When I attempted Uni, I was horrified that marks came from not the content of the essay, but the structure and conventions. I could have a well thought out, well written argument and still get horrible marks because I didn't format with one and a half spacing and my referencing was in the wrong order. What are we teaching people? Not to think for themselves, but to follow convention thought out 100 years ago... Needless to say I didn't last long. I couldn't handle the fact that those who couldn't spell or use a full stop would pass and I wouldn't. To be honest, it's the only thing holding me back from further study - all the petty rules.
Grammar, however, is not petty. It's civilised.
I had a friend who wrote long winded text messages and instant chats, always without punctuation, and mostly with incorrect spelling. It would take me minutes instead of seconds to read these messages because I could not, for the life of me, work out what the hell she was trying to say. I would make fun of it, firstly as a joke, but then it got really irritating. It's not the reason we're not friends any more, but gee I don't miss her messages!
My grammar isn't perfect, but I sure as hell want others to correct it for me. I take these hints and tips on board. I don't correct others unless we've had this discussion and they want to improve, but it doesn't stop me from doing it in my head, and judging them for their errors. I automatically think a little less of a person just because they can't grasp seemingly simple concepts and language rules. If that makes me a bitch... well then I wear that crown with pride.
What are some of the things that irritate you about grammar?
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