Grammar - Get it right!!!

[Hippy-chick]

Oh, don't get me started on students and their atrocious spelling, grammar, punctuation, style, presentation ... :o science students tend to be the worst offenders. What they have been learning in their English lessons I just can't imagine!!! And I work at a really prestigious university ;-)

 

Well, I'm Arts Faculty. Sorry, I'm very confused - was not aware that science students ever studied english grammar.

 

My university does not claim to be prestigious, we're just one of the oldest.

[Bookworm]

APOSTROPHE'S!

That's what really get's up my nose!

 

[a place for everything and everything in its place!/quote]

 

I think that it was written that way to be sarcastic. Can't be 100% certain, but pretty sure.

[Ell-enn]

... and don't get me started on where, were, wear, ware..............

[Woolleykat]

Teach kid's propper like:D

[Brassed off]

... and don't get me started on where, were, wear, ware..............

 

.........and we're:rolleyes:

 

Don't get me started either - I hate apostrophes in plurals - ie potato's, tomato's, leek's, cabbage's, cucumber's......

[Ell-enn]

I know - it drives you mad doesn't it... I was staying in a hotel a few months ago and there was a sign on reception saying "would guest's please ask for a car park disc on arrival" when I asked guest's what? they had no idea what I was talking about!!! I pointed out the mistake and they still stared at me as if I was an alien. However, the sign was corrected later in the day.... and this was in a 4 star hotel !!!

[Paintball]

Well, I'm Arts Faculty. Sorry, I'm very confused - was not aware that science students ever studied english grammar.

 

My university does not claim to be prestigious, we're just one of the oldest.

 

English lessons at school!! ... they will have had to study english grammar, etc whether they liked it or not

[demon_x_slash]

English lessons at school!! ... they will have had to study english grammar, etc whether they liked it or not

 

It's a nice and quite sweet misconception that English grammar is still actually taught in schools. I'm 22, and can safely say that my standard education, in 'decent' state schools, from infant to primary to secondary to A level to Uni, left a lot to be desired. We were never even taught what a preposition, or a noun actually was - the only reason I'm good at it is that I can eat books at a rate of five a minute Similarly, we were one of the first years to use calculators in infant and primary school. We didn't learn by rote and repetition, something I now consider essential to absorb the basic building blocks of a subject. I blame my slight mental hiccup with numbers on this - I can do the maths, but I'm slow to work out, and if someone pressurises me to do it quickly, I fall to pieces. Don't even talk to me about times tables higher than five.

I fear the same is happening with science lessons, too - and tbh, I really don't blame the children for being unwilling to learn in this particular subject. The science lessons I encountered were always unbearably dull, and I love science and the natural world. Experiments and dissections were out of the question; the videos we were forced to endure were grainy 1970s humdrum. I listen to James O'Brien's Mystery Hour on LBC FM with my mouth agape sometimes, as people call in with questions that are so unbelievable it's untrue. "James, my question is: Did cavewomen have periods?" "James, the Earth spins, right? So why don't we all fall off?" Keeeeryst on a bike.

[Hippy-chick]

One of the questions we asked first years in our assessment exercise was:

 

"What are the parts of speech?"

 

Most of them did not even understand the question and waffled about how to give a speech.

 

[Woolleykat]

I have noticed in our area that more schools seem to be teaching the basics i.e what a noun, verb, pronoun etc. is but why do they bother? A few years and they will be talking in text speak which will probably become the English lesson in schools.

[Paintball]

One of the questions we asked first years in our assessment exercise was:

 

"What are the parts of speech?"

 

Most of them did not even understand the question and waffled about how to give a speech.

 

 

 

Haha! beginning, middle and end? ... of course!

[stevokenevo]

We were never even taught what a preposition, or a noun actually was -.

 

My 7 year old is learning the meaning of verbs, nouns, adjectives etc, this is standard in scottish schools.

[Guest wino]

Everyone should be taught in school to speak proper england like what I does!!!!

[stevokenevo]

I know - it drives you mad doesn't it... I was staying in a hotel a few months ago and there was a sign on reception saying "would guest's please ask for a car park disc on arrival" when I asked guest's what? they had no idea what I was talking about!!! I pointed out the mistake and they still stared at me as if I was an alien. However, the sign was corrected later in the day.... and this was in a 4 star hotel !!!

 

? you have a spelling mistake in your profile, not very professional

[Woolleykat]

Everyone should be taught in school to speak proper england like what I does!!!!

No Wino - it's proper English like what I does

[Hippy-chick]

Haha! beginning, middle and end? ... of course!

 

That would be funny, if it was not the case that so many of the anwers were exactly that.

 

:-?

[Guest wino]

Oh Woolleykat. You're so wise:D

[stevokenevo]

? you have a spelling mistake in your profile, not very professional

 

 

I see it has been corrected! We all make mistakes eh ;-)

[Ell-enn]

well, you know what they say........ the person who never makes a mistake - never does any work!! lol;)

[stevokenevo]

well, you know what they say........ the person who never makes a mistake - never does any work!! lol;)

 

 

[queenjomati]

And what about when people say " that'll learn ya". However the joy of the English language is that the word order of a sentence does'nt make much difference as to the understanding. . . . . "the man goes down the street" . . . "down the street the man goes" . . .

[stevokenevo]

And what about when people say " that'll learn ya". However the joy of the English language is that the word order of a sentence does'nt make much difference as to the understanding. . . . . "the man goes down the street" . . . "down the street the man goes" . . .

 

what about people who write does'nt instead of doesn't

 

you just can't win

[queenjomati]

It gets better!!! A weather forecaster on the BBC couldn't even use the right words to descibe the weather movements,... apparently rain can meander. I thought that rivers or streams meander so do people sometimes but rain!!!! I have this image of rain drops wandering all over the place.

[queenjomati]

Has anyone spotted the huge gaffe on the bisto advert!!!!!!!! an excellent example of tortology(sp)!!!!

[Hippy-chick]

tortology(sp)!!!!

 

What's that - logic for tortoises?