As a writer and editor, I'm a total grammar nazi. Nothing agitates me more than reading a text from a friend using "their" instead of "they're" or reading an article with several misspelled words or run-on sentences. Lately, I find myself experiencing this frustration more often than ever as the increased use of social media and texting have seemed to diminish the use of good grammar. I even see professional reporters and my professors making grammatical errors in their works. Yes, everyone makes mistakes. The question is, does everyone care that they're making them when it comes to grammar? No, and that's our generation's problem.
With how fast-paced our generation is in really every aspect of our lives, it's no question that we want our information immediately and we want our voices heard as soon as possible. We would rather be the first to comment on the latest gossip or story on Twitter than being the third to comment due to checking over our tweet for spelling or grammar errors. We'd rather send our professors a lightning-fast email so they can get to our question as soon as possible rather than take an extra two minutes to check over what was written in the email.
Why should we care? Why should we take the extra time to check grammatical errors or even know good grammar? Well, according to a "New York Times" article, John Challenger, CEO of an outplacement consulting firm noted that, "One of the easiest, quickest, and most widely used indicators of a candidate’s worth is his or her grammar. Misspellings, poor syntax, and grammatical mistakes typically result in a swift relegation to the “no” pile; the decision makers reason that the errors disclose either poor communication skills or an indifference toward details. "
I couldn't help but agree with Mr. Challenger. Misspelled words, using the wrong "it's/its" or forgetting an apostrophe on the word "parent's" shows inconsideration and laziness. When I see several grammatical mistakes in an email, tweet, or article, how serious am I supposed to take your words when it's clear you didn't even look over them twice? How are you supposed to gain respect from professors or your peers when you can't even spell their names right or capitalize the title of the class?
Today, anyone can provide information to the public, as social media outlets provide open platforms and constant updates; however, few can provide quality information, as sources and facts are rarely verified or double checked and basic grammar is abandoned. It's time our generation keeps every detail and good writing skills at heart in every word we pronounce, whether it be on social media, a class paper, article, email, or text message.
