Do you think it's important to maintain good grammar while on the internet?

Question

A lot of people nowadays don't seem to observe proper English while on the internet. You'd see painfully executed English statements on basically every forum or online community. When surveyed, many admitted they do so because it's painstaking to stick to the rules of English. The internet is the only place where they find themselves fully capable of expressing themselves without being subjected to direct ridicule and social judgment. They say that only their thoughts count and so long as they are understood, proper grammar is not absolutely necessary and could sometimes be omitted altogether. Personally, I admit I'm no epitome of perfect grammar but I do try my best.

What are your thoughts on this?

Answer 1

I am with you. Noticeably in the Classical section of Yahoo! Answers, the pile of off-topic questions are all written in such an undecipherable, infantile language. Writing with deliberate broken or bad English is a sign of naivety, unintelligence, and lack of manners. It is certainly NOT painstaking to stick to the rules of English; they are easy to follow.



On mobile phones, it may be harder to write with appropriate spelling and grammar, but you must at least "try" to write with it. If you are doing your best, you know that you are maintaining good grammar while on the Internet.



Best regards.

Answer 2

This is an interesting and important topic. The anonymity of the internet can lead to all kinds of sloppiness, and sometimes it's difficult to figure out what's being written. That's the trouble with ungrammatical writing -- it can be unfathomable. The purpose of rules of grammar is to ensure that the reader will understand what is being said. If the reader doesn't understand, then the writer has failed to communicate.



But to insist that every i be dotted and every t crossed might be a bit too much...depending on the type of site in question.

Answer 3

I believe that as a language it should be reapected. However, it depends on the situation and context its used. Some people on facebook think its "cool" to talk "ghetto" and therefore add letters ans substitute "s" for "z" and so on. Other people just dont know any better and from the environment they're in just copy the way others write and manifest their writing skills either in an educated environment or the lack of.

Answer 4

I think it is important to maintain good grammar on the internet because people from many different countries may read what you post. YOU may know what you intended to say, and perhaps your friends who share your lingo may know, but someone who only understands formal English may be totally confused. It is much simpler to stick to the standard conventions and avoid some possible confusion.