Let us spell it out, grammar matters
I AM astonished that some universities are doing away with the need for ‘elitist’ spelling and grammar. Don’t they realise it will be the students who will lose out? When it comes to job applications, employers will discard any that are poorly written. The jobs will be given to those whom the universities consider to have an unfair advantage in being male, white and middle-class — though isn’t it patronising of them to think these are the only people who can use the English language correctly?
CLIVE WHICHELOW, London SW19. AS THE editor of a weekly newspaper, I took on a student for work experience, who was enthusiastic, punctual and willing to learn. However, attention to spelling and sentence construction were not evident. I mentioned this to the teacher who visited to check on the placement. Imagine my horror when the teacher responded: ‘Surely spelling and grammar are not important because it’s all done on computers now.’ My children’s school reports in the 1970s and 1980s often contained grammatical errors and misspellings. We are reaping what was sown by that slapdash approach to education.
V. GOODCHILD, Bangor, Co. Down. WHY has it become the norm to lower standards and aspirations? What is the point of striving to do your best if it is no longer worth it? Where has pride in work gone? I certainly wouldn’t employ someone who can’t be bothered. People are, like, not even, like, stringing sentences together, like, and the letters T, G and H have disappeared from the alphabet. I am surprised universities have not suggested that students write their essays in emojis.
Mrs. T. NEWMAN, Gloucester. ONE tiny mistake in a job application almost put a stop to my career in journalism before it had even started. As a teenager, I spelled the name of my road as ‘Cresent’ not ‘Crescent’. My editor later told me he was going to reject my application, but decided to give me a chance.
DAVID CRAVEN, Ilkley, W. Yorks. IF STUDENTS haven’t learnt the basics of spelling and grammar, perhaps university is the wrong place for them and they should look for a more practical career. Mind you, for some Mickey Mouse degrees you probably don’t need to spell.
PAUL LOSEBY, Starcross, Devon. STUDENTS are being indulged by universities. They may gain a degree despite having poor spelling and bad grammar, but in the real world they won’t get a job.
VICTOR BISHOP, Wallington, Surrey.