Learn to spell

I feel the exact same way. I honestly don't understand how so many (and there is an awful lot!) people can come out of High School not knowing how to spell, or simple grammar and punctuation. The amount of people who don't know the difference between their, they're and there and so on. I agree that the internet doesn't help, along with mobile phones, where instant messaging and SMS encourages the ridiculous abbreviations of entire sentences into a couple of letters, numbers and symbols. "gd 2 c u 2dy hd hpz fn tym" (Or, "It was good to see you today, I had a really fun time.") are the sorts of things that people - young and old alike - have resorted to and think of as "communication". It is laziness - it's no harder to write properly than it is to write that filth. I mean we don't all need to have a large vocabulary or the spelling power of a dictionary, but people have gone well and truly over the line.

I totally agree, even within the workplace it can be awful! I blame texting! No one can actually spell 'you' any more! Internet is partially to blame, but on sights like this where English isn't some people's first language, then it's to be expected!

One of my main bugs is*txt spk* especially when it finds it's way into discussions. I do appreciate that there are hundreds and hundreds on members here in MyLotLand for whom English is not their first language and allowances should be made. But even so, the*txt spk* drives me nuts. Modern technology has a lot to answer for in many ways, and it is a sad fact that young people no longer enjoy reading.

Me too. I get turned off by wrong grammar and incorrect syntax. In my case, I am really afraid that I might pick up wrong usages, so I choose what posts to read. I have favorite writers here who are really good in English. In my country (Philippines), English is our second language. But over the years, our proficiency is slowly declining. I don't know why, but studies point to new technologies and the new media as two of the culprits. Children are not that motivated anymore to master this language because of on-line games, television and the like. I hope my English did not disappoint you LOL.

It wasn't that long ago that some schools weren't correcting spelling and grammar, because doing so stifled a child's creativeness. One of the dumber educational ideas I've come across.

but it is good to use shortforms on internet as itr saves time you be on the internet.

I think the internet has not helped with the spelling issue with children that and texting allows them to communicate using just enough to make others know what they are talking about. I catch my children doing that from time to time and tell them to write it out cause it drives me nuts. We are all guilty of it though. I also think that in school the basics aren't as important as they once were. My children aren't the best spellers but I do find it sad that what used to be a big event.. the spelling bee.. has declined a great deal. Schools even had to cut funding to go to spelling bees in so many budget cuts. This was just an issue on the news here in our area.