This is not the first time I've talked about this, and without a doubt, it will not be my last. It all goes back to a statement that I've heard from so many people, but it's one that I've also said that I have a hard time believing. Now that I think about it, however, it's becoming more and more believable. That statement is, "I don't care what other people think about me." Since I do care what they think about me, I always found that statement a little hard to accept. I think my opinion really began to change when I first got on facebook, and I starting reading what everyone posted as their status. I was not prepared for the number of misspelled words and grammatical errors that were showing up on post after post and, I must admit, I was a little surprised at just who some of them were coming from. Now I have no doubt that there are many people who will be reading this article that can point out a number of mistakes I've made in this one writing alone, but I think the difference is, I do care and I want to do it right. None of us will get it perfect every time, yet I'm convinced that the ones who are concerned about how it makes them look will have much fewer errors in their writing.
Several weeks ago in one of my "Thinking Out Loud" columns, I made the statement that we will reap what we "sew." Then one of my really good friends pointed out that, when used in that context, the word should have been "sow." I knew the instant that I saw it that she was right, and I had to resist the temptation to send out a correction. When we speak or write, our words, and how we use them, will automatically give an impression of us and our level of intelligence, whether we like it or not. I don't know about you, but that concerns me.
Probably the most common error that I see on facebook is the misuse of the word "your." For example, someone will say "Thank you" and the response will be "Your welcome." The correct way to say it is, "You're welcome." "Your" shows ownership, while "you're" means "you are." That example is just the most common error, but it is not the only one by a long shot. Coming in at a close second place is the failure to separate sentences with periods. I have a hard time figuring out what a person is trying to say when all their sentences run together. Now, let me mention just one more thing before I get off of my soap box: Speaking with a southern accent does not make a person seem dumb, but butchering the English language does.
I just thought I'd mention a few of the things that "jump up" at me, because when I mess up, I want someone to point out my error so I'll be less likely to make the same mistake twice. But, of course, none of what I've been talking about really matters unless we care.
Okay, so now I'm worried that maybe I sound angry...but I promise I'm not. See, I told you that I care about what other people think.
Preston
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