Have recent generations forgotten correct spelling and grammar?

stellina615 · Oct 25, 2009

I've noticed some new professionals with an apparent lack of basic grade-school grammar and spelling skills? This trend is concerning given the respect and perception of intelligence any particular profession retains. :redbeathe Permanent records with misspells, resume's with misspells and grammar errors seem to be on the rise (not to mention our spoken language). :imbar Please disregard our last president, though...maybe it all started then?
I'm not sure if it's a lack of education at the grade school level but my 9 year old son was pointing out spelling errors on this site (my 9 year old)!
Has anyone else seen this trend?
I'm not meaning to offend anyone; with such a tight market, these errors would get a resume discarded/a letter of intent for a nursing school rejected for an Eng 099 class.
What do you think?

Castle,

I haven't necessarily noticed that poor grammar and spelling are correlated with any one generation in particular. Take a look at your first sentence. It's a declarative statement, not an interrogative statement. That means that it should be punctuated with a period as opposed to a question mark. :loveya:

Bobbylawr · Oct 25, 2009

When I type and get a typo, I'll just let it slide in an informal forum. I'm betting a lot of people do.

And you knew people would go over your post with a fine-tooth comb to prove the point that no one is perfect...

"resume's with misspells" =)

MissBrittanyRN · Oct 25, 2009

I am not taking offense or defending myself either, but in all honesty, when I type on here, I will admit that I am a tad lazy. Not to offend anyone, as I think every person on here is important, but I view everyone on here as a friendly/casual conversation, not necessarily a future employer, etc. I was in AP English courses and I even took two semesters of English at the community college during high school. In elementry/middle school, I had excellent marks in English, and spoke well as a child. However, allnurses.com aside, I have forgotten a lot of the proper grammer and spelling rules, and I do have to use spellcheck at times. When I am submitting a cover letter, resume, or an email to someone in a business matter, I have the common sense to use spellcheck. I think having spellcheck as a safety net to begin with has subconciously allowed me to be lazy - unfortunately.

PS: I am not rereading this message to check for errors lol, and I am young and a new grad, so perhaps this validates your thread :-)

CASTLEGATES · Oct 25, 2009

Hey, you missed one...I've is British not American *don't believe that's accepted here yet

I'm sorry, I didn't clarify; I was mentioning repeated, consistent errors with commonly spelled words and just basic stuff; not quick typing which will definitely cause mistakes (we all do that :redbeathe)

I certainly didn't want to hurt or offend anyone.

If you want to see errors, I have more than most...morally, ethically and spiritually :cry: grammatically, linguistically, procedurally, and come to think of it, I think my birth was also a mistake (really)!

stuff like advise, allot, comeing ankle biters like dat!

(hugs)!

Bobbylawr · Oct 25, 2009

If I had a dollar for every time I spelled "the" as "teh" in forums.... And that's a word I know!

MissBrittanyRN · Oct 25, 2009

lol, i am personally not offended. like i said, i don't make an effort when participating in these threads, but i have gotten lazy and forgetful outside of allnurses world as well. I have the sense to use spell and grammar check when I think it matters, but once upon a time, I was proper without the effort, and that gift has left me.

CASTLEGATES · Oct 25, 2009

nono, not misspells.

Oh fec! Forget itttt! LOL!

Just repeated words you see over and over on letters and resumes then you start to think "maybe this person just doesn't know..."

I'd say the most common is allot, though. Just chatting....

My mind is my worst enemy!

Blackheartednurse · Oct 25, 2009

I think you must be bored.

HyperSaurus, RN, BSN · Oct 25, 2009

No, I have not forgotten correct spelling and grammar.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 25, 2009

I once worked with a nurse whose written documentation was embarrassing. She spelled almost everything phonetically ("seazur", "eskalated" and so on) and I felt terrible for her.......until I saw her in action on the floor, and realized that her spelling and grammar had NOTHING to do with her ability as a nurse. Her compassion and competence were astounding, and to this day, I'd want her to take care of me if I ever needed it.

As anal-retentive as I am about spelling, it's hard for me not to be judgmental about those who take a more laissez-faire attitude toward it, but I'm learning.

techjob4u · Oct 25, 2009

I did not re read my post and did not use a spell check. I usually spell advice and not advise etc, but tend to be very lax on blogs since I am not at work or being graded.

I can assure you that I would not have obtained a degree if I typed my term papers and reports or P&L reports in the same style that I blog.

Not to mention there is no way to correct spelling errors which I noticed after I hit post.

Yikes, maybe I am better off working with the techies, they are more forgiving.