Why English is Important

Why do I have to take English? Who needs to know all that stuff about diagramming sentences, the proper use of prepositions, misplaced modifiers, malapropos, etc. How will I use it in everyday life. Well, I guess it is quite simple; communication. Without the use of proper English we would have a hard time communicating. Let’s begin by looking at a basic form of communication, the newspaper.

How many times have I read the newspaper and had to reread it several times to figure out what they were saying. It seems the world has become lackadaisical when it comes to the English language. We just put words down on paper and that’s it. We don’t care whether it makes sense or not. I guess we figure we can speak English that should be enough. That’s a sorry way to think, however many of us think that way.

I myself am guilty of inferring that the use of English is mostly the teaching of someone who said this is the way it is and this is what is proper. I asked why is this way, but is it not the way of all learning? Did we not have to have a founding father or mother of this discipline or that discipline? Someone had to come up with a collective way of looking at things so we could all understand as a whole a common or proper way of doing things. Without this we would have chaos. Another down-fall to the English language is technology, i.e. internet, text messaging.

With the introduction of the internet and text messaging we are losing more and more of our standard English practices. Words are shortened or become a couple of letters and we are getting used to this, but for academia this is creating a weakened English system. I’m not saying we all need to be English professors, but we do need to work on regaining our use of the Englis...

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... think they know everything they need to know and no one can teach them, but if we listen for a while the time will come when we can take the cotton out of our mouths and be able to speak in an intangible, cohesive manner with our educator.

Finally, to my educator, the smartest person I know and also my wife, I am sorry for making you feel I though so little of what you do. I envy you for knowing so much about the English language. I only wish I knew half of what you know. It’s not just the grammar or the spelling, but the your knowledge of word use. You compliment me on my vocabulary, but your vocabulary far succeeds mine. You know the perfect word, be it noun or verb adjective or adverb, you astound me with your grasp of our language and if everyone had your talent there would be nothing we couldn’t communicate on the highest level. You truly are a Word Wizard.