Grammar Pet Peeves

[AOII_LB93]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

I was about to come in here and mention code-switching until I saw you had mentioned it. I'd be careful in "correcting" students without qualifying the correction by saying that it's appropriate to speak the language of business (or whatever you choose to call it) IN SCHOOL. Students today are required to speak the white man's English. When they're told that their language is "wrong" it alienates them even more from those who were brought up speaking Standard English.

Kids today are a hot mess. But, we're seeing more and more that kids are being raised by parents who are kids themselves. Our society is set-up for people who work best under rules, who have a network of people pushing/pulling them up and up, and who value obtaining the object over fostering personal relationships. Too many children are wedged into a world not made for them which is why it is critical for students to see people who are like them (ethnic and/or socio-economic similarity) doing positive things with confidence. And, children need for people to understand that it's ok for them to use their own CORRECT dialect, but that they also have to be trained in how to use Standard English in order to survive in the world of academia. It's like learning an entirely new language for a lot of kids.

On the n-word. If its in use at home, it's not our place to "correct" it. It IS our place to restrict its use (and the use of other words that may offend) in the space called school. School isn't just a place to learn facts; it's a place to be trained on how to act within a society that's foreign to you.

I know what you're saying, but the kids saying "mines" are white and they think it's proper to say it. I think we are getting far too worried about what is PC and whose feelings we're going to hurt by not correcting people when they make mistakes.

And on the n-word...unacceptable. It doesn't matter if their parents allow them to use it at home, it's unacceptable in professional and school settings. If I dropped the n-word, f-bomb, etc... in a professional or scholarly environment, you can bet that I would get looks. My husband wanders about the house in his boxers, should he do it outside the house because it's ok at home? No, I would hope if he did someone would tell him that it's a bad idea and to go put on some clothing.

/hijack

Ever eaten at a restaurant with any of these kids? I have and it's appalling. I have had to have etiquette lessons with the vast majority of my students that I take to France or to our French club banquet at a very nice restaurant. Most of them have no clue what proper table manners are or how to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner. If I didn't do this, I'm sure I'd have GC members starting posts about the horrible school group that ate at the restaurant last night, or the rude kids on the airplane etc...

/end hijack.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by AOII_LB93

I know what you're saying, but the kids saying "mines" are white and they think it's proper to say it. I think we are getting far too worried about what is PC and whose feelings we're going to hurt by not correcting people when they make mistakes.

And on the n-word...unacceptable. It doesn't matter if their parents allow them to use it at home, it's unacceptable in professional and school settings. If I dropped the n-word, f-bomb, etc... in a professional or scholarly environment, you can bet that I would get looks. My husband wanders about the house in his boxers, should he do it outside the house because it's ok at home? No, I would hope if he did someone would tell him that it's a bad idea and to go put on some clothing.

/hijack

Ever eaten at a restaurant with any of these kids? I have and it's appalling. I have had to have etiquette lessons with the vast majority of my students that I take to France or to our French club banquet at a very nice restaurant. Most of them have no clue what proper table manners are or how to conduct themselves in an acceptable manner. If I didn't do this, I'm sure I'd have GC members starting posts about the horrible school group that ate at the restaurant last night, or the rude kids on the airplane etc...

/end hijack.

I think I'm being misread. I'm saying school is a place to train students how to act in academic and professional settings. Anything that is not acceptable in such settings should be banned from the classroom.

However, it is not the responsibilty of a teacher to counter what is being taught at home when the parents' views are not the same as the teacher's views. Telling a child, "you may do that at home, but it is not acceptable here" is different from telling a child, "it is wrong to do that, period."

[tld221]

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

lol - (and it's "damn it") YES - there are far too many comma-crazed writers out there.



(as you can tell, i need to up my apostrophe game when i type.)

eta - although maybe you used "dammit" in a colloquial sense. If so, I apologize.

I also dislike the mailboxes that say "The Brown's". Again with the apostrophe! What is it The Brown owns? Do you perhaps mean The Browns, as in more than one Brown?

i agree. and im gonna throw in semi-colons. theyre the underdog of getting used correctly, and it hurts my heart when theyre thrown in all willy-nilly.

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

I've noticed lately people keep using quotes to emphasize things - for example, a sign will read "OUR PRICES ARE THE "LOWEST" IN TOWN!!" instead of "OUR PRICES ARE THE LOWEST IN TOWN!!" It looks so stupid, and I see it all the time. Drives me nuts.

Originally Posted by VandalSquirrel

Irregardless

irregardless is just dumb. seriously.

as for the misuse of quotemarks:

http://quotation-marks.blogspot.com/

[MSKKG]

So many good ones after my other post.

One of my sons had an English teacher who would correct signs in restaurants. I think she used a red pen or marker!

What about whose/who's? Guess we can include them in the homonym category.