A tuba player's grammar

[bentuba7]

We sure do know a lot about tubas, but I have seen some terribly poor grammar around here lately...

Let's start with refreshing some old rules shall we?

1. - There - States a place of being
- Their - A form of ownership
- They're - A contraction meaning, "they are"

2. - The verb ARE is a present tense form of the verb "to be."
- The adjective OUR is the possessive form of "we."

and 3. Check your spelling!

[Ben]

i can has cheezburger?

[Juggernaut04]

Thank you for the grammar lesson but I's is a kollege graduate.

Cheers!

[Dan Schultz]

It seems to me that the 'texting gereration' doesn't care much about grammer (or is it gramma?).

[TubaRay]

It seems to me that the 'texting gereration' doesn't care much about grammer (or is it gramma?).

I believe you have made an almost correct assessment.

I recall from my college years(back in the day), I received a letter from the student body president. I was president of the MENC chapter. How poorly written it was shocked me. I, and my elementary school classmates could have constructed a better letter while in 4th grade. So, even though I agree with you, I don't believe this is completely limited to the "texting gereration", or even to the texting generation.

[Z-Tuba Dude]

It seems to me that the 'texting gereration' doesn't care much about grammer (or is it gramma?).

I believe you have made an almost correct assessment.

I recall from my college years(back in the day), I received a letter from the student body president. I was president of the MENC chapter. How poorly written it was shocked me. I, and my elementary school classmates could have constructed a better letter while in 4th grade. So, even though I agree with you, I don't believe this is completely limited to the "texting gereration", or even to the texting generation.

I think it is just that we are now EXPOSED to younger people's bad grammar & spelling more than we were in the "old" days, thanks to the internet.

I don't know if it just that I am getting older, but I see the connection between the quality of our expression, and how it effects our personal success, now, but I don't know if I quite "got" that, when I was younger.

[Michael Bush]

"Of" is a preposition. "Have" is a verb. They are not interchangeable.

[The Jackson]

Rules are meant to be broken, mate.

[Ken Herrick]

me thinks sumbuddys suffring paralasses by analasses.

[peter birch]

I blame the Americans. OK, that's a generalisation, but our kids are influenced by American cartoons, American pop lyrics (including rap and "gangsta") and Hollywood. I hear words that are spelled with T's being pronounced with D (e.g. wading for waiting) and, of course, "love" pronounced as "lurv". It is the spelled as it it is heard, and people then write as they would speak.
A problem we have with our education system is that opportunities to learn grammar are lost because the history teacher is teaching history, the geography teacher teaches geography and so on, and although they might comment on grammar, will not penalise or correct it.
We all commit typo's (I'm sure that bentuba7 missed a comma between "old rules" and "shall we") so I am loathe to be too critical of other peoples writing, just in case they come back to scrutinise mine.

[wr4]

(or is it gramma?).

My gramma played the tuba. I have a pitchur of her playing it.

[b.williams]

We sure do know a lot about tubas, but I have seen some terribly poor grammar around here lately...

Let's start with refreshing some old rules shall we?

1. - There - States a place of being
- Their - A form of ownership
- They're - A contraction meaning, "they are"

2. - The verb ARE is a present tense form of the verb "to be."
- The adjective OUR is the possessive form of "we."

and 3. Check your spelling!

Lighten up, Francis!!

[Dan Schultz]

I blame the Americans. OK, that's a generalisation, but our kids are influenced by American cartoons, American pop lyrics (including rap and "gangsta") and Hollywood. I hear words that are spelled with T's being pronounced with D (e.g. wading for waiting) and, of course, "love" pronounced as "lurv". It is the spelled as it it is heard, and people then write as they would speak.
A problem we have with our education system is that opportunities to learn grammar are lost because the history teacher is teaching history, the geography teacher teaches geography and so on, and although they might comment on grammar, will not penalise or correct it.
We all commit typo's (I'm sure that bentuba7 missed a comma between "old rules" and "shall we") so I am loathe to be too critical of other peoples writing, just in case they come back to scrutinise mine.

I remember when I graduated from Navy 'class A' school with top honors and was delighted when i got my choice of duty... SCOTLAND! The reason for the excitement was that I would be going to an English-speaking country. Boy... was THAT a surprise!

[TubaRay]

The learned owner of this site does not care for things like literacy or accuracy in such matters and has a history of trashing users who do. Careful with expressing any sort of spelling or grammatical woes as it has led to the temporary banning of several members in the past. To express your opinion about such things is to be "mean". No tubist left behind...

He can hit me with his best shot, if he chooses. I have been catagorized(by various, sometimes highly placed, individuals) in a variety of ways. I am mean, racist, bigoted, backward, a country hick.... Well, you get the picture.

By the way: In my opinion, it is better to leave some individuals behind.

[peter birch]

There is much that I would agree with there. The only comment I would make is that there is a world of difference between gentle and humane correction (which would be done in private) and holding someone's errors up for public scrutiny, and perhaps, ridicule.
Maybe the teacher I mentioned are right to look beyond the spelling and grammar to see the content and the ideas expressed, but, on the whole, I agree that spelling and grammar are important issues for everyone to think about.

[PaulTkachenko]

1329536683249_5521957.png

[THE TUBA]

Grammar is all about precise communication skills. Communicating an idea with correct grammar, punctuation, and syntax is analogous to performing a musical idea with appropriate articulation, phrasing, dynamics, etc.

That isn't to say, of course, that normal TubeNet banter requires the precision of language that would be necessary in a fine performance, but only that the clarity of communication often greatly influences the perceived validity of opinions presented.

[sloan]

Grammar, spelling and punctuation are important. This is why we study them for so many years in school.

I see that you didn't study them at Harvard, Yale, and Oxford.

[Michael Bush]

Grammar, spelling and punctuation are important. This is why we study them for so many years in school.

I see that you didn't study them at Harvard, Yale, and Oxford.

Hmmm?

(On the other hand, by the time you get to one of those places, the ship has sailed. That is way too late.)

[THE TUBA]

The Serial (Oxford/Harvard) comma!