You have to distinguish between true grammatical
errors (through ignorance or lack of discipline) and
typographical errors. Many, or most, who write e-mail
are not typists. If they had to check all their work
and if they were held to account for their typos they
would not contribute and you would not have the
benefit of their expertise, such as it is.
There are spell checks in many e-mail programs (but
who bothers?). Grammar checks are more complicated and
time consuming; and often unhelpful in the
circumstances.
Do you really want to impose a version of the Québec
language police in your country? (Speaking of which,
I've got a great program that enforces the Québec
rules, even so far as to condemn any Franglais I might
write: Le Correcteur 101
<http://www.machinasapiens.com/francais/produits/correcteur101/c101v3.html>
Anyway, what is correct English? Would you enforce ont
he world the "simplified" English popularised in
America early in the last century? And what ever
happened to "thru" and the like? Are they any better
or worse than that horrid spelling "cataloging"?
But I digress.
Andy Grossman
University College London, SLAIS
--- Marie Erickson <MERICKSO@lasc.org> wrote:
> Happy Friday! Am I the only crabby former
> seventh-grade English
> teacher out there?
>
> ITS is a possessive pronoun. IT'S is a contraction
> of IT IS. It seems
> every time I look at its use on law-lib, it's
> misused.
>
> Go and sin no more.
>
> Marie K. Erickson
> Head of Public Services
> Law Library of Louisiana
> 301 Loyola Ave., Room 100
> New Orleans, LA 70112
> 504 568-5701
> merickso@lasc.org
>
>
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