Whatever happened to grammar and spelling?

Me and my big nose!!

Hi just catching up...been busy working in a school and doing some inspecting of nurseries so not logged on for ages. All I will say is that the 'person in the street' has been fed the line that standards are declining but actually no evidence out there to prove it! It is a case of drip drip drip with auto-suggestion and people think it is true!

www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPJ_ZEBh1Bk&list=UU4NkS_w8o50U6jw2oksEMxQ&index=2&feature=plcp

Suggest anyone who thinks kids have an easy time watch this horrific DVD. These children are 5/6 yrs old.

Interesting comments below the video!

Ok, I know that cant and wont are words in their own right (although my iPad doesn't). I meant that can't and won't are evolving into cant and wont. Especially wont. Perhaps we have too many apostrophes?!

I hope they aren't! I haven't seen any evidence of it - but perhaps I'm not looking in the right places...

I've noticed it in emails from thirty somethings and younger. Places like Facebook especially. Perhaps it's just laziness.

The predictive text on my Android phone insets the apostrophes in words like can't and won't. I don't think I have ever used them in the un-apostrophised sense.

Perhaps not on your phone, but surely you would have used them at some time in the dim and distant - we can't let cant and wont become 'archaic'!

Of course, Ana in everyday discourse I am wont to use both of the constantly.

I am often tempted to use cant but I don't wish to offend other posters!

I'm sure I've never used "cant".

Our posts crossed then Greatnan. I wasn't commenting on yours.

OK. I can't recall the exact meaning of cant!

I know what it is, but can't put it into words!

(My brain hurts!)

You could always Google it, gramps!

Good thinking BatAna!

Cant | Define Cant at Dictionary.com
insincere, especially conventional expressions of enthusiasm for high ideals, goodness, or piety. 2. the private language of the underworld. 3. the phraseology ...
dictionary.reference.com/browse/cant - Similar

I couldn't explain it as well as that Ana. Thanks for reminder of google!

There used to be somebody on tv called Brian Cant.

Was he Playschool?

The opposite of Bob the Builder then

gracesmum!

Playaway

nanaej How terribly boring. Doesn't it put children off reading? Roopt, emt, sheb – why? (That's rhetorical – I have heard about this method of teaching reading. I remain unconvinced.)

Oh yes. Playaway!

Gracesmum

I thought the learning to 'sound out' video was good. I'm sure they have attractive reading books as well.

Clearing out some old emails from DH, I found this:

"Eye have a spelling chequer,
It came with my Pea Sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss Steaks I can knot sea.

Eye strike the quays and type a whirred
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am write oar wrong
It tells me straight a weigh.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your shore real glad two no.
Its vary polished in its weigh.
My chequer tolled me sew."