Don't use prepositions to end sentences with."Well, you're the worst pirate I've ever heard of." Will Turner to Capt. Jack Sparrow in the 2003 film Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl . I don't care if Johnny Depp is ending his sentence with a preposition, "Where's the snow cone stand at? " is incorrect and lowers the speaker's IQ 20 points.
Be you know, specific. "Oh my God, ew! Oh my God, I'm like, so sorry, you're so cute and everything, but there's just no way!" Summer Roberts in the Fox TV series The O.C., January 14, 2004 . Effective communication requires clarity and specific word choices. It requires a vocabulary of more than one syllable words. It requires functioning brain patterns.
Each person should use their pronouns correctly. "I heard he and his crew chief discussing the race set-up and I was really impressed. Him and Joe communicate really well." Nascar on Fox, May 2006. Think it is just sportscasters and rednecks? Consider the following quote. U.S. President George W. Bush, news conference, July 30, 2003. ".....and that's really my only comment I've got." Sigh.
Verbs has to agree with their subjects. "All People Is My Friends" DJ Koze CD title. Heard on a local television ad, " Mow it, tow it, or row it, we, with cash in our hands, is waiting to make you a trade. Even six year olds greet with an enthusiastic "How you is?"
Write all adverbial forms correct. "Think Different." Apple Computer advertising slogan. Not that this isn't an effective advertising slogan but "run quick" and "laugh loud" in everyday speech is incorrect and unfortunately becoming accepted language.
Do not be redundant and use more words than necessary as it can be terribly excessive. "Rock 'N Jock Super Bowl XXXVIII" airs at 2 p.m. ET, right after a special edition of "TRL" that begins at 1 p.m. Friday night on MTV…" VH1.com news article, January 30, 2004 . Our kids are champs at this, particularly on a specific word count essay assignment. Conciseness is becoming a lost art. It is easier to ramble than to speak or write compactly.
Don't use prepositions where they're not needed at. "To me it wasn't really that big of a deal that I was marrying Britney Spears." Jason Alexander, childhood friend and ex-husband of pop star Britney Spears .
Use phrases correctly, irregardless of how common the misused phrases are. "Battle of Who Could Care Less" Song title by pop group Ben Folds Five . The English teacher in me comes out at this one. Who is generally becoming more accepted in casual writing, but used after a preposition, whom is necessary.
Ok. Now the interesting part. Ask your teen to read the above grammar rules and to correct the mistakes in bold face.
One popular teen site is teenfx.com. The site features a whole section on teen lingo and language. Interactive polls are offered. The following is available to take today.
What's your favorite way to describe a good thing?
Cool
Dude
Omigod
Score
Scream
Sweet
Woo- Hoo
Yippee
The vocabulary choices offered above are extensive, I just can't make up my mind. I think I'll add my own description of a really good thing.
Groovy. Peace and Love. C
Ain't this the truth. We ain't got no idea how far our language has fallen. My mother, she always corrected our grammar. Is you excepting my argument?
ReplyDeleteThe English language is complicated and difficult. In Britain, the original Celts,the Romans, the Germanic tribes,the Viikings, the French all influenced English. Coming across the "pond" add all the various immigrants. Our languauge is complicated, the rules screwy. American kids need more hands on grammar, usage, style, vocabulary and spelling. Juniors in high school do not know a noun from a verb, so how can they make them agree in a sentence?
ReplyDeleteDidn't know that "irregardless" was a word..... thought it was regardless?
ReplyDelete1 point for you! Now go back and identify each of the grammar and usage mistakes in bold face. Irregardless isn't a word-as Patricia O'Conner says, "It's a crime in progress!" C
ReplyDeleteSorry, but "irregardless" is a word used as a humorous redundancy - since this was a humorous piece, it was used correctly. Look it up.
ReplyDeleteAnd, I wasn't trying to be smart alecy with that last remark. What that kid said about the Virginia Tech shooter really threw me off. I meant the remark to be a funny piece of jactatation...M.
ReplyDelete"Do not be redundant and use more words than necessary as it can be terribly excessive."
ReplyDeleteRecently I wrote a lengthy abstract for a research project. After reviewing my abstract my adviser told me that I was going to have to find some way to cut it nearly in half. Not a problem. I was conditioned as a student to "use more words than necessary" so that I could meet the various word and/or page limits imposed by instructors.
In the professional world I've discovered that being as concise as possible is quite nearly an art form.
J, Exactly! When I was teaching, I assigned a "certain number of words" essay. Instructions also included that I would cross out everything unnecessary , taking some percent of a point off for every superfluous word. It was a good teaching tool becuase the kids had to really think about what they were writing.
ReplyDelete