"England is the only country in the developed world where the generation approaching retirement is more literate and numerate than the youngest, according to the first skills survey by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development"
The above is taken from an article in The Guardian newspaper (full article here). I have to say, I'm not surprised in the slightest. I'm nowhere near an oldie, but I despair at the modern, blasé attitude to basic intellect. Appalling spelling is a major pet hate of mine and I cringe every time I see blatant errors. I can't help it, they just jump out at me. I'm not talking about typos or the incorrect spelling of harder words, I'm talking really basic stuff that you're taught when you're six. I've lost count of the number of time I've seen 'Lose' written as 'Loose'; it's got to the point where the actual correct spelling now looks wrong.
Of course, just like Maths (which I've struggled with in the past, but still know the basics), not everyone is able to grasp spelling easily. Some conditions, Dyslexia for example, obviously make the learning process a lot harder. People who don't have English as their first language can also be cut a little slack. However, the number of bad spellers seems to have risen rapidly, and it can't just be down to factors like the couple I've mentioned.
Interestingly, the majority of people I've seen who have had their spelling errors pointed out to them (by so-called "Spelling Nazis" or "Pedants"), are often extremely defensive and aggressive. Comments like "So what if I've spelt it wrong (sic), you know what I mean" or the classic "I'm only writing on the internet, who cares if I can't spell?" are rife. The onus is taken right off them and onto the 'SN', who is then criticised for daring to point out the error. The "It's the internet, not an English exam" excuse doesn't wash either. If you're going to spell badly online, then there's a high chance you'll do so everywhere. If that's not the case, then does that mean you're deliberately spelling wrongly online? Why would anyone do that? Colour me confused. I can understand why highlighting spelling mistakes would irk somebody (especially when it comes out of nowhere) but, for the life of me, I can't understand why some people go OTT in their anger and simply refuse to learn from their mistake; sometimes even deliberately continuing to write wrongly just to reiterate how much they "don't care" about their spelling.
This exact thing happened in an exchange on a forum I visit: Some abrasive member made a badly written boast about how they were top in their English class at school, somebody politely pointed out that 'Grammar' was spelt with an AR, not an ER, said member gave a mouthful of abuse back to the person and continued to write 'Grammer' in every post. Admittedly, sometimes it's not the place to point out stuff like this. I only ever actively correct people's spelling occasionally, and that's when I'm 100% sure that said person won't take offence. However, part of me wonders why people get so angry and simply refuse to be corrected. It's willful ignorance like that that seems hard to combat. If you make a mistake and it's pointed out to you, why ignore the lesson? Is the want to improve one's ability at something suddenly wrong? Of course it doesn't help that trashy TV shows like 'The Only Way Is Essex' promote the idea that being thick about everything is 'cool' and something to aspire to.
Just to sum up:
- You're means you are
- Your indicates belonging or association
- Loose means not firmly fixed in place/free to move
- Lose means no longer in possession of
- Wandering means walking around aimlessly
- Wondering means to think curiously about something
- They're means they are
- Their, again, means belonging or association
- There relates to location or position
- Defiantly means in a rebellious manner
- Definitely means without doubt
- Could of/Should of DOES NOT EXIST! The 've sound when spoken is from Could HAVE/Should HAVE
Here endeth the lesson.
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