The news feed this morning said something like this: “Most of us studied ancient history in school, learning about the Greeks, Romans and Egyptians.” And therein lies the problem.
“Most of us” no longer exists. History is not required in colleges, nor encouraged as a major or minor in studies, only taught one year in high schools. Even the good ‘ole English major is dying. My college has dropped it. Who needs that with technology to correct, inform, properly present ideas?
We need only look to the news to see that we do not understand or know history, and listen to the newscasters to recognize that grammar and pronunciation are random “suggestions.” Oh, I understand dialect and the choice of correct pronunciation, but the spoken word loses its power when grammar stands to be corrected. On the positive side, mistakes in speaking can also lead to endearing traits or cute nicknames – in childhood.
We all make errors, and if I’m fortunate, I discover mine before I open my mouth or print them. I encourage my children to point them out. (Who or whom?) I make them, Lord knows! However, I am grateful for the “sound and rounded” education I received. (I’ve also stopped correcting other’s grammar, unless it’s the newscasters who can’t hear me.)
My downfall? Punctuation! I love the exclamation point, question mark and dash. I use them liberally and in the strictest sense, incorrectly. They are the brush strokes of writing and give the flair to my sentences, and they are often not properly in use. So there! My morning “rankling.”
Sigh. I’m getting old!
