“How are you?”
“I’m doing good.”
To many it’s a common response, but to fellow grammarians, it makes you want to pull your hair out. The people who realize that Superman does good, and if you’re having a nice day you’re doing well are dwindling in numbers. We’re becoming accustomed to the improper use of the English language, even if we’ve had years of schooling and should know our ‘your’ (possessive) from ‘you’re’ (you are).
Tech-savvy teens and adults know the struggle of typing on a small keyboard and having your thumb accidentally hit the letter T instead of Y, and having your message read, “We’ll meet at tour restaurant at 6,” instead of your. Developed for programs like Microsoft Word as Spell-Check and Apple devices as AutoCorrect, words are automatically changed by the software to match the correct meaning. Sometimes helpful when one doesn’t know how to spell a word, and occasionally embarrassing when AutoCorrect changes sweet to sewer, people are becoming increasingly reliant on this built-in dictionary.
We’re slowly changing from the “generation of innovators” to the “auto-correct generation”. A survey done by Mencap that tested 2,000 adults from Great Britain on their spelling skills, had some pretty shocking results.
76 percent went into the survey rating themselves as “very good” or “fairly good” at spelling, but only 1 in 5 respondents was able to correctly spell each word in a short spelling test. Students fared even worse, with only 13 percent spelling each word correctly. According to the article, “Despite 96 percent of Britons indicating they believe that the correct use of spelling is ‘important’ or ‘very important’, only 18 percent wish they were better at spelling compared to everyday tasks.” The not-so-shocking part of the survey was that most admitted that they were heavily reliant on AutoCorrect.
While many people may wonder why using proper grammar or spelling is important when we have handy tools such as spell check and AutoCorrect, Mark Goldring, the chief executive of Mencap says that, “Today’s tough economic climate means that poor spelling on a CV is fatal, as it says that an individual cannot produce work to a given standard, no matter how highly qualified they might be. Language used by a company or person is a reflection of their attitude, capabilities and skill.”
AutoCorrect is much like junk food. It’s fine in moderation, however being too dependent on your pocket-sized English teacher could hurt you in the long run. So to the kids, teenagers, and even adults that rely on AutoCorrect as their personal speller, try using your brainpower and turn AutoCorrect off for a day or two as practice. Become an honorary member of the “Generation of Innovators” rather than the “AutoCorrect generation”. Not only will your teachers and future employers thank you, but your growing brain will as well.
