Boxlicker101
Licker of Boxes
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2003
- Posts
- 33,665
I have to say that I scanned a lot of the previous posts and so may be repeating others. Apologies, I have a limited time this morning and may not get back to lit before Monday.
I think the education system in the US has suffered a lot, and in addition TV and games have replaced reading for relaxation in young people. They don't get the examples of good usage that my generation had.
That problem gets worse as publishing is easier for E-books and publishing houses seem to have done away with editors - so now there are writers who don't use proper spelling meaning that those who do read get poor examples of spelling and grammar.
I think the worse examples - and I am not without blame - are words that sound alike or sound similar to other words with different meanings, such as:
To, too, two, sight site, there they're their, your you're, light lite, brake break, etc. My personal cross to bear is lose and loose. They sound differently but sadly my fingers have been known to add the extra 'o' when it shouldn't be there.
And I too am peeved by the 's used incorrectly, or the word 'like' used so much in speech.
But English is a living language and historically has changed faster than most other languages, I'm sure that there were many scholars in Elizabethan times who hated the 'eth' being replaced by 's' as in 'he runeth' changed to 'he runs'. (Or was it he doth run?) I think the 's' was a Danish influence that moved south and west from the former Danegeld areas. At least that's what I remember from school.
If you mean the Winstonian "like," I prefer that, although it is technically wrong. "As" sounds too pedantic. "Like" used as an interjection is alright in dialogue if it fits the character of the speaker. It should never be used in narration.
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