Why Can't Americans Spell or Write Properly?

Why are Americans so illiterate?

Maybe they're not illiterate (unable to read and write). But I am often appalled by the poor spelling, grammar and punctuation I see in Facebook posts. I realize that people sometimes make typographical errors as they enter their comments. I'm not talking about being able to write a thesis or college-level paper. But come on, is it so difficult to use the proper word or spelling? And what about punctuation? Is it not important to be able to communicate our thoughts clearly and unambiguously?

Here are a few examples of common errors:

• 'Prolly' is not a word! 'Probably' is a word.
• 'Their coming over to watch the game' is not correct. 'They're coming over to watch the game' is correct.
• 'How do you like you're new car?' is not correct. 'How do you like your new car?' is correct.
• Sentences are meant to have a period at the end of each thought and not be a run-on thought that goes on forever and ever with absolutely no punctuation why can't people understand that (This is the type of thing that drives me crazy. I have seen many lines of text with no punctuation -- not even a comma, much less a period to break up the text into readable thoughts).

These are basics of spelling and word usage that people should have learned in middle or high school. Seeing so many people -- most of them native speakers of English -- unable to use basic English correctly makes me wonder about the state of American education, as well as the lack of communication skills of much of the populace.

I realize that in the age of text messaging and the many abbreviations that go along with this shorthand method of communicating (LOL, ROFL, CU, etc.), spelling and proper sentence construction have fallen by the wayside. But not everything involves a text message or tweet. Sometimes we need to be able to communicate a thought in clear, understandable English. Sadly, I believe we are failing.

Not everyone is born with good writing skills. I consider being a good writer to be a gift, much as being a good singer or talented artist is a gift. But everyone should be able to construct a proper sentence and spell basic words. If unsure about the spelling of a particular word, use an old-fashioned dictionary or thesaurus. Or look it up online. Such a simple thing can keep people from looking stupid or illiterate. We all should also be able to correctly use words such as your and you're, and their, there and they're. These words are homophones, words that are pronounced the same but spelled differently. And they definitely have different meanings. They are not interchangeable.

Recent surveys have shown that the majority of Americans reads one book or fewer in a year. One book! I read 25 (usually more) books every year. And I'm not talking about comic books, or about books with more pictures than words. I read biographies, historical novels, and other 'high brow' non-fictions offerings.

I always have been an avid reader, even as a young child. I used to love ordering books through the Scholastic Book Club. It was such an exciting day when the books I had ordered finally arrived. I now have close to 300 books on my Kindle. I have spent several hours during overseas flights reading rather than watching movies to pass the time.

Reading has so many benefits. I learn new things. Reading helps me better understand historical events. I learn new words. I am entertained. I gain new perspectives. I also believe that my love of reading is in large part responsible for my ability to spell correctly. I couldn't be a writer while being unable to spell.

One study reports that the average American reads only at the seventh or eighth grade level. Is it then any wonder that critical thinking skills are so low among American citizens? If we can't read and comprehend something written at a higher level, how can we be expected to analyze and understand it?

I'm not the grammar police. I don't correct people's online spelling or grammar errors. But I do cringe when I read such things, and I do have to wonder about the intellectual capacity of the writer. Perhaps it is this lack of critical thinking that has divided our country into two such disparate camps.

I have no answers. Perhaps we need to return to the days of spelling tests and instruction in parts of speech and sentence construction. I used to hate diagramming sentences, so I hope there is a better way to teach these essential skills. But they are essential skills that everyone needs to master.