“Hi im glad your coming today cos their isnt any room tmrw.”
What you see above may not seem really important or notable if you are learning English. However, if you are learning English and are starting to understand the technical sides of grammar and punctuation – you may be confused that first-language English speakers do tend to write like this every day. In fact, there have been so many examples of supposedly professional e-mails sent between colleagues and clientele with this lack of care, that it has become a negative sign of our times.
If we look at street signs, advertisements and public internet statements which are regularly found; we could say that there is no wonder that children are slightly muddled by the language we call “English”.
Take these examples, for instance. Simple messages used in cafes, shops and frequently-used places can often be found to have forgotten the effective use of spell-check and grammar proof-reading.
“Why not have the kids shot for Easter, or have a family portrait taken?”
“What have you got to lose?”
“No children aloud.”
“Dog for sale: eats anything and is fond of children.”
“Scouts are saving cans, bottles and other items to be recycled.”
“Proceeds will be used to cripple children.”
If we took the literal meaning of each advert, we would find that the photographer in the first one is advertising homicide, the second one is forbidding any noise from collective kids and the third is using a charity to disable children. Not what the plan originally was, surely?
Were the writers a tad more careful with their final drafts – they would look more like this.
“Why not have the kids pictured for Easter, or have a family portrait taken?”
“What have you got to lose?”
“No children allowed.”
“Dog for sale: eats anything, and is fond of children.”
“Scouts are saving cans, bottles and other items to be recycled.”
“Proceeds will be used to help crippled children.”
While the word “shot” is familiar in photographic circles, perhaps its use in this case, is a little extreme as not everyone would recognise the intention, especially people learning English.
“Aloud” instead of “allowed” is a careless spelling error with a completely different meaning while the third can’t have had much support for the poor scouts who were doing their best to help the community!
In short, it is always important while learning English – to check spelling and grammar. English is a beautiful language with so many ways of expressing different aspects of life. If used incorrectly, it can give the wrong meaning.