relative correctness of spoken and written language is much keener than it was thirty years ago. I suspect that both of these things are true. In the of this thesis project, I recounted an experience I had at a local Abstract church my wife and I visited soon after we moved to San Marcos. While this experience made an impression on me, I do not believe it to be particularly unique. In August 2011, I found an advertisement for a local apartment complex attached to a pizza box with the following not to late!! You can still live in a great The message: “It’s community!” advertisement included references to Texas State University. I presume that the vast majority of people who live in San Marcos, most of whom are college students, who read this advertisement, did not notice the error—or care. I honestly do not understand how someone who graduated from high school could make such a fundamental error; I distinctly remember learning the difference between and the first grade. to, too, two—in I am a member of a Facebook group called which was created by “The Illiterati,” a fellow graduate student in our English department. The primary purpose of the group is to submit examples of English writing that we encounter in ordinary life that are so bad, they are funny. A good example was posted this matter morning, January 24, 2012: “No how many times I break down, there is always a little peice of me thats says no your not done yet, get back This message was originally posted on another Facebook groups up.” site entitled and “Daily Inspiration Motivation.” I try to be tolerant of the English I encounter from the general population; “bad” however, it is difficult for me to ignore substandard English when it comes from academia—produced by people who should know better. The scenario I describe in the regarding my fellow graduate online reading response posts genuinely Abstract, students’
relative correctness of spoken and written language is much keener than it was thirty years ago. I suspect that both of these things are true. In the Abstract of this thesis project, I recounted an experience I had at a local church my wife and I visited soon after we moved to San Marcos. While this experience made an impression on me, I do not believe it to be particularly unique. In August 2011, I found an advertisement for a local apartment complex attached to a pizza box with the following message: “It’s not to late!! You can still live in a great community!” The advertisement included references to Texas State University. I presume that the vast majority of people who live in San Marcos, most of whom are college students, who read this advertisement, did not notice the error—or care. I honestly do not understand how someone who graduated from high school could make such a fundamental error; I distinctly remember learning the difference between to, too, and two—in the first grade. I am a member of a Facebook group called “The Illiterati,” which was created by a fellow graduate student in our English department. The primary purpose of the group is to submit examples of English writing that we encounter in ordinary life that are so bad, they are funny. A good example was posted this morning, January 24, 2012: “No matter how many times I break down, there is always a little peice of me thats says no your not done yet, get back up.” This message was originally posted on another Facebook groups site entitled “Daily Inspiration and Motivation.” I try to be tolerant of the “bad” English I encounter from the general population; however, it is difficult for me to ignore substandard English when it comes from academia—produced by people who should know better. The scenario I describe in the Abstract, regarding my fellow graduate students’ online reading response posts genuinely