A recent article in the Metro newspaper (Feb 2 2010) reported complaints from university professors regarding today’s grammar. Apparently, technology like Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging are causing this generation of post-secondary students to fail spectacularly when it comes to academic writing. Let’s look at some common text/FB/Twitter/etc phrases for a moment:

K thx c u l8r xoxo ilu (Ok thanks, see you later. Hugs & kisses, I love you)

I dunno y u want 2 no (I don’t know. Why do you want to know?)

Ok – maybe they have something of a valid argument. However, I find it hard to believe that even the dumbest of students would write that way, typically, in a university research paper, exam, or essay. I would assume that most students can tell the difference between academic assignments and a blinking screen.

No folks, I don’t buy it. I don’t think this is where the egregious errors are coming from. The truth is, these problems started before all this technology happened; we can’t blame FB for grammar failings from 10+ years ago, sorry. To look at the spelling and grammar errors being committed by native speakers of English without learning disabilities, we need to look elsewhere: our schools

Curriculum. Take a look at the curricula in public elementary and public high schools. (I never attended private or Catholic so I can’t speak to what happens there!) How much time is designated for reading, writing and spelling? Not very much. Look especially at high school: students can barely write two-page essays, but core English consists of literature study, as opposed to actual grammar. Literature study is important, absolutely; but reading Margaret Atwood’s Cat’s Eye, delicious as it is, isn’t going to help those students write their essays in university. Students are graduating from public school and high school without the ability to write, period. This is unacceptable. Ask a random native speaker to break apart the parts of a sentence: noun, verb, adjective, adverb, subject, object, pronoun, etc. It will be hard for them. Look at they way people write; they mix up two, to and too; they mix up their, there and they’re. Your and you’re. These are BASICS. These are things that should be taught in the primary level. Academic writing is not like blogging, texting or casual emailing. Our systems are failing our students by not providing them with the basics; it is assumed they will pick up writing skills from reading. Reading provides a great example of sentence structure and writing flow, but it isn’t enough. Students need to be actively engaged in creating sentences and paragraphs; pretending to read them in class is not enough.

Expectations. If professors in universities are having all these problems, then we need to ask ourselves, “Why are the students in university?” If they can’t formulate sentences properly, how did they graduate? I seem to recall writing many essays in high school; someone’s reading them and marking them, so someone must be aware of the dire straights of these students. Why should they graduate from high school if they can’t put sentences together? The “no child left behind” policy is a sham; it does not help the students achieve anything other than putting one over on the system, and then getting in over their heads at college or university. Students should not be able to pass their core English courses if they are unable to do the work. Period.

Bottom line: While it is possible that the new technology and social networking isn’t helping the problem, it’s not fair to say they’re causing it, either. Facebook and Twitter, text messaging and IM may be helping students reinforce their mistakes, but the mistakes they’re making in the first place are a result of lack of solid, basic education. Post-secondary students should be able to write well; in may cases, their education depends on it. However, they are not well prepared in elementary school and high school, and no one seems to really care. We need to get back to the basics, and arm our children with the basic skills they need to express themselves. We need to engage the students in the process, and set realistic expectations: if you can’t do the work, you can’t pass the course. Universities would do well, as an extra thought, to construct a mandatory English grammar course for all first-year students, regardless of program of study. Don’t send borderline illiterate students out into the world!

Having almost completed a degree in psychology, I understand enough about the human mind to know that even an individual doesn’t undesrstand why he thinks the way he does. Most people, however, do not have university degrees in psychology, and therefore are unlikely to understand anything in depth about the way we think. The way we think… I guess that’s what my series of articles is going to be about. I am interested in exploring and challenging a lot of pre-conceptions that we as a society hold. I am on a personal mission to understand what we do, and why we do it.

I want to begin my series of articles on our world by discussing different structures of thought. From my own personal experience, I find that most philosophical arguments between laymen (myself included) result from different worldviews, specifically idealism and realism. To define my terms, Google defines realism as “the attribute of accepting the facts of life and favoring practicality and literal truth” and idealism as “impracticality by virtue of thinking of things in their ideal form rather than as they really are”.

By these definitions, it sounds like idealism is simply day dreaming and worthless. Why would we think about life as ideal when we know that we will probably never achieve it? We should focus on improving life in realistic ways. In other words, we can’t go from what is real, to what is ideal, practically… or realistically. The reason why we need idealism is to know in which direction to make realistic improvements. How would we know how good things could be, if we don’t think of them idealistically? It is therefore necessary to have a balance of both.

So, how do these two philosophies affect our perception of day-to-day experience? My uncle, a man I deeply respect, is most definitely a realist. He is a strong believer in taking power away from government and putting it back in the hands of citizens. He understands that governments are not perfect and are not always looking out for all their citizens and therefore should have less power. I, on the other hand, believe in giving more power to governments. I think that a controlling body should govern people and we should lose some of our personal freedoms and entrust them to the government. But then again, I don’t know any idealists that would realistically make that suggestion.

Regardless, when you read my following articles, keep this in mind. I will make sure to clarify if I am approaching something from a realistic or an idealistic perspective. Most of the time, it will be idealistic… what can I say, I’m a dreamer.

*Sigh* I can’t believe I have to write this, Toronto. I can’t believe that after we’ve all been using the TTC for so many years, we’re still having to sit down and talk about what you should and shouldn’t be doing on public transit. I can’t believe there are still so many ill-mannered miscreants in this city that I have to write this article! Well, here we go…

DO NOT … Put your stuff on the seat next to you if the bus/subway is full. If half the seats are empty and you want to put your bag on one, you may do so freely. However, if people are stadning because your purse/shopping bag/briefcase is taking up a seat, you need to move your stuff (whatever it may be) onto the floor, thus freeing up a seat for another weary traveler. What’s that? Your bag is too good for the floor? Then that’s what your lap is for.

DO NOT … Charge the doors the moment the bus/subway stops. The people on the bus/subway need to get off B-E-F-O-R-E you get on. You won’t score any extra points for knocking over that little old lady with the bundle buggy, so you just wait your turn, tiger!

DO … Offer your seat to the elderly, infirm or pregnant. I’m not even going to get into detail here, this should be a no-brainer, unless you were raised in a barn. (People who were raised in barns have no business on the subway/bus anyway – get off and walk, animals!)

DO NOT … Block up the aisle with your stroller, toddler, and stroller/toddler accessories. Ok, we get it, you have a child with you, and that’s fantastic. I love kids, honest. I don’t love them stuck in the middle of the aisle (on the bus, they’re usually RIGHT behind the driver, where everyone needs to pass), running up and down the aisle, bumping into people who are trying to sleep, read or whatever. It’s also not great when you don’t put on the stroller brake, so that every time the bus moves or bumps, your stroller and child go careening into other passengers.

DO … Mind your vocabulary. You may have freedom of speech, but it’s also a public place – I paid just as much (if not more, since I pay regular fare, as opposed to student or senior fare) as you did, and while I’m certainly no prdue, I didn’t pay to hear your extremely profane conversation. Maybe you’re just a moron who doesn’t have any other words to use, and I’m sorry for that, but it’s not my problem. Shut your mouth and buy a thesaurus. This is especially true when riding near small kids, the elderly, and everyone who is smarter than you which, given your demonstrated intellect, is everyone.

DO … Bathe and wear deodorant. This too should be a no-brainer, but just in case: have a shower or bath regularly. Wear deodorant. Keep colognes and perfumes subtle. I know it gets hot on the TTC sometimes, especially in the summer, and sometimes sweatiness is unavoidable. (This is wear deodorant/antiperspirant is your friend!) I get the problem. What I don’t get is why I can smell you from 10 seats over.

DO … Be courteous to your driver. A simple “good morning” or “hello” is all it takes. Don’t forget the “thank you” as you get off, too. I don’t care that you paid your fare and you have every right to be there – who are you to make the driver feel invisible and unappreciated. It doesn’t matter what your Mommy told you – you’re not THAT special. Be a nice person and say “thank you.” After all, the dirver delivered you in one piece and didn’t miss your stop, right?

Ok people, that should wrap it up. Did I miss anything? Just please, be conscious of those around you. We’re all tired, we all want to go home (or get to work on time) and we’re in this together. Treat your fellow riders the way you would like to be treated, and remember that it’s a service for everyone – that’s right, it’s not all about YOU.

Happy riding!

I was at the till a couple weeks ago at the local grocery store picking up a few things on my way home from the gym, when I noticed the front page of the tabloids proclaiming the Death of Brittany Murphy. I was deeply saddened by this; not because I watched all her films and knew her well, but because of the fact that she was young, depressed, and struggled with anorexia. I struck up a conversation with the young blond teller who had a non-chalant attitude about he whole thing. This teller viewed this event not as a tragedy, but as a “she should of seen it coming, really what did she expect treating her body that way”, matter of fact.

Now we are all entitled to our opinion but if you really look  into your life, how many times have you skipped a meal and added another 10 minutes to your cardio?  Maybe your not an exercise buff, what about taking meal replacements, diet pills, caffeine pills, barfed a little just to ease that overstuffed feeling?  I can tell you that I’ve been guilty of a least one of those things, actually two, but if  I’m honest with myself probably three.

So I ask myself, self, why do we do these things?  Is it because of the pressures society puts on us to  be thin and beautiful, fit and happy?  Or is because we are too focussed on what is going on outside of our own lives to deal with what’s really going on in ours.  The more I think about it I think it’s the latter of the two. I am guilty of buying “smutt mags” as my husband calls them.  Why do I do this? I do it for inspiration.  I do it to find tips on how to do that effective arm curl, or how I can avoid the dreaded lunges that I hate.  I do have to say that every once in a while if I’m not careful I find myself comparing myself to Katie Holmes or thinking it would be cool to have lips like Angelina Jolie.  For this reason I’ve made the switch to pure fitness magazines, that way I’m just looking at sculpted woman who have no name, not one that I know anyway,  and I can admire their efforts and aspire to be as dedicated as they are….or kind of.

I think we put these pressures to be something we are not on ourselves.  No one forces you to watch that movie, buy that book, or look at the annoying perfect girls profile on facebook.  We do it to our self.  There is nothing more attractive than a woman or man who is confident in who they are.  They could have a hunch like the Hunchback of Notra Dam, or a butt like Gloria off Madagascar, but if they exude confidence, that’s all you see. I was at a very close friend’s house and I was looking at a picture she had on her fridge.  It was a picture of her 100 lbs heavier than at present.  I exclaimed “wow, did I know you back than?”, and her response was “yes, you took that picture!”

So in the light of this tragedy, and the tragedies that occur on a daily basis due to self image; the grass is not always greener on the other side…if it seems to be, look closer, it’s probably clover.

Dear native-English speakers without learning disabilities:

Why have you all forgotten the grammar and spelling rules you learned in school? Why, once you have graduated from high school and/or post-secondary school, have you forgotten how to use an apostrophe or a semi-colon? Is it because you spend too much time texting and not enough time writing actual letters to people? (letter-writing is such a lost art!) Or is it because you spend too much time watching television and not enough time READING something?  Below is a list of what I’ve found to be some of the most common spelling/grammatical/word usage errors out there:

1. There, their, or they’re? Wait, you mean they aren’t interchangable? That’s right, they mean different things! “There” implies direction: “I put the Grammar for Dummies book over there.” “Their” implies ownership: “This is their Grammar for Dummies book.” “They’re” is a contraction of “they are” implying action: “They’re looking for a new Grammar for Dummies book.”
2. Your or you’re? Like above, these are similar, but not the same; they have different meanings. “Your” implies ownership: “Is that your teacher?” “You’re” is a contraction of “you are” implying description or prediction: “You’re going to be late for English class again!”
3. It’s or its? Once again, these are almost the same in appearance, but they do not have the same meaning.  “It’s” is a contraction of “it is,” as in: “It’s getting difficult to read your emails because of all the errors.” “Its” implies gender-neutral ownership: “I liked this book so much that I dog-eared some of its pages.”
4. Where do we put the word “at” in a sentence or question? If I hear someone say something like, “What time are we leaving  for class at?” I think I might scream. In such a question, the word “at” is not needed at all. “What time are we leaving for class?” is a correct question all on its own. For love of all that is grammatically holy, PLEASE refrain from putting the word “at” at the end of your questions and sentences. PLEASE. PLEASE!
5. “Irregardless” is not an actual word. I don’t care that your father, neighbour, or double-Ph.D professor uses it all the time, it is NOT a word. It has NO actual meaning, my friends. By having a prefix of “ir” and a suffix of “less” it is now a double-negative word, which would then turn into a positive, so we are left with “regardful,” which – you guessed it – NOT a word. People who use “irregardless” tend to be people who are trying to be impressive, or seem smarter than they actually are. Using a pretend word is probably not the best way to sound smart, however.
6. Between vs. Among? “Between” is for two people/places/items/etc: “Let’s keep my grammar mistakes between the two of us.” When talking about more than two people/places/items/etc.: “Just among the five of us, I use the word “irregardless” because I think it makes me sound smarter than I actually am.”

Now, you might be wondering: why did I address this open to letter to native-English speakers without learning disabilities? Well, to be brutally honest, non-native speakers of English, or native speakers with learning disabilities have excuses to make errors; the rest of us do not. Many grammatical/spelling/word choice errors we make are frankly the result of laziness, or an unwillingness to pay too much attention to how we speak. The sad part about that is that the words that come out of our mouth advertise us to other people; if you sound lazy, or uneducated, guess what that stranger over there will assume about you? He or she is not going to take the time to figure out whether or not you really DO know the difference between “regardless” and “irregardless,” they will simply assume you do not, and move on.

Does this make me and old-fashioned dinosaur? Probably. Will some people think of me as some kind of elitist? Most likely, unfair to me as that may be. You see, I’m not an elitist at all; I fully understand and support the idea that education and intelligence do not necessarily go hand in hand. However, I also fully understand and support the idea that if you want people take you seriously as a smart and mature individual, you must leave your adolescent text messaging and poorly constructed sentences behind you. When did it become “fashionable” to sound like a fool? When did we start being embarrassed by sounding too correct, instead of taking genuine joy in the beauty of our language? When did we begin looking the other way when glaring errors occur?

Please, native English speakers without learning disabilities, renew your pride in your language. Embrace its intricacies, its romance, its rules AND exceptions, and don’t be ashamed to be correct. Others around us may have lowered the bar, but that does NOT mean we cannot strive to raise it back up. Grammarians, stand and be counted: our time is now.