Achtung! Grammatik! :insert Nazi-saluting smiley as the Wehrmacht marches by: - Edit 1
Before modification by Tom at 05/10/2011 08:11:34 PM
1. Does anybody (besides me) use proper grammar when texting, posting on Facebook, etc.?
I always make a conscious effort to use proper grammar. Anything less would be uncivilized.
2. Do you correct somebody who uses incorrect grammar while talking? If not, do you at least do it in your head?
Yes. Errors that irritate me most as of late: 1) incorrect use of the subjunctive (e.g., "I wish I was..." ); 2) incorrect use of the nominal case for personal pronouns when the direct object or object of a preposition (e.g., "Between you and I..." ); and 3) misuse of apostrophes (e.g., "The website has an error on it's homepage" ).
3. Do you wince whenever you read a particularly awful Facebook post?
I don't just wince. I usually make a snide remark that points out the error.
4. Have you noticed a trend on Facebook where people don't even bother using periods to separate sentences anymore?
Yes. The majority of people are stupid. One must always keep this in mind. A corollary to this is that no one believes himself to be stupid.
5. Have you noticed misspelled words that have nothing to do with 140 character length? (Today I saw somebody spell "do" as "dew"
Of course. On LinkedIn, where one would hope a higher level of perfection is sought since it is primarily a business tool, I saw one person refer to himself as a "principle" of his company. It's refreshing to see people representing abstract ideas again, like in the Greek tragedies.
6. (Off topic) Are people whiny bitches on Facebook or what?
The majority of statements on Facebook are self-absorbed narcissistic bullshit.
7. Has anybody ever called you a Grammar Nazi?
All the time. I like to take the analogy another step and say that I'm the Führer of the Grammar Reich, may it last a thousand years.
8. Has Twitter and texting eroded proper grammar for today's youths?
Since we're discussing grammar, I would note that you have a plural subject with a singular verb form, and that "youth" is a collective noun better left in the singular (though that last point is really more a stylistic choice). I believe that the failure begins in the educational system, and social media are nothing more than a reflection of this failure.
9. Have you succumbed to the 140 character shortcuts? How often do you text or tweet this way?
I do not use Twitter. I loathe sending SMS messages, but prior to getting a smart phone I did abbreviate out of irritation (e.g., "can i c u b4 2mrw?" ). However, this was the result of having a numeric keypad only.
10. Were there any grammatical mistakes in this survey?
Yes. I just told you.