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"Artist's seem to survive the brittle line....." Ack!

Have the schools stopped teaching grammar and punctuation altogether?

Permalink Reply by Rudolfo Carrillo on May 16, 2008 at 10:55am: I guarantee that the schools have not stopped teaching grammar and punctuation. But, given the heaps of other stimuli available, some have stopped listening to those grammatical instructions.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Krista on May 26, 2008 at 3:37am: Not sure about New Mexico's teaching standards, but when I was in grad school in Atlanta I was frequently told by undergrads that their grade school teachers graded their essays only on content, and not on grammar or punctuation. Given that I was teaching a style of technical writing at the time, they, of course, detested me and my grading practices. I was never sure whether to believe their reports about the teaching standards in Georgia.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by GuitarDiva on May 26, 2008 at 7:08am: Having lived in Atlanta for a year, I wouldn't be surprised if that were true. It's just not important to people now. I don't see how you can properly express your content if you don't an adequate grasp of the tools, but apparently that's just me.

It's good someone is sticking to the idea of competent use of language!

It seems to go along with the idea that spelling doesn't matter; I'm amazed by by the number of people who don't know how to spell and are inordinately proud of that.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Krista on May 27, 2008 at 6:49am: "It seems to go along with the idea that spelling doesn't matter; I'm amazed by by the number of people who don't know how to spell and are inordinately proud of that."

Yes, I'll admit to being rather picky about writing skills, as well. I can't recall his name, but there is a currently very popular comedian in the UK who, during his stand-up routine, responded to one screaming fan's handmade sign with the quip, "I don't see how I could possibly have sex with someone who has such a flimsy grasp on English grammar." My sentiments exactly. I can't help it.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by GuitarDiva on May 28, 2008 at 8:28am: I LOVE that quip....I think I'll keep that one for future reference.

I can't help it, either.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by ze barefoot pirate on June 6, 2008 at 12:15pm: This is my pet peeve, and that is not the only example available on this site. (For example, Burque Bully's.) Wherever did people get the idea that an apostrophe shows plurality and not possession?

My children told me that their teachers stopped covering grammar after fifth grade.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Julie D'Arcy on June 27, 2008 at 10:59pm: Oh please... I'd be happy if half the people I meet could spell the word 'grammar.'
To defend the public schools, my 14 year old daughter took 'Gifted' Language Arts last year (and they were actually English Language Arts!) and she learned quite a lot! At the beginning of the year, she would ask me for help, and while I am a self-professed Grammar Maven, I'm also something of a natural at it, so I have no clue what any of the names of any of those grammar rules are! I'd usually have to go Google it! By the end of the year, she had it all down, and I expect her to be helping me with editing and proofreading soon.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by sophie on June 29, 2008 at 10:46am: Just in case anyone stumbles upon this conversation and wonders about the correct construction. The rules of English can be a little weird. For instance,

it is = it's
belonging to it = its

BUT! In other cases possession is denoted with an apostrophe:

Artist's = belonging to one artist
Artists' = belonging to several artists
Artists = plural artists (note the lack of apostrophe, since no possession is involved); ▶ Reply to This

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