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Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought "No one is madder than me about it" is incorrect. I thought it was supposed to be "No one is madder than I." At least from what I recall from my junior high English teachers, you insert the verb afterward: no one is madder than I (am). Has this changed?
Actually, I think that it would be more correct to say, "No one is more angry than I".
However, if you are referring to people with severe emotional problems, "mad", is probably the correct word to use in that sentence.
Actually, I think that it would be more correct to say, "No one is more angry than I". However, if you are referring to people with severe emotional problems, "mad", is probably the correct word to use in that sentence.
Proper grammar has been dying for the last 1000 years. Take a look at Beowulf to see just how far it has gone downhill.
The Old English grammar of Beowulf was in the process of changing, as all grammar always has been and always will be. It wasn't 'dying' and it's not 'dying' now, nor is it 'going downhill' - it is changing. No living language is immune from this.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rocky Raab
I'm told by reliable sources that grammar is no longer taught - even in grammar school, ironically. They teach self-appreciation, and they teach art, and they teach computer skills. But schools apparently assume that students will somehow absorb grammar by osmosis.
You need to reevaluate your notion of 'reliable' sources. My wife is an elementary schoolteacher and my children have finished Middle School and are in High School. Grammar is most certainly taught.
Frankly, much of this thread suffers consists of an inability to distinguish between 'change' and 'deterioration', with nostalgia for how things were during a person's formative years leading to that person concluding that such a state was, if not perfect, much better than any state that has followed. This is a very self-centered way of looking at things.
Language changes. Get over it.
Some people communicate effectively without worrying about every last rule of the English language. Get over it.
Everywhere I look I am inundated with it. I don't mind a minor flaw here or there in writing. But, I consistently see horrific misspellings, run-on sentences, lack of paragraph structuring, incoherent themes, etc.. What makes me cringe the most is when somebody presents themself as being educated and their post looks like it was written by a third grader.
What has happened to our educational system?
While the American education system has devolved to the level of slop, one has to remember that English is an evolving language. It frequently changes as the years go by and in different countries.
One of the great things is that you can just about tell a person's education level by their posts and comments.
Last edited by sargentodiaz; 10-31-2013 at 06:39 PM..
Everywhere I look I am inundated with it. I don't mind a minor flaw here or there in writing. But, I consistently see horrific misspellings, run-on sentences, lack of paragraph structuring, incoherent themes, etc.. What makes me cringe the most is when somebody presents themself as being educated and their post looks like it was written by a third grader.
What has happened to our educational system?
Schools don't seem to be stressing writing skills like they did when I was a kid. I suspect that much of it is due to English becoming a much less popular college major than it was in the past. And teaching as a career isn't very attractive these days either, as increasingly more public schools are getting their budgets cut to the bone.
There is also the internet to consider. A lot of folks who would never write a letter to a newspaper, for example, will comment in forums like this one, or by email. Folks with a lot on their mind also start up blogs, and I have read more than one blog that was written so poorly it was completely confusing.
I've always tried to write like a good carpenter cuts a board: measure twice, cut once. When I write it's: think twice, write once. Creating a well-turned phrase can make a big difference.
Schools don't seem to be stressing writing skills like they did when I was a kid. I suspect that much of it is due to English becoming a much less popular college major than it was in the past. And teaching as a career isn't very attractive these days either, as increasingly more public schools are getting their budgets cut to the bone.
There is also the internet to consider. A lot of folks who would never write a letter to a newspaper, for example, will comment in forums like this one, or by email. Folks with a lot on their mind also start up blogs, and I have read more than one blog that was written so poorly it was completely confusing.
I've always tried to write like a good carpenter cuts a board: measure twice, cut once. When I write it's: think twice, write once. Creating a well-turned phrase can make a big difference.
Speaking of correct grammar, I believe you have the incorrect use of the colon semi-colon is more appropriate
Quote:
Originally Posted by jtur88
Everything dies. It's a part of the process. Proper grammar does to. That is how languages evolve.
I really hope that was deliberate and not accidental Noting grates me more than native English speakers unable to distinguish between to, too, two; where, were, we're; they're, there, and their; not to mention the overuse of "apostrophe's"
Quote:
Originally Posted by Retriever
Actually, I think that it would be more correct to say, "No one is more angry than I".
However, if you are referring to people with severe emotional problems, "mad", is probably the correct word to use in that sentence.
I would also like to point out that people seem to hypercorrect themselves a lot when it comes to personal pronouns. For example, people say, "No one knows it better than Mike and I" when it should be, "No one knows it better than Mike and me"
While the American education system has devolved to the level of slop, one has to remember that English is an evolving language. It frequently changes as the years go by and in different countries.
One of the great things is that you can just about tell a person's education level by their posts and comments.
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semi-colon is more appropriate
Noting grates me more than native English speakers unable to distinguish between to, too, two; where, were, we're; they're, there, and their; not to mention the overuse of "apostrophe's" 
