In the 21st century, we are living in the age of cellphones. The age where we text more than we call, Facetime more than we hang out with friends and play mindless games more than we read books. I'm not here to say that we should completely ditch our cellphones—believe me, I definitely couldn't. I am extremely guilty of texting and playing mindless games at any hour of the day. But all those terrible English classes we sat through in high school (and college), for most people, were all in vain. You don't know how many times a day I see something on Facebook or get a text from a friend that looks very similar to this:
R u wrkn l8r ill come visit
I'm going to make the assumption that, if you are reading this article, you see all of the problems with this statement (question?) and it's driving you crazy.
1. Do you speak alphabet?
One of the most common issues with people today—mostly due to texting—is the idea that we speak alphabet and not English. "R" and "u" are not words, those are letters. "Are" and "you" are words, and words that we all use everyday, no less. Don't think you're cool because you can type a single letter. Stop being lazy and type the two extra letters. For one, you'll definitely stop sounding like you're a 5 year old, and two, people might actually take you seriously.
2. Don't let those spelling tests be in vain.
You remember all of those spelling tests we had to take? You know...the ones we had take practically K-12? Well newsflash people, those were for a reason. It's not "wurkin" or "wrkn" or even "workin," it's spelled "working." There is a reason that you are taught to spell, and spell correctly. Even though I know what you mean when you say "wrkn" or "l8r," it doesn't mean that you should spell it that way. That's like saying just because you know what it is, you shouldn't shoot up heroin.
3. Capitalize, people!
Granted, the "R" at the beginning of the sentence is capitalized, but for most people that's probably only because our phones are smarter than we are. They know to capitalize the first letter of the sentence...but they can't fix that "i" in "ill," because ill is an actual word, people. It's possessive! You are saying that you will do something, so the I is capitalized! Think third grade, kids.
4. Punctuation. Punctuation? Punctuation!
Are you sick? Do you have the flu? Zika virus? Chicken pox? Oh, sorry, you just can't insert an apostrophe. You can't just make it say "Ill," then you're still sick. If you add an apostrophe, however, and make it say "I'll," then you're good to go with this sentence! Wait, is this a sentence? Maybe it was supposed to be a question. Is there something else you were going to say? You would need a comma, though. Is it a question? Are you excited? What are you trying to tell me? In all reality, this should be broken up into two separate sentences:
Are you working later? I'll come visit.
Now that we've got that little grammar lesson over with, don't you feel so much better looking at that sentence, rather than the first one? I certainly do.
You don't just need grammar and spelling for texting, or even for essays (although that'll probably help you get an A). You're going to need grammar and spelling your entire life, whether it's filling out paperwork at the doctor's office, filling out forms to send your children to college or writing up a report for work. If you don't know how to use simple (and yes, I mean simple) grammar, or you can't spell, here's what will happen:
—You won't be taken seriously.
—You probably won't get that job you want.
—People will think you're ignorant, and
—No one is going to want to talk to you, because your writing will make them want to hurl!
I'm sure none of these sound appealing, and those are just the beginning. Not being able to spell and be grammatically correct will follow you for your entire life, so you'd better start now! Put down the cell phone, at least for a little while—read a book! Write a story! Do anything and everything to make sure that you know how to come across as being an intelligent human being.
And remember...
You don't speak alphabet, you speak English.
