Grammar and spelling erode in the age of texting – u care?

Wud ur boss be happy if u handed in work with grammatical errors like this? Probably not, but the sad reality is that for many people, the bad grammar and spelling habits they've picked up from texting and social media are seeping into their everyday lives and work.

In fact, in today's world of instantaneous texts and e-mails, some well-educated adults are actually starting to forget the language rules they once lived by.

According to Barbara Pachter of Cherry Hill, author of "The Essentials of Business Etiquette," people in the workplace are making a lot of mistakes when composing serious e-mails or compiling reports, unable to turn off the lazy punctuation and spelling techniques they use with their friends and family.

"People need to remember that there are consequences to poor writing," Pachter said. "Nobody has to be perfect, but when it comes to a pattern of mistakes, people start questioning your ability."

But, she said, workers can help themselves avoid a lot of embarrassment by simply checking what they type before clicking 'send' or handing it in.

"The bottom line is people have to proof whatever they write," she said. "And it takes just seconds."

Neva Lozada, assistant director of Writing Services at Monmouth University, said she encounters these bad grammar habits from time to time when checking students' papers, but most students are cognizant of "making the switch" between texting language and academic language.

"I think that if students exercise revision, then that could help them see and correct their errors," Lozada said.

When students use the university's free writing resource, revisions are made with paper and pen. Computers are not used, so there is no software flagging every spelling or grammatical error.