You know what really ‘Gets Me Going’? People who refuse to use punctuation in any area of their life. Whether it be social media, texts or emails. My annoyance level has increased greatly with this over the years. I can understand the majority maybe not being savvy with colons, semi-colons, accents etc., however, periods and commas are the punctuation that is most simplistic and necessary to make your 40-line paragraph read well.
I have a small theory that has given me clarity as to why this hideous epidemic exists. The social medias (yes, I pluralized it, I’m old) have given a platform to all, deserving or not. This platform has become a place of rejoice, venting, celebration and extreme over sharing. The need to be liked, seen and be shady has absolutely superseded any regard for representation of oneself etched online forever. It’s quite odd, really. Why one would not be careful or curious about their grammar if they’re knowingly not much of a scholar or a literature buff….at all is baffling! What pains me the most, is the younger generations who are mainly talking in text language and perhaps not paying much attention in their current studies, due to social medias. They may never know proper grammar and punctuation if it’s not made to be a priority or a valuable concept.
The underlying issue of it all leads largely to poor first impressions, communications being distorted and misunderstood, and lastly it can cost you money in the long run when doing business. Everyone wants to be an entrepreneur these days, and I’ve seen some pretty lousy contracts. A comma in the wrong place can make a huge difference when it comes to legal jargon. The most common errors include comma and apostrophe placement and the infamous run-on sentences. The use of double negatives is my personal most detested grammar error to see or hear in person. It just makes me lose all hope in whomever I’m speaking with. The ignorance towards grammar is something that has really decreased the intelligence of our society in general.
There are tons of ways to remedy this, the main including learning fundamental grammar. Exposing children to quality literature and raising the standard in the corporate environment and otherwise (if you saw some of the e-mails I receive at work, you would be annoyed). Lastly, let’s hold people accountable and let them know when they make these errors and how it can seem and sounds to others. I do my best to when I see chronic offenders. Let’s stop this grammar misuse and take back our feeds once and for all!
Thanks for reading! Cheers!
Trina Davenport, a Baltimore native, has been writing for over a decade and has an array of multiple talents. She holds a wealth of knowledge regarding media and loves to express herself through writing as well as a podcast she and her brother host. Trina’s background includes an IT degree as well as holding a four-year position as Vice President for a Baltimore Non-Profit. She also has a business called Vino Visuals that creates fine art using wine corks. She is thrilled to be a contributor to OutWire757.
Podcast: Absolutely Alphas (YouTube, SoundCloud, FB, IG and all major streaming platforms)
Art: Vinovisuals.com
