General Chat

My pet hate is when teenagers say, "I goes to him, don't do that " I always feel like screaming, you don't goes you said.AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. I FEEL BETTER NOW.

THE WA'ER IN MAJJORKA, DON'T TASTE LIKE WOT IT 'ORTTA !!!!!!

Having only just found this thread. the one everyone has missed is PIN number. How I hate it!

Sorry to be pedantic Simon, but shouldn't it be 'Errors with Grammar'. maggie

Maggie I don't think so, but now you've got me wondering whether or not it should be "of"!

Language changes by about 20% in the course of 100 years - so the spoken English of the 1500s would be unintellible now. A dead language ? Speaking of unintelligible language, who is that creep on TV who refers to the Royal Horticultural Society as " dee orr haitch ess" Did anyone see Melvyn Bragg's TV programme on the origin of the English language ? Len

Geoff, 'In' doesn't sound right does it? maggie

I'm an English lecturer training primary teachers, so all these kinds of errors drive me batty on a regular basis! I hate the so-called 'argument' that language is dynamic so we have to change with the usage. I don't mind considered improvements, but change because of laziness, sloppiness, or people just plain getting it WRONG is infuriating! We all make the odd mistake when in a hurry, but for people who find spelling and punctuating difficult, practising by writing incorrectly (even informally) is a big mistake. If you haven't read it yet, get hold of Lynne Truss's book "Eats, Shoots and Leaves". It's hilarious and informative. We often moan about the mistranscribed errors on censuses etc. Think what horrors the future generations have in store, trying to decipher 2004 messages. Don't even get me started on text messaging! LOL! :-( Sue (in NZ)

Hi Sue, Well said. I'm also a teacher as well as a Youth Theatre leader. I've yet to meet anyone with a spelling or grammar problem who doesn't wish his or her written English skills were better. The young people in my YT know better than to use text-speak if they text me. It's a running joke that text messages to and from me have to have punctuation and no text-speak abbreviations. They try to outdo each other in their use of flowery language and precise punctuation. I took the book you mentioned to my father, a retired English teacher, when he was in hospital and his hysterical laughter kept the entire ward amused for days. Few people write or speak perfect English, especially in informal situations, and we should always be tolerant of those with specific problems but we all have an obligation to try and ensure our listeners or readers understand what we are trying to say. That's why grammar and punctuation were invented. I know my written English skills are far from perfect but I do try to make myself understood, even if I fail miserably sometimes. Gwynne

Thanks for that, Gwynneth. I sometimes feel that my colleagues and I are trying to 'do a King Canute'! I try to point out that writing conventions are a little bit like road rules; if we keep reinventing them to suit us on an individual basis, we end up with a bl...y mess! Sue (in NZ) :-)