Quote: (09-13-2014 06:29 AM)Sp5 Wrote:
One mark of an educated person is knowing your homonyms and using the right word.
I can't help it, when I see mistakes in these words, I discount the writer's intelligence.
Using the right word in a phrase is an indication of education.
I very much agree, but with one large caveat: those born in the '80s and later may not have been taught English grammar, even if they otherwise received a good education. The reason is that during the '90s, educators in the English-speaking world came up with the moronic idea that children would simply "pick up" grammar by reading, writing and speaking the language. It wouldn't surprise me at all if that change was caused by Feminism; i.e., women taking leadership roles in education establishments and then working to reduce the technical aspects of the curriculum to make it easier for females.
I've found that young people who are fluent in complex European languages (German, Slavic languages, French, etc.) usually have a better understanding of English grammar, probably because they would have had to learn English grammar in order to understand and relate to other languages.