What (if anything) have recent Literacy initiatives taught our children?

I think that's a really good point actually. I have been l

I do wonder whether the proliferation of bad spelling and grammar has been brought into sharp focus due to social media. Would we have known the extent of someone else's literacy unless we worked with them or were friends/related to them? Years ago most people's writing would not be seen in the public domain. Hopefully that makes sense and I won't be booted out of pedants' corner.

You should see our local papers Barbadosbelle. The writing and grammar are shocking. I assume the ‘journalists’ left school with no qualifications and they can’t run to the luxury of a decent proof reader. Normal for Norfolk, as they say, perhaps.

I used to be a massive pedant, but am less so now, especially where spelling is concerned. I think correct grammar and punctuation are very important, as is clear sentence structure. I think the Year 6 spelling expectations are really stretching, and I doubt whether many children would choose to use some of the words in their creative writing anyway. Just teaching monkeys how to do tricks!
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It must be very frustrating for teachers reading some posts mine included ( but I am very elderly so should be excused.) I would want to use a red pen to strike through the errors and write SEE ME! at the bottom of the post.

This is Pedants’ Corner and I reserve the right to be as pedantic as I wish.
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Any mistakes in my posts are down to either autocorrect or my stylus.

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The howler I most notice is that of the inability of people to use apostrophes correctly - 'you're' being the most common example.

I subscribe The Times and Sunday Times online and get so angry at the grammar within articles. It is so obvious that the journalists haven't studied English at Higher Education level or A-Level.

I read the sub-headings over articles and two out of three of them just don't make any sense whatsoever. Sometimes they are changed because readers complain but often they aren't- because I doubt the journalists and proof-readers can see the problem.

It annoys me how much it annoys me!!

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I know it’s how they speak but it should not be the way they write.

GSM
he were is what is called lanky speak
So if a poster was born and bred in Lancashire that is the way they speak/ write.
My friend does a wonderful monologue of pit talk

People will always have varied abilities when it comes to spelling and that’s part of life, I guess.

What does annoys me is the carelessness with grammar and spelling on websites like the BBC. They really ought to know better. Maybe I should send them my children’s old copy of the Ladybird Book of Spelling and Grammar. 🤔

Grandmabatty, I agree with you.

I have a degree in Modern languages and English Language and Literature, however I have dyslexic tendencies. To my embarrassment (for I am a pedant) despite previewing posts, I find later that I have made howling errors. As I become older, I find those errors becoming more evident.

In fact I had to go back and change three words in this post, where I had transposed letters.
Better to have tried, than not try at all.

My favourite in the ‘for sale’ ads was a ‘chez lounge’ (chaise longue).
seen plenty of ‘dinning’ tables, too.

However my favourite ever, by a young Omani chap in my class when I was TEFL-ing, was ‘nacad’. This was in reply to the question, ‘What do you become when you don’t sleep for a long time?’
Bursting to laugh, I asked where he’d learnt that word.
‘I work a lot with English soldier!’ 😂

Jaxjacky

Pedant:
person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules.
I am not familiar with any recent literacy initiatives for children, but the misspelling I see on social media is from adults, not children and it doesn’t bother me.

Well I’m not ashamed of it. And make no apology for raising this in Pedants’ Corner..
Some of the social media posts are clearly from young adults. I actually saw today’s examples on our local FB site, so it’s possible I may have taught them (using the term loosely although it would have been French or German not English ) but “new” literacy strategies have been around since our children were in school and I can remember young teachers with appalling spelling when I used to have to check reports as Head of House.
I think the rot set in a good few years ago

I am happy to admit that the numerous spelling mistakes I see every time I look at GN really grate. And don’t get me started on the people who write as they obviously speak - ‘he were’ instead of ‘he was’ for instance, and ‘them’ rather than ‘those’. Looking at the rest of these people’s posts, it’s not dyslexia at play, it’s ignorance.

Pedant:
person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules.
I am not familiar with any recent literacy initiatives for children, but the misspelling I see on social media is from adults, not children and it doesn’t bother me.

Unfortunately, even although computer programs spell checks do work better in English than in any other language, they are not perfect.

And the grammar check is often wrong!

Nor do I agree that the more you read the better your spelling becomes, as that will depend entirely on what you read, whether the author can spell, or is modern or not.

If you want to improve your spelling, use a dictionary!

If you can't find the word there, you are probably spelling it incorrectly and nowadays you can google it if all else fails and find the correct spelling that way.

Jenny75

GN at its best - tackling important, worthwhile subjects in a sensitive, non- judgemental way, making allowances for those with different educational needs………

For (other) important, worthwhile subjects try one of the other forums, like News and Politics
This is Pedants’ Corner and I reserve the right to be as pedantic as I wish.

Jenny75

GN at its best - tackling important, worthwhile subjects in a sensitive, non- judgemental way, making allowances for those with different educational needs………

Oo-er missus!

I think any correlation between some of the horrors I have witnessed and different or special educational needs is entirely of your own making.
I know /knew some of the perpetrators (and don’t get me started on lose/loose, advice/advise, bought/brought, bear/bare.)

Can I add the frequency of ‘shits’ instead of shirts! My lower ability English GCSE students were very amusing.

GN at its best - tackling important, worthwhile subjects in a sensitive, non- judgemental way, making allowances for those with different educational needs………

I can't say that spelling mistakes bother me much but I do agree about all the time wasted on "fronted adverbials" and the like. I think it takes away from the joy of reading. And then the more people read the more their spelling improves. (And I do know I shouldn't start a sentence with and!)

Well at least they raise a smile Rosies.

I just wish my 40 year old son who teaches art and got an 'A' for A'level English would remember to use commas. He sent me an essay he's submitting for a university course to go through, and the comma had been all but forgotten.

I was an English teacher and have some sympathy for you with misspelled words. However:
I would rather see someone try and use an unfamiliar word than use the same language all the time.
The use of spell check is widespread and I don't think people check spelling carefully enough. I've been guilty of typos on here!
There may be undiagnosed dyslexia at play. One of the best English teachers I know struggled with spelling. However she always checked a word or got a colleague to check spelling.
I can't comment on spelling as a literacy initiative in England as I'm Scottish based. Language and ergo spelling has changed over centuries, so I tend to let it go, unless it impedes understanding.

Where/were/ware, bare/bear, are/our and so many more - GN alone makes me want to scream.