A friend once told me "I'm not doing good in Spanish class". I replied, "Maybe you should focus on learning English first." The adverb is an important part of the English language, but it is utterly forgotten in our modern world. An adverb is a word which modifies an adjective, a verb or another adverb. As an example, dogs run quickly. Dogs do not run fast. Also, I am not doing good, I am doing well. It is a relatively simple concept, but numerous Americans have ignored the existence of this vast set of words. When a teacher says, "Do good on this test!" I cringe in pain, hoping that he or she can successfully teach complex subjects when not even able to practice basic grammar. It seems as if a whole sect of our language has experienced somewhat of a genocide and has completely disappeared. Perhaps this is a plan Al-Qaeda, or perhaps this is a part of the legacy of George W. Bush. Regardless of the cause, we as Americans must fervently break from the norm and revive the usage of these essential words. The next time someone asks you, "How are you doing?", dare to be different and reply "Well"; prove that you are not a Joe Schmoe. All are fallible in terms of grammar, but we must not be ignorant.
I cringe when I receive a message online that reads something like, "r u gonna? okayy. omg! ur pic suks! jk jk, lol." Has the person who sent the message failed to pass the first grade? Did their computer throw up in their message? Are my eyes going bad? No. Actually, the person is just lazy and impudent. When confronted with this type of message, I usually conclude that the person doesn't value me enough to waste time typing out whole words and complete thoughts. As a result, I don't bother to waste time responding. This is just casual messaging, but what happens when these types of people who lack the basic and essential ability to communicate enter the business world? In an age with intrinsic spell check programs on computers, people have no excuse to communicate so poorly. It is debilitating to me when I see advertisements for businesses that have obvious errors in spelling or grammar. It befuddles me that people have begun to use abbreviations such as "lol" in daily verbal conversation. These communication problems will only get worse, as our "future leaders", the teenagers, religiously use websites such as Facebook or Myspace on which a complete and proper sentence seems sinful. Languages were developed to allow effective communication, and we must unequivocally aim to communicate effectively with them.
In conclusion, I hope that you reserve "@" for your email address, that you pay attention to spell check, and that you dare to conduct yourself differently.
-P. I. Lumen
1 comment:
As you assert, languages were designed for effective communication. If the majority of people no longer use "well" and instead use "good", then shouldn't we all just agree that "good" is the proper word?
It is effective communication. No one is confused by its use. Just like the SMS shorthand "r u gonna" is effective. You knew what the sender's intent was, even if you refused to answer for elitest reasons.
The grammar rules of ages past were not writ on stone by gods, they were just what was agreed on at the time. They are not better, just older.
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