Why do so many Americans have problems with adverbs?

Question

Even educated Americans will say things like:

"That's real good." or "He's driving slow."

The proper way to say these are "That's really good." and "He's driving slowly."

Is it because American pay less attention to HOW things are done, or HOW things are?

Methinks yes.

Answer 1

It's just a difference of dialect really, no big deal, and not a "problem". What difference does it make?

Answer 2

I've noticed a downward trend in both spelling and grammar in English, much of it on the Internet (some of it is simple typos). People just don't care anymore. While there is a difference in common everyday speech, I even see it in letters and memos when spell checkers are available (and these spell checkers will often check grammar, too).

Writing is viewed by many as reflection of intelligence, and people that don't do it well are often view as less educated when they use bad spelling and grammar (regardless of how educated they really are). And believe it or not, most companies will discard a resume filled with bad spelling and grammar.

And I might add, looking at your last sentence, you might be able to use a brush up yourself. "Me thinks yes," is horrible. Try "I think so." The first person pronoun ("me") should be in the nominative case (i.e., "I") and the predicate "thinks" should be in proper subject-verb agreement ("think"). "Yes" is an interjection and cannot be used as an object. You could write, "I think, 'Yes.'", but "I think so" sounds better.

Answer 3

And the one that gets to me is, ''I would have went'', not ''I would have gone''. Maybe 5% know when to use ''went'' and ''gone properly. The word ''gone'' is next to never used in American English anymore.

But, even educators say, this is not wrong, it is just the changing use of English. I do not like the changes. I hear all of the English mistakes on the TV-even news announcers do it. And, people talk as they hear.

Answer 4

When I am working on a story I am ever concious of not using adverbs in tags, i.e., "he said knowingly," or "said she surprisingly." Adverbs in dialogue tags slow down the action and are unnecessary to descriptive dialogue. Writers must form their dialogue to describe the mood, the action, and the setting without the use of adverbs in dialogue tags.

When such "adverblys," as I identify them, show in my tags, I quickly remove them.

I think this is really, superbly on-target advice for other writers.

Answer 5

It depends to whom you are speaking. Some people take a lazier approach to grammar than others. However most of us let it slide because we know what the intent was behind the verbage.

Answer 6

No big !!

Methinks it's because its American English... language is not static

Answer 7

Me thinks no. My family and peers speak well as do my friends. I am guessing that you are English and would like us to speak like you do. I do not wish to insult you but most educated English speak like they have a mouthful of marbles in their mouths and the rest speak Cockney which is a language of its own.

Answer 8

Because in daily conversation we're not in our English lesson to follow all the nitty gritty grammar. So long as each party understand it is fair and square.

Answer 9

Because they did not air the schoolhouse rock episode on adverbs enough.

Answer 10

Because many Americans are lazy and simply don't care.