I admit it: I talk back to my TV. Yep, I correct newscasters, reporters, and even random shows when they butcher grammar. Some might call it weird… I call it necessary.
Major grammar nerd here! The older I get, the less tolerant I am of bad grammar. You’d think people on TV—especially college-educated professionals—would want to use correct grammar. You’d also think they learned it in school. Most programs even require at least one English class. Apparently, it didn’t stick.
I’ve been correcting my husband’s grammar for years. Has it helped? Nope. I think he does it just to annoy me.
Over time, I’ve noticed that grammar doesn’t seem to matter much to educators either—they often use as much bad grammar as their students. Back when I was in school, we were corrected constantly, so we would learn to use grammar correctly for life. Nowadays, it seems proper grammar is optional. And to me, proper grammar is classy. You may not have an education past high school, but using grammar correctly makes it look like you do.
Spelling was another thing drilled into us. Knowing the difference between their, there, and they’re; too, to and two; these and those; lose and loose; stationary versus stationery; and should have, not should of…well, I could go on forever. Grammar and spelling are fun for me—hence the “nerd” label—and I embrace it fully.
I firmly believe grammar and spelling should matter more in educating children. Many of them today sound…illiterate. The constant use of the words “like”—like, he said, like we went to the store, like, like, like—or overusing words such as “awesome,” “right,” “you know,” “eh,” etc.—drives me a little nuts. Am I guilty of a word or two? Sure. But I do my best not to. I often catch myself mid-sentence correcting my own mistakes, sometimes even scolding myself.
My husband has said numerous times over the years that I should have become an English teacher. Honestly? The kids of today would drive me bonkers with their bad speech and habits—some of which they learn from their parents. Parents, take note: children learn from you too, not just from school.
I know languages evolve, but I can’t help thinking we’re heading in the wrong direction. What will English look and sound like in a hundred years? Will it all be LMAO, TBC, TAFN…or go back to the grunts and groans like cavemen? Ewww!
And as Tigger would say, “TTFN—Ta Ta, for now!”