| Note from the Editorial
Staff: Thanks to more than 30 years of poor English instruction in
many of our schools, lowered requirements from colleges and
universities, and a continuous bombardment from
the media of "cute" spellings and "catchy"
phrases, a large percentage of our fellow citizens are not
capable of writing clear, correct English. This number
includes high-school drop-outs and college graduates, lawyers and
laborers, truck drivers and teachers. The evidence appears on
notes that parents send to school, on job applications, in newspaper
articles, and in grant proposals supposedly submitted by
professionals. It does matter! Most of the hiring, employing and supervising is done by people who can use the English
language well. They hold their positions in part due to that
ability, and this ability makes them much more aware of mistakes that
others make. When they see misspelled words, poorly constructed
sentences, missing or incorrect punctuation, their opinion of the writer's
overall competence is immediately lowered. Don't let them think less of
you. Learn to write well. |