Forum English Vs Review English Options

[RLM]

I am fairly certain that those who post on the forum also post to the campground review pages.

I was just reading some campground reviews and noticed a difference in writing techniques. Most forum posts appear to be well written, grammatically correct, easily understood, and convey information quite effectively. But many campground reviews are not even close to what I read here on the forum. When one reads the review comments they sound choppy and abbreviated. It's like the writer thinks that there isn't enough space to make a complete sentence in the review so they throw out any noun/verb combinations. The lack of web space cannot be true, because I have also read some very nicely written reviews that comply with basic English 101 techniques.

Assuming that an individual makes posts in both places, it's like a Jekyll and Hyde situation. Why does a person communicate well on the forum and then use grammar and sentence structure that would be graded an F by any self-respecting 5th grade English teacher?

I'm not an English teacher nor am not trying to offend anyone or change the 'system.' I am most likely an offender myself. It was just an observation and I was wondering why the difference.

[joez]

Even though I live in a glass house, I also cringe sometimes when I see word abuse and misuse. I wonder, though, if part of what we see is an accelerating change in the way American English is spoken and written (and being taught) today. I had a friendly discussion recently with my granddaughter's English teacher (at a rather elite private school). They are minimizing the teaching of cursive writing (it is kind of a useless skill anymore) and spelling, sentence structure, word use, and other "rules" of English that we were taught to rigidly adhere to are less important there. Much of what she said stuck in my craw, but there are a lot of things youngsters are exposed to today that I neither understand nor agree with. But, then again, our generation had our chance. It is time to move aside and make room for the youngsters.

[docj]

They are minimizing the teaching of cursive writing (it is kind of a useless skill anymore) and spelling, sentence structure, word use, and other "rules" of English that we were taught to rigidly adhere to are less important there. Much of what she said stuck in my craw, but there are a lot of things youngsters are exposed to today that I neither understand nor agree with. But, then again, our generation had our chance. It is time to move aside and make room for the youngsters.

Regardless of what that school believes is the proper approach to teaching English, for quite a few years the hiring decisions for the jobs those young people apply for will be made by people like us who learned the traditional rules for the use of the language. If two applicants are equally qualified for a position but one writes his resume in "text speak" and the other uses "proper English", does anyone want to guess which applicant is more likely to get the job? Someday it may not matter, but I bet it will for a good many years to come.

Quite a few years ago, when men's earrings were still fairly controversial, one of my sons asked me if he could get an earring. I told him that I didn't care, but that when he applied to get a job a few years hence he would have to interview with an old fart like me. I said that if I had one applicant with and earring and one without I would probably give the edge to the one without. It may not be fair, but it was the real world, I told him. Guess what--he never did get that earring.

[DXSMac]

Quite a few years ago, when men's earrings were still fairly controversial, one of my sons asked me if he could get an earring. I told him that I didn't care, but that when he applied to get a job a few years hence he would have to interview with an old fart like me. I said that if I had one applicant with and earring and one without I would probably give the edge to the one without. It may not be fair, but it was the real world, I told him. Guess what--he never did get that earring.

Excellent parenting! You weren't judgemental, but you gave him reality.