Last week I corrected a friend's usage of the words your/you're, which he misuses on a regular basis. At first he was mad that I corrected him so I asked him, "If you had a piece of lettuce in your teeth or a booger hanging from your nose, would you want me to tell you?" He replied, "Of course. I wouldn't want to walk around with that for everyone to see." I continued, "My correcting your spelling of the word "you're" is the same thing. I don't want you walking around making these mistakes for everyone to see."
He claimed to know the difference and said he was just too lazy to write the "'re," and then insinuated that I was a snob for taking the nanosecond to actually write it out. I explained to him that something so simple as excluding the "'re" could be misconstrued as a lack of intelligence. He is someone who sends out countless emails and memos to his clients and higher-ups in his company. If somebody cannot grasp something as remedial as your/you're, which is something you not only learned at an early age, but also read and write everyday, how can he be trusted with your complicated business?
I understand that there are geniuses who can comprehend the most difficult of sciences and mathematics, yet are still unable to spell or have dyslexia. They are few and far between and my hat goes off to their ingenuity. I'm writing about the ignorant and the lazy.
Take the two minutes to learn the difference. Take the nanosecond to distinguish the difference. Have your assistants and peers proofread your memos.
Don't save the cheerleader to save the world.
Save the "'re." Save the English language.
Your a snob, your friend was write, and I would have brought you a book on grammer if I had an edgucashun that paid a descent salery.
Posted by: Cit | February 06, 2009 at 04:53 PM