Why are so many teens and preteens so insistent on using horrible grammar?

I'm seventeen, and it makes me ashamed when other teens write like they are illiterate, it reflects poorly on all of us. I know I pride myself on my grammar and vocabulary, and I don't even do very well in school. Its pathetic to see words like "wat" and "lyke" and all that other jazz. I admit I make my fair share of grammatical errors at times, but I make an effort to try to be correct.





So, Teens and parents, how do you feel when you see teens writing with such hideous writing skills?





What do you do when you come across a post or question with such careless mistakes?





Do you have any other comments on the subject?








I believe that it is making our generation out to be a bunch of uneducated losers.

Why are so many teens and preteens so insistent on using horrible grammar?
Really, most of these teens using incorrect grammar and spelling are the ones getting knocked up or using drugs, so we can't expect too much, considering their predicted IQ of 35.





Honestly, it really is ridiculous. I can understand a few grammatical errors, but there's a spell check! It's a button! Just use it!
Reply:There's no getting around the fact that it makes them look uneducated . What I can't understand is why, after going to so much trouble to appear to be a bunch of illiterate slackjaws, these kids get offended when people take them for that.





Some of them actually ARE illiterate slackjaws. Others say they do it because it's "easier", although it's actually a lot harder to type "lyke" than "like". You have to reach over further to reach the Y key than you do to reach the I key. So much for it "saving time". It's an affectation. Anyone can see that. These kids aren't fooling anyone.





Then there are the ones who put tons of extra letters into a word, supposedly for emphasis, but put the extra letters in the wrong part of the word. For instance, "PLEASEEEEEEEEEE hlp MEEEEE!" If a person is going to do this silly thing in the first place, the superfluous E's should be added right after the letter "L", not after an "E" that's supposed to be silent.





"PLEEEEEEEEEEASE" would be pronounced "please". "PLEASEEEEEEEEE" can only be pronounced "pleasEEEEEEEEE". Two syllables. There's no getting around that.





While we're on that subject, I detest "PLZZZZZZ" no matter how few Zs are used. I feel like there's a giant angry bee in front of me, demanding pills. Because "PILZ" is how that word would sound if it were spoken aloud.





And then there are the kids who refuse to use any punctuation. Their questions and answers all look as if they were written by breathless nine-year-olds typing with one hand and clutching a teddy bear with the other. When a question about pregnancy appears to have been written by a breathless nine-year-old, it's hard to take the question seriously! It's also hard to READ. One of these pregnancy questions was a gigantic run-on sentence beginning with "so i missed my period last month and i missed my period again this month and", etc. I wanted so badly to reply that she'd missed at least twenty periods by my count, because there weren't any at all in her question. :D





It's only going to be harder for these kids when they get jobs (if they can get hired at all with writing skills like those). I don't think any of them realize how much writing they'll probably still have to do when their schooling is finally over.
Reply:yea we write wit no good grammar on the computer cuz its the computer u dont need to be writin ur best.


and plus it takes to long to be writin out every single word so thats why teens write lik that and were not uneducated losers we just choose to write a different way because we want 2. so get 2 noe people b4 u judge them.





In fact in school I use very elaborate grammar and spelling but I figure when I get on the computer it's time to let loose and have fun. It's also great not wasting time writing out evey single word
Reply:I'm nodding my head when I'm reading what you have to say. I think this mainly has to do that they are used to texting with cell phones.So, I'm not surprised many teens use chat speak on the internet.





I think when you are trying to answer someone's question, you should make an effort to type out what you want to say. I don't mind if people use it on their myspace profile or something like that, but it would put me off at first.





When teenagers don't show any effort into their writing, people's first impression is that they are A) a 'tard or B) lazy. I just think it means they don't care.





Whenever we have to write an essay in English, most kids will have half their pages marked with red pen. I noticed these are the same kids who compulsively text. When they want to go to college, the only thing standing between acceptance and rejection is a well written essay. If they don't care about their grammar, they will lose out to someone who does.





Having good grammar shows you care, are educated, and make an effort.
Reply:It makes me believe that the No Child Left Behind Act was a total and complete success!


haha


Actually, it proves that kids aren't learning in school because we pay our teachers **** wages so they don't want to do their job well or the good teachers don't want to teach at all. Added to the NCLBA being a total joke.





I've never used shortened versions of words like "wat" or "lyk." Not even when I text. The closest I get to that is LOL or WTF. I'm still considered a teen, 19, and I've never done that.
Reply:its just a shorter way of typing thats the way i look at it? i dont know lol i dont really care!
Reply:I completely agree with you. I don't want to sit here and try to decipher what people are saying. It's annoying to say the least. If it is to bad I won't even try to read it. Bleh
Reply:I admit that I don't proofread everything and make some spelling errors and don't capitalize like I should always but it is really annoying when people talk lYkE DiS! I don't understand why you would do that. It takes longer to type that way! I mean I don't really mind it if you make minor errors but when you just don't care it gets annoying
Reply:this is not a school assignment so many people do not feel the need to use proper grammar, also its generally accepted as a way to write when sending texts emails or instant messages, many people consider it fine to write like that on here also. Teenagers are just used to typing like that. Also maybe they just don't know proper grammar a lot of schools really don't go that in depth with teaching it anymore.
Reply:i dont spell words gayley, like, wat. i write the full word but i ust really dont care about capitilizing and spelling and stufff. like if i try then i can write VERY well but on msn and stuff i just dont even bother.
Reply:I use those when i am on the Internet talking but in school i really concern about the grammar and spelling.
Reply:It annoys me when I can't understand or have to read it over five times. Oh well, I'm sure that most of them know how to spell better than that. I'm fourteen and I really couldn't make myself spell things that way, it would annoy me like crazy. Anyway, I think it's more because they want to for some reason, they're too lazy to spell things properly, or they think it makes them sound cool or something. And really, it's not actually just teenagers and preteens that do that, I've seen people that have kids in their teens or preteens that spell that way. Actually, so far the worst speller I've seen on here was someone who had an eleven-year-old daughter. At least I think so, the way she wrote you couldn't even tell what she was talking about, I really gave up on trying to understand after about the seventh time I read it.





I really think people are exaggerating how pathetic it is. A lot of them aren't academically stupid, they just don't realize how stupid it makes them seem. Anyway, it's not so much pathetic as it is annoying and silly.
Reply:It really bothers me but whatever.
Reply:I think it just makes them really stupid looking.


I'm with you on how it's pathetic.


It annoys me to no end...and I really try as hard as I can to use correct grammar.
Reply:Like I never use horrible grammar....


It makes you look soooo dumb or whatever....


like I'll be guilty of not capitalizing or having typos....but pssshhhh come on


Ha....I'm an honor student and ima write like one...=P











Oh yeah, when I text I spell like a dumba*s
Reply:What is "lyke"?





Anyways, sometimes when I ask a question in here I can't barely understand it, lol. I graduated in 2005, but wow have things changed, or maybe I am just a nerd?





I think it makes them feel cool? When I see mistakes, I don't care too much, unless there are a lot and I can barely read it. I think people should write better to make sure other people understand them.





And when I read "dis an dat" etc. (I don't know how to do it, lol) it always takes me a long time to read it.
Reply:I'm a parent of a 13 year old and I am glad that this is one of his pet peeves. He is in honors language arts and even though he doesn't like writing, he is good at it. He is very social and thinks he is cool as can be but he thinks it's stupid to write like you are stupid.


Most of his friends, kids i've known forever, spell that way on myspace. When I come across it on myspace, depending on how it is written i think, 'oh wow...they can't spell' or just laugh like, 'they think there cool' if they are just using slang.
Reply:I'm okay with other people's grammatical errors - that's just how they type, but when I find myself making one, I spaz and try to fix it as quickly as possible. I think in today's society, though, one's online grammar can't necessarily reflect an individual's education level and literacy as for convenience, much short-hand is used. I don't mind if people are writing like that online, but if I see it written in hand on paper, I admit I get a little disgusted. Sometimes I'll actually take the paper and edit it myself. I'm a little obsessive compulsive when it comes to punctuation, spelling and wording. Especially when it's my work.





But yeah. I also think proper grammar, spelling, spacing and punctuation looks better than tyeping lyk dis and I do believe it is much easier to read and to comprehend.





Oh, but I do want to mention one thing. I admit, I do admire sticky-key typers (even though it's very hard on the eyes). You know, the kids who TyPe LiKe ThIs. It takes me an eterinity to even type one word in sticky-key style.





=]
Reply:same here.


like i dont put commas and apostophre things but i hate talking like "LYK3 D@T !$ $0 C00L!" and i hate when people talk like that.
Reply:Yea I know what you mean. My cousins are also type like that, and despite the language you speak. Because they also do that in Spanish. It's annoying. Example: "Ola cOmO hAs eStAdo?" One of my cousins is sixteen years old, and I'm a year younger than him. I think it's pathetic! It even does take longer to write. I think they do that to get attention...I'm not sure. But it really makes them look stupid. Also my cousin that is fourteen types, "L1K3 TH1z". PATHETIC! If people keep writing like that for too long. Then they'll start thinking like that. So if somebody sees a question posted over here in Y!A that way. Everybody would think that person is pathetic or silly.
Reply:I am one of those teens who you would describe as writing like that. But usually, when I do that, its not that bad. For example, I normally dont capatalize the word "I" when I am writing to friends, but in school I do. I type really fast, so a lot of the time, I write words like, "teh" instead of "the", and "wud" instead of "would", "tho" instead of "though". Basically words that still make sense, but it just takes less time to write.





Some of my friends are terrible though. This is a direct quote from one of their IMs:





" o...amandas ova n wer tlaking bout dane cook n vicious circle" there are some pretty bad ones, but that happened today
Reply:Blame it on the education system!
Reply:It really annoys me. I always make sure I have proper grammar. If I realized I made a mistake, but people are still able to understand what I wrote, I always fix it. :^)
Reply:I'd have to say that I tend to agree. The text messaging is the worst and so is computer lingo. I've always been a stickler to using correct grammar and proper terminology. Keep up the good work :)





You will be one of the probably few in your generation that has a good job and makes something wonderful of your life because you take care to use proper grammar and terminology.
Reply:when ur just chatting it doesnt matter no1 goin to say {exept you} OH MY GOSH WHY AREN'T YOU USING CORRECT GRAMMER?!?! its eaiser and we dont want 2 b reminded of school

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