The Majority of the Younger Generation Doesn't Read
@WumpyPPancakes (117)
United States
April 16, 2012 1:20pm CST
Hi:
I am someone who has been a professional essay rater for close to four years for a university. One of the things that I have noticed through the years is that students' writings is going downhill--quickly.
I rate high, middle, and primary school writing tests. This year students...all their "conventions" are HORRIBLE. Conventions, in the state writing rubrics, means grammar. Many of the students could not spell, their usage was terrible, and their sentence construction was bad.
I mentioned this to one of my colleagues/friends; she emphasized to me that they DO NOT READ.
In our thirty minute discussion, I agreed with her. The reason why I was very good in English grammar and writing because I read a lot as a student in middle school and high school. As a middle school students, I even tried to intimate my favorite writers' style. It was until I grew older and matured that I realize that I have my own writing style and voice. Yet, if it wasn't for reading a lot and still reading a lot, I would not be a solid writer.
My question is: do you think that our younger generation of students are suffering because they do not read? What do you think will happen in the next 20 to 50 years? I have other friends, too, who have shared stories with me of ADULTS now who send in important documentation or paperwork that has MANY TYPOS and GRAMMATICAL ERRORS in them? I also find since I am a professional essay rater that the state is complicit on the level of accepting wrongful spellings and sentence structure by the severity of it. Typically, essays in our state can pass with many errors...in sentence structure, spelling, and usage. As long as you understand what they are trying to say and their have most it correct, they can pass.
And I believe my bigger questions are...if we are passing through students who cannot master the written language well...and they are entering these jobs where their writing isn't proficient, what will happen to the intellect and those of us who can actually write and read well? Are we allowing incompetent individuals to enter the workforce?
6 responses
@amy77824 (147)
•
16 Apr 12
Hi
I noticed that and I'm in the younger generation and I've read all the way through my life at school. I am now in secondary school a almost half the people in my form own a kindle or read on avregular basis but I have noticed difference between those who read an those who don't. My cousin hardly reads and his handwriting is just awful and he is my age. You can barely read it or even call it writing it more like a few scribbles on a piece of card/paper.
@WumpyPPancakes (117)
• United States
17 Apr 12
Hi, Amy:
I certainly think that there is a huge difference between the correlation of those who reading a lot and are able to write well compared to those who don't.
When you read many different authors, genres, etc., you see different styles and different usage of language...and how different individual put words together. However, when you aren't exposed to many different types of writing, I think that the way you write...it isn't as good quality. In order to write well, individuals, I believe most be exposed to different types of writing that is consider acceptable or good.
Even if someone reads Danielle Steel entirely, that's better than not reading at all. To me, at least the person is allowing themselves the opportunity to maybe want to read different genres and authors in the future.
@ricextreme (964)
• Ecuador
16 Apr 12
I agree with you, even when I am part of the younger generation. I have noticed, just like you did, that young people try to write less and less every day. So they shrink words, and sometimes, they write "sentences" that other people (older ones) may not understand.
I don't think that this is caused only by the lack of reading. The new generation is a generation that was born with the computers and all the technology improvements that facilitate daily activities. That is my explication for the search of easy things. They are only doing what they were taught to do: make things easier.
I'm sorry if I have grammatical errors or another type of errors, I'm not a native English speaker. I'd be glad if you tell me if I committed errors. Thank you!
@WumpyPPancakes (117)
• United States
17 Apr 12
Hi, Riceextreme:
I really like when you said that the new generation is being taught to have access to information and other material things quicker. This is TRUE. And it is not only true of the younger generations, but all generations.
I would be a hypocrite to say that I don't enjoy technology and what it has to offer. I own devices that will grant me quicker and easier access to books, email, articles, etc. However, I think that a difference between someone who is growing up in a rapid technology accessed society compared to someone who grew up in middle and then, the tail end of the rapid technology society (people like me) is that I still have an appreciation for actual books, art, literature, etc.
Or, as I think about it right now, maybe it has less to do with what is actually being taught. The actual devices...give kids more opportunity to look up credible information and actually have access to E-books and reading...however, they still aren't reading because they are used to playing games and watching television.
Maybe what the key is that society, as a whole, start strongly supporting reading again.
And you're grammar is pretty good! I see that you are working very hard to write well! I give you two thumbs up!
@akobuday (124)
• Philippines
17 Apr 12
I love reading books, pocketbooks, novels, mangas, etc. In the past, I'm so "bobo" in English and my mind is always blank. You know, no imagination, no creativeness, just "blank". But when I started to read books, wow!..my english improved and started to feel I know everything..char. Hope that everyone will like to read someday.
@thuglove1722 (343)
• United States
17 Apr 12
there's so much more in society for young people to get a hold of they just blow of writing or there into all those social sites where they just write slang all the time
@superbadx (484)
• Malaysia
17 Apr 12
I am as the younger generation could agree with your statement. This is because we don't even have to read much nowadays with the multimedia sources around to learn or to get knowledge on some stuff. But i can't agree that we don't have to read entirely because some stuff doesn't available on multimedia resources provided nowadays. Reading has it's own advantages along with it's disadvantages. With all the movies about biography and subjects like science, it really helps students to understand it without the needs to do the actual experiments like the mythbusters. But books actually help us to understand more on specific subjects as languages like english to actually know the correct verbs, grammar, etc. So, i would say you are correct about the majority of younger generation doesn't read because they can get most of it by other source like multimedia. But some younger generation did not perform well enough of their studies because they depends too much on the other sources, because books actually helps in studies.
@Raon24 (1)
• Romania
17 Apr 12
I agree with your point of view, however, there are still young children with a pasion for reading! I consider myself an example! I personally love to read, especially fantasty books (sci-fi, magic, etc.) also mystery, thriller, horror and adventure books! So does my cousins. Furthermore i know a lot of people my age or even younger that have a comprehensive pasion for reading and gaining knoledge. At first i used to dislike reading, but then i "rediscovered" it by simply realising what style of books fits me the best and entertains me! Maybe that is what the people nowadays needs to do, discovering their type of books!
