Why do so many people on this website (and in life) not know how to spell or write proper english?

Question

Even college graduates do this! I have seen Amazon book reviews written by people who say they have doctorates that have bad grammar! What is wrong with this?

Many people say that computer spellcheckers have taken away our knowledge of spelling. Does this sound true?

Thank you for your answers. Yes, I have now noticed that there are a lot of people who learned the language a bit later in life than I did (maybe decades later....)
As a high schooler, I realize that my grammar is not perfect. But if you go to a job interview and fill out the application form like that, I guess you get your just desserts.
I saw a question on this site - "Why do women stay away from chemistry, physics, and math?" - with an enlightening answer:
"Because women are dumb
Source(s):

-Shovonist Weekly"

I guess one must consider the source. :-)

P.S. Was I really supposed to capitalize that "e" in "English"? Well, I'll be damned, I guess I have no right to complain!

Answer 1

Firstly, regarding the E: yes, it's a proper noun.

Spellcheckers are heavily relied upon in many arenas of writing these days, unfortunately, and quite often these not-so-helpful tools are responsible for homophonic errors - quite and quiet, for example. Spellcheckers won't pick up omitted letters in correctly-spelt words either, which is frustrating when you've written a lengthy essay on fogs and their amphibious lifestyle. They often mis advise users to correct already-correct grammar. They are no substitute for a knowledge of English!

I think the bottom line is kids today aren't taught grammar and spelling as rigourously as in previous generations, and there's less pressure for people to write well. I also believe that emphasis has been taken away from the importance of reading as a learning tool and placed on television and other mulitmedia modes. I think the fault lies with the education systems and their lack of attention to this matter. Thank you, Noam Chomsky. He postulated a theory that grammar is innate and need not be taught. He's wrong, clearly, but his ideas had a radical impact on the way education is delivered in many schools.

Bring back grammar and spelling lessons, and compulsory reading!

Answer 2

Everyone is different, has different abilities, but none of us are perfect. There are people who excel in certain things, but do not do so well in other areas. This is perfectly normal. I know of people who are very poor spellers and do not understand the do's and don'ts of their own language, but they are no less talented than those who do. This particular question reminded me of a student that I once had. He was a very poor speller and really struggled to pass any of his spelling tests. I had to work extra time with him on his spelling just to get him to pass his tests. On the other hand, he was an absolute whiz in math, and exceeded most of the other students in this subject. He is not alone in this. I have a friend who is artistic, is a very talented musician and very smart in working with his hands, but his spelling...........let's not go there.
Let's not forget that many people who use this program do not speak English as their first language. It would not surprise me, however, to learn that they can speak 2, 3 or more languages, so can we forgive a little bad pronunciation, bad grammar or bad spelling once in a while? I am sure that these same people have other talents that we do not have.

Answer 3

That's the way the education system works. "Why to bother with grammar.. if all the rest have to invest a little extra effort to understand?" They don't care about the people they are writing to. They just have to fulfill a requirement by doing so.
People who have those mistakes 1) are too lazy, 2) have a medical problem that makes it impossible for them to do it right, or 3) are not to trust (I mean.. imagine the way the studied if the simply don't know their own language!).
And no, spellcheckers have nothing to do with this. They are of little help. And many many people here seem to ignore that they exist. But.. anyway, using it won't save them (and us) from grammar mistakes.

Answer 4

Well, I think 30% of Yahoo! Answerer's are underage, 40% are from another country where as they speak English as a second language and the other 25% are just lazy or have inadequate lighting....as I do ;)

That leaves 5% that spell correctly and of course not on this page because we all checked our spelling before submitting..thanks for the reminder!

Answer 5

Your initial question isn't exactly perfect grammar either- it seems to me that you are somewhere missing a verb (or it is just stylistically bad). People are imperfect and this is a place where you should just let it all hang loose and express yourself, not a grammar quiz. Don't get me wrong- I am really bothered by some questions that don't even sound like english. But, I try to be tolerant:)

Answer 6

I think the spellchecker does make some people lazy when it comes to spelling. I pride myself on spelling correctly (but that's me). A lot of people don't care. And I'm thinking that a lot of people don't know they can't spell. They don't proofread their answers, typing fast, but incorrectly, maybe hurrying their answer to be the "first to answer".
Then you also have to remember there are a great number of people on this site whose first language is not English, and I think they write the word the way it sounds to them.

Answer 7

I think that the education system has changed a lot in recent years. People are so quick to sue because they have been 'discriminated' against that even educators are afraid to provide a good education. If they fail a student because that student wasn't competent, then they become vulnerable to claims of discrimination for one reason or another. So, I think a lot of times, people just kind of get lost in the crowd when it comes to education... I'm not sure who is to blame, but it is sad. School was a lot more demanding when I was there...

Answer 8

Most schools teach spelling and grammar "holistically" these days. That's a euphemism for not teaching it at all. Students are supposed to pick it up by reading, another lost skill. We used to have spelling tests, sentences to diagram, and we even had to read whole books. Imagine that. Too bad, isn't it. Our schools are turning out near illiterates.

Answer 9

Technology has deeply affected our ability to reason our thoughts into writing. The evolution, also, of internet slang has developed a "sub-culture" where shortened words and improper english are commonplace. Students need to see that if they don't practice proper diction and grammar, that communication will deteriorate into a series of "one-letter" words. One day, they might not even be able to read classic literature...

Answer 10

Some may attribute it to living in a society of chat rooms and SMS messaging. People have gained the habit of writing in the same way as they talk, in shortened sentences and in an abbreviated manner.