Timothy Fleegel said: It shows where this world has gone since we're asking to incorporate a grammar check on a forum. I don't know if we need it. Shouldn't it be up to the individual to know the proper forms of the word they are using?
Tim,
We can certainly leave it up to the individual, but just as spell check corrects spelling before posting, a grammar check would go even further. It would be useful in learning. How objectionable could that be? Errors in grammar are due to ignorance, but Ignorance is not a degrading word. Ignorance, to paraphrase, is simply a lack of knowledge about a particular subject. When I cannot name the Minister of Finance for Peru, I am ignorant, not stupid.
When spell check corrects objectshunable......I learn. Grammar programs that would correct, or suggest an alternate to "When your walking", would help the writer learn.
Hell, as much as i "think" I know about the English language, I still find myself typing too fast to notice errors in grammar. "Spell check" doesn't catch them, because the mistakes are spelled correctly. This should not be a subject of embarrassment, but simply an opportunity for someone to learn there mistakes. Sorry, I meant "their".
Seriously, I believe this is a subject that should not be ignored. Unfortunately, it appears that grammar has been dropped from our school curriculum. "Spell check' is available in every computer document, email, or text. When will we see a return to emphasizing proper grammar?
Our education system is falling behind the rest of the world in math, science and geography, but can't we at least teach our children to compose a letter that does not include run-on sentences, spelling and grammatical errors, and finally....the overuse of punctuation marks.
I'm guilty of the last. I tend to write like I speak, using periods to indicate a pause in my thinking. I realize it, but cannot seem to correct it. However, I believe that punctuation is usually skimmed over as most people are looking for the subject of the sentence. Spelling and grammar are not skimmed over. They jump out to the point where the reader usually has to go back to the beginning to see if they may have misunderstood something prior to that point.
Why does this matter to me? Because I'm a--- retentive. And also because what we write is kept. Sometimes read by others, but always kept. Every letter, every report, every request, and every post remains somewhere. In a paper file, or on a computer. We're professionals, but that designation can be upended in a heartbeat if we fail to use the tools available to us.
They're wheel bee a fest tomb are owe.