Nobody is perfect, Penstemmon! Perhaps you use the word because it best describes you, rather than its grammatical function. That, rather than habit, is such a nicer way of explaining it!

just figured out how to do this!

Written communication in correct English with correct punctuation is important! Why? So that there is no liklihood of misunderstanding.

Yes, our language has evolved and, as far as business letters are concerned, the staid "I remain, Sir, your obedient servant" would be ridiculous now. But even in emails, if you're communicating on a business level, correct spelling and grammar is so important.

You'd be surprised how much people are judged on their written communication skills. They may be really good at what they do but if they can't spell or they use poor grammar they may be judged as being ill-schooled or slapdash.

According to Minibags, rinouchka, the expression "I'm good" in response to a query of how one is, is the same as "I'm fine". Her argument goes like this: "I'm fine" means "I'm feeling fine" and "I'm good" means "I'm feeling good". In this casual greeting context 'good' and 'fine' are synonyms.

It's not going to get any better. I work in a school office and the majority of the teachers (all with degrees) are incapable of writing their end of year reports or letters in acceptable English. Absolutely dreadful. (The Headteacher and I have to trawl through them to correct, and mainly they just don't see that what they have written is incorrect/rubbish either). If you saw some of the letters we get from applicants for jobs or from college students or Year 10 pupils asking for work experience placements you would want to scream. (Sometimes I do, but very quietly!)

I just don't get how teachers, of all people, can possibly get through their degrees with such bad grammar? We'd have been marked down for that, even in University.

I very much agree with Louizalass. Punctuation is necessary to make sense of the written word. I have recently received several business letters and had to read them several times to try and makes sense of them. Without sounding like a complete 'Old Fa*t' and understanding that language is always evolving, why are standards slipping? Why is poor grammar not given more credence in examinations?

My pet hate, nay loathe (although I suppose this is regarding pronunciation rather than grammar) is the addition of 'shh' in words, in particular that 'assume' has become (to those under 30, anyway) a-shume, or is it me?

Thank you thatbags...and minibags for the clarification. Still don't like but accept your explanation!

Oh no! I also missed an 'o' off too!

I think there are still a lot of people who can write well, entertainingly, interestingly, and with good command of grammar and diction. Common, casual usage will always be what MrBags and I would call "another animal". Always has been. It's just like everything else human: vast variation and inventiveness. I think it's fab.

That's me saying I don't think the language is going to the dogs deteriorating.

To/too
Lose/loose
These make my eye develop a tic!

My pet hate at the moment is the inappropriate use of the word 'like', as in 'I was like...' This is instead of 'I said'.

My very articulate GC have caught this habit. I can only hope that they will outgrow it. Their parents don't let them get away with it, I'm glad to say.

I've received an email today from our local police community message service headed "bomb fire night". . . .

or was it a Freudian slip?

It may well have been Monica but this is not the first mistake from this source.

Sentences ending with obviously !

I hate most of the americanisms that have crossed the pond. When did people start changing things up, instead of just changing them? Why are we good instead of fine, when asked how we are? Why oh why has the billion become 1,000 million instead of being a million million?

Drives me mad when people who aren't American say 'do the math'.
It's mathS!! Speak properly!!

I'm a language 'geek' but daren't push it too far, so won't go into detail.
Enough to say that (as I believe) language is what differentiates between humans and other animals. So we should make the most of it, and not lose the skills which have produced so much beautiful language in the past.
It's not just 'grammar' either.

I really hate to hear 'v' instead of versus or 'vs' when used to indicate matches between teams such as England v France, West Ham v Chelsea and so on. I know it's become common use and I shouldn't mind but it still grates.

I cannot accept that poor punctuation and spelling play any role in language evolution.
For example, when reading product reviews, I find it hard to have faith in the opinion of the reviewer when they have written in such an illiterate style - and sadly, this is extremely common.

As previous posters have said, it's hard to understand how any generation can pass through the educational system and emerge years later with such poor language skills.

The Remembrance Day Service and Festival of Remembrance made me reflect on the education that I received and how it differed from education today. We were not only drilled in grammar, spelling and punctuation but also know all the words to Jerusalem, I Vow To Thee My Country and so on. My DS is not even sure of the words of the National Anthem.

Bellanonna It is kitchen but listening to certain folk especially those in the media who refer to being in the kitchen as being in the'kit ching' or not watching someone but were wat ching.
It is the ching bit that has me clim bing up the wall.Catch my drift?
I add another.I was going 'like' out today
not going out but must add like.I saw it 'like' Not just I saw it.
Sorry for the delay in responding but I had been
'like' busy in my kit ching.