CEJ #4

Sophie

February 12, 2012

F in Grammar? Maybe It’s Your Phone’s Fault

Potenza, Alessandra
Upfront
January 7, 2013
Technology
Page 22

People who tend to use Twitter, Facebook, and who text have been using improper grammar in their formal writings. The punctuation and spelling of some writers’ work is incorrect and it is said to be caused by too much texting and social websites that don’t require correct grammar. Gena Babineaux who works at the YMCA in Houston says, “If you want the job, you need to make sure that everything is done properly.”  Many teachers and others who spend time reading people’s writings agree that while it may be okay to misspell and misuse punctuation in texts and on social websites like Twitter and Facebook, it’s shows laziness on formal writings. Others however, disagree like Ms. Shimabukuro. She believes that it’s her students ideas that count, not the spellings.
The author of the article did not show a bias, but showed other people’s opinions on how texting affects the way some people write. I think that it’s true that short hand writing that is used for texting and internet sites can become the way someone naturally writes. I know this because times when I text often, I start to replace “to” with “2” and “you” with “u.” It’s definitely not a good thing, and I usually don’t use incorrect grammar on important papers because I know points will get marked off, and it’s simply incorrect. I have also seen other people’s work who have made grammatical mistakes, and whether or not it is from texting, I know that they do text and use social websites. I think people use short replacements for words when they text and chat because when someone is talking with a friend, they don’t need to use proper language because the friend will realize what they are talking about. Texting language such as “idk” and “wbu” are both abbreviations that I have used when texting friends, but only because they understand it and it’s just an easier way to write it. With that said, I think it’s fine to use shorter ways of writing words and phrases when it is appropriate like texting or chatting on Facebook, but on formal papers and school work, it’s important for someone to try their hardest and using improper language just shows that the writer could have put more time and effort into their work.