The Internet has done countless wonderful things for humankind. That said, it has led to decline in respect for the written word, especially regarding grammar, punctuation, and capitalization, and most egregiously, spelling. As Exhibit A, I would suggest anyone take a good look at any Facebook page. If you want to be taken more seriously and not annoy the more discerning people you know, learn to avoid these common Facebook mistakes. You won’t even need cash loans to get a tutor.
1. They knew the difference between “your” and “you’re” in days of yore
For some reason this word seems to be misused more often than it is used correctly. The word “you’re” is a contraction of “you” and “are” and yes, uses an apostrophe. Take a second to edit – it won’t take long and you’ll look better for it. You double check your information before you submit a personal loan application, right? The word “your” is a possessive, as in “your grammar skills are worse than a middle school student, and you’re 40.”
2. Apostrophe usage
Many people have decided that using apostrophes is unnecessary when posting message for all the world to see on Facebook. This makes communication confusing, and more to the point, annoying. If you use a possessive that uses a contraction, use an apostrophe – if 12 year olds know that you don’t have an excuse. It also engages your pinkie, the most neglected of your digits.
3. Capitalization that doesn’t involve D.C.
I will admit to guilt on this one if using an instant messenger. However, that’s because many times a lag in the conversation can make it confusing. That said, a Facebook status message can be edited before your pathetic grammar skills are put on display for all to see. Capitalize things, especially when referring to yourself as “I.”
4. Using homophones incorrectly
Homophones are words that sound the same but are spelled differently and have different meanings. For instance, if you don’t know the difference between “passed” and “past,” “then” you are worse at your own language “than” a 5th grader, this is far “too” obvious “to” ignore – see what I did there? This bothers me mostly because I think that if writers were to think for a split second, they'd know the correct form to use.
5. Unpunctual punctuation
People use punctuation on Facebook that doesn’t actually exist or have a function in the English language. For instance, I have a friend who often uses “..” instead of an ellipsis (…) or a period. Why? I understand that commas and hyphens and semicolons and such are way too much to ask for, but at least stick to real punctuation. Calm down on the exclamation point usage while you're at it.
6. Copy/paste statuses
It isn’t so much a mistake as an instance where the mistakes are more glaring. Not everyone is a fan of "copy and paste this to your status " trend, and it bothers me even more when I see the same mistake over and over. If you do copy and paste one of those viral status messages, go ahead and fix mistakes in it. It isn’t as if it is that difficult. Getting online cash loans is about as easy.
7. Titling Quizzes
I have actually seen grammatical mistakes in quiz titles that were about grammar. The authors aren’t always obvious, but if you write something that will get wide circulation, please get it right. It is bad enough that we have to be bothered with announcements about who is taking what quiz, but numerous quizzes with incorrect titles are something we all don’t want to see a lot of.
No comments:
Post a Comment