I was reading an article in the NCLE SmartBrief about research that
purported to establish a link between texting and grammar skills.  The
researchers concluded that the more students text, the weaker their grammar
skills are.  A link in the article took me to an article in the *L.A.
Times*with more details, including this little gem, and I quote:

*The researchers had kids from ages 10 to 14 take a little grammar test.
And it turned out that those who sent or received texts recently performed
worse on the exam. Here's a sample of the questions, so you can test
yourself -- or your kids -- to see how the text saturation has affected
your grammar. *

*1. During the flood, we (dranked, drank, drunk, drunked) bottled water.*

*2. Fortunately, Jim’s name was (accepted, excepted) from the roster of
those who
would have to clean bathrooms because he was supposed to go downtown to
(accept, except) a reward for the German Club.*

*3. I don’t know how I could (lose, loose) such a big dress. It is so large
that it is
(lose, loose) on me when I wear it!*

*4. (Its, It’s, Its’) an honor to accept the awards certificates and medals
presented to
the club.*

*5. Worried, and frayed, the old man paced the floor waiting for his
daughter.
(Correct/Incorrect)*
*The answers: 1. drank; 2. excepted, accept; 3. lose, loose; 4. It's; 5.
incorrect (it should be "afraid"). *
(Source:
http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-texting-ruining-kids-grammar-skills-20120801,0,1365582.story
)

Really?!  Three out of the five sample questions have nothing to do with
grammar--they are spelling issues.  Furthermore, as any basic course in
statistics will emphasize, one cannot infer causality from correlations.
If this is the kind of research that is informing our educators, God help
us!

John

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