I’m Thruw With NotWord Thru

2 Comments

The basic problem with people’s learning English, even those born in an erstwhile English-speaking country such as the United States, is that they no longer learn their grammar and spelling through reading great works of literature and doing rigorous classroom exercises but through media and fast food exposure.

Maybe I’ll call my book Fast Food English instead of Grammar Sucks, a title which someone has already purloined.  How about just Fast English?  Does that convey my meaning? Nah, it sounds like a promise to learn English quickly.

Anyway, as I was grading more university-level papers today, I was shocked at how many people with otherwise sound mental capacities cannot spell through and indeed don’t even know the word exists. 

No doubt the cop-out idiots at the Oxford English Dictionary will soon–if they haven’t already done so–recognize thru as a proper English word.

Categories: Grammar Sucks

2 Replies to “I’m Thruw With NotWord Thru”

  1. “thru” dates back to the 14th century. Our modern use is due to the spelling reform movements of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was used by the Chicago Tribune from 1935 to 1975. It is still used in technical journals.

    Merriam-Webster’s Concise Guide to English Usage says “Thru has never been less than standard, but it remains a distant second choice in print.”

  2. Tho you did gr8 research, this just proves my point that the dictionaries will cave in to anything.

    Do you really want to rite like a scientist?

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