he can correct a poorly formed sentence. Hopefully, the net generation (whoops, I meant to type "next" but that seems appropriate) will do better.

- schneid