Luv 2 Txt | Teen Ink

Luv 2 Txt MAG

January 29, 2009
By Christina Costello BRONZE, Hopedale, Massachusetts
Christina Costello BRONZE, Hopedale, Massachusetts
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

You need to send a quick text to your mom to tell her soccer practice is canceled. In an effort not to get caught, you reach ever so slowly, skillfully, and one-handedly into your backpack. Drawing your bright purple handheld lifeline from the front pocket, you are careful not to press any button that will reveal your mission to Mr. Boring, who is yapping away at the front of the room. With the phone in your lap, you try not to look down as you type: “sccer canceled! pick^ @2 thx <3.”

Sent. You slip it into you pocket, fearing you will not be able to discreetly get it back in your bag. But wait … your BFF Lucy’s hair looked utterly ridiculous when you passed her in the hall on your way to bio. It’s unthinkable to wait until lunch to tell her. Only a horrid friend would let her saunter around with a mortifying hairdo! So, you repeat the sneaky process of texting: “Fix ur hair, its sticking ^!!!!” Now, not only have you just missed two whole possibly important minutes of Mr. Boring’s lecture, but you have furthered the decline of your spelling and vocabulary.

Could you understand the title of this article? Anyone who has ever texted or used instant messaging can. Most teens love to text. What our English teachers, parents, and future employers would prefer us to say is “I love grammar,” which most of us don’t. There are times when we have to use proper grammar and times when we don’t. The problem is that the line between when to spell-check and proofread and when to just type and send is becoming blurred and almost invisible.

The way we type when we use virtual communication devices affects the way we spell – not just when we’re in a rush, but on school or job assignments too. Ever caught yourself writing u instead of you in an ­essay for school? What about tho instead of though? In a world where instant gratification is everything, we simply do not take the time to add the few extra letters. Although teens today will eventually become the ones who set the standards for spelling and grammar, our elders are calling the shots now, and they tend to look down on spelling and grammatical errors. This could easily affect one’s grades or job opportunities.

Notice it or not, the words we choose, or rather don’t choose, when we use informal communication have significance. Rarely in a text message will a teen use the extensive vocabulary preached by our educators. Seldom do we see the word exultant for happy, morose for sad, querulous for annoyed, or ecstatic for glad in a text. We must reawaken this vast glossary of obscure and unused words if we expect to succeed on exams like the SATs that affect our future.

So, go ahead, work your fingers to the bone texting, but before you hit send, think about what you have written. Consider the words you chose and the way you spelled them and maybe, just maybe, you will retype your message.



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This article has 306 comments.


on Dec. 10 2011 at 10:11 pm
lovemenot PLATINUM, Port Angeles, Washington
29 articles 0 photos 17 comments

Favorite Quote:
"My names Red and Im an alcoholic."~Red, Shark Night 3D

Thank You! I hate it when my friends dont use proper words when I text them. It gets so annoying! Thank you for sharing your clearly right opinion.

lovemenot


on Dec. 10 2011 at 8:14 pm
abnormal PLATINUM, Jonesboro, Georgia
24 articles 8 photos 44 comments

Favorite Quote:
Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them.

-Madeleine L'Engle

I agree, partly.  I find myself spellling "wat" instead of "what" all the time.  It is a convience though that shouldn't be downgraded.  I think that as long as adolescents are recieving fon- phones in their teens, then it won't affect them as much as younger children getting them then really mixing things up.

on Dec. 10 2011 at 6:38 pm
half-bloodgirl BRONZE, Midland, Texas
1 article 1 photo 8 comments

Favorite Quote:
I don't know what my future holds, but I know Who holds my future.

I appreciate this article, because when my friends message me using extreme shorthand to say something completely random and unpersonal, I feel like they don't care about me, especially after I've just sent them a long message that bares my soul.

:P


FULLSTOP GOLD said...
on Nov. 18 2011 at 9:27 am
FULLSTOP GOLD, Skipton, North Yorkshire, Other
13 articles 7 photos 103 comments

Favorite Quote:
forever and ever and ever and ever will never be enough

Am i aloud to say i love this when i text all the time? teehee. I luv it anyway!!! Any chance u- i mean you- coud check out some of my work.

on Oct. 27 2011 at 4:53 pm

This is honest, truthful and sincere information that reminds us of reality in a careful but firm way. I love how most of what you wrote was easily relatable to. This is an especially perfect essay because it addresses a topic that we all know: texting. Five full stars!

 


on Oct. 27 2011 at 1:23 pm
hobo12321 PLATINUM, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
20 articles 11 photos 62 comments

Favorite Quote:
none, there's too many, although the one about the grapefruit is good. Any by Douglas Adams

Wow, I disagree with most people who are complaining about this article. I don't think you get the point of this essay. It's an opinion, and it's giving advice. I think it's good advice!

doggydude said...
on Oct. 5 2011 at 7:25 pm
I totally agree. I have a smartphone, and I have hand picked my keyboard apps to use after much trial and error, and one of the things I look for is its ability to keep up with typing full words out and using puntuation, but still being able to do all of that quickly. I really never abbreviate any common word, and it makes me feel better, even if my friends think im weird for it. I dont really care what they think as I see them spelling things completely wrong on essays.

on Oct. 5 2011 at 4:31 pm
AlyssandriaFlamel SILVER, San Jose, California
9 articles 0 photos 6 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Nothing can possibly be as cute as David Tennant holding a kitten. Cause the kitten is adorable and then David Tennant is adorable and then your head explodes and you wake up on the floor of your bedroom twenty minutes later with a sock in one hand and a crushed diet coke can in the other. If you’re lucky. If not, you die of fangasm. Although if that happened to me because of Jack, I could probably get Death by Torchwood on my death certificate….”

Just because most teens rely on their txt spk, doesn't mean we all do! I've been texting for years now, and despite numerous attempts by my friends (and parents!!!) to the contrary, I write out every word, punctuate every sentence, and capitalize every I or first letter of a sentence.
I do approve of this article though. As a close friend to a guy who will text completely in shorthand, but take half an hour to respond...well, let's say the world does need this pointed out. :P

on Oct. 5 2011 at 3:56 pm
AelitaReloaded PLATINUM, Scottsdale, Arizona
22 articles 0 photos 179 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The pen is mightier than the sword" author unknown (to me)

I agree.  I am an avid writer but also a texter.  As you can see in this comment, I am perfectly capable of using proper spelling.   I still use text-talk as well, but it has done nothing to deteriorate my vocabulary.  I still use larger words in text, I just abbreviate them.  For example for the words I just used, (abbreviate and deteriorate) I would have spelled them abbrevi8 and deterior8.  Still, while I disagree with your point, this essay still is very well-written.  Good job!

on Sep. 12 2011 at 6:42 pm
Rocinante SILVER, Wexford, Pennsylvania
7 articles 1 photo 386 comments
I usually text in longhand. Some of my friends use texting shorthand, and it makes things hard to read. But I know what you mean about the grammatical state of our generation...

on Aug. 22 2011 at 10:39 pm
ThePeaceDaisy BRONZE, Albany, New York
4 articles 5 photos 223 comments

Favorite Quote:
“Laundry is the only thing that should be separated by color.” - Unknown
I will change this every week!

Well, sometimes you just have to send a message to a friend REALLY quick, but you normally spell things right. Normally when I text, I spell things right. I hardly use "text codes." I understand what this article is saying, but not every single teen "txtz lyke dis." 

on Jul. 31 2011 at 8:57 pm
Odessa_Sterling00 DIAMOND, No, Missouri
87 articles 108 photos 966 comments

Favorite Quote:
All gave some, some gave all. -War Veterans headstone.

Ummm, the line between when to "spell-check" and when you don't need to seems pretty clear to me, and probably everyone else.  I don't know anyone who shortens everything they say when they are writting a paper for school or a note to me or something.  Most people just do that for texting to be eaiser.  Yes, adding a few extra letters wouldn't kill anyone, who's it going to kill if they don't?  This article seemed a little ridiculous to me personally.  

on Jul. 31 2011 at 5:06 am
Pedophobic BRONZE, Moreno Valley, California
3 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
If you want people to be themselves, be prepared to expect not only the best of them, but the worst as well.

Obviously this will be praised and related to and agreed with by many of the users here and to some extent that includes me. I text just the way i speak, mediocre. I dont use my full vocabulary, which like everybody elses on this site is extensive from my consitent reading habits, but i don't sound like some elementary school drop out douche either. I hate it when people do that. it's easy but its unnecessary and they sound like dumbasses, so i agree that nobody should use 'text-speak'.

however, i don't think that anybody should be using their complete vocab for texting either, unless its for one of two reasons: to troll your less educated friends or to get in the habit of talking that way. When it comes to texting most of us don't want to spend a long time punching in buttons and explaining to our friends what the hell this and that means. texting is made for convenience. hey your friends not picking up the phone? no problem, leave them a text. Can't break the silence with a lousy phone call? text em. Bored and don't wanna bother people with an obnoxiously audible verbal conversation? Text that mofo. So abusing that convenience with big, unnesesary words that have little synonimical partners is kind of pointless and a pain in the bottom. That's my opinion anyway.

As for the whole SAT thing, i really don't think it'll affect that especially since you posted this article in a site that consists mainly of teen book worms and writers who spend alot of time with words and learning how to properly put them together. If its somthing a important as SATs i don't think something as stupid as our texting habits will get in the way of our determination to make sure it sounds as good as it can. and if it does get in the way, then chances are the person in question probably didn't care all that much about getting a good mark in the first place.


on Jul. 9 2011 at 5:34 pm
xKeli826x BRONZE, Middletown, New York
1 article 1 photo 57 comments
I totally agree with this. Teenagers are despicable with there grammar, or lack there of. I despise those who also talk with improper texting grammar. I’m sure you know these girls, the ones who say “OMG!” and “hmm…IDK.” I had an old friend who wrote a poorly writing essay for school using Z’s for S’s and using the numbers 2 and 4 for the words they are correlated with. Then to make it worse she didn’t understand when the teacher commented on her perpetual errors. Keep in mind she was in 8th grade when she would do this and I'm sure she continues this now, about to be a sophmore. As you can see I no longer allow myself to make those errors when texting. Even if I don’t know how to spell the word I’m looking for I try to use a synonym. Those partaking should know better by now. The youth of America can be so ridiculous.

on Jul. 9 2011 at 3:21 pm
ohheyyyelli SILVER, Woonsocket, Rhode Island
5 articles 3 photos 178 comments
I love using proper grammar. When I'm doing scratch-writing I'll often not use capital letters, but other than that, I'm pretty good. I hate when I see the wrong version of your or there. But to be honest, I don't know a lot of people who text as badly as "sccr canceled! pick^ @2 thx <3". I think that's a bit ridiculous. But still, I agree with your article!

on Jul. 9 2011 at 9:24 am
lambertluver112 BRONZE, Apollo, Pennsylvania
3 articles 0 photos 5 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life is a song
Love is the lyrics

I totally agree with this... occasinally i accidently write them in with my poems...

gpnukem said...
on Jun. 17 2011 at 9:29 pm
I commend you.  I find the inane abbreviations and limited vocobulary of my generation absolutely horrifying.

on Jun. 17 2011 at 9:02 pm
Stefegg PLATINUM, Maysville, Missouri
21 articles 0 photos 78 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited, imagination encircles the world."

I never shorten words when I text and I always use proper grammar, with the occasional "SAT word," and my friends make fun of me for it. I really don't care though, I can't stand shortened spelling and incorrect grammar. Thank you for attempting to bring this to the attention of today's teens.

on Jun. 17 2011 at 6:54 am
K.M.S.Shear BRONZE, Cherokee, Iowa
2 articles 0 photos 57 comments

Favorite Quote:
"Some people think writing is a waist of their time. For me it’s a way to draw an image of myself through the painting of words."

I never use proper grammer.

Bones96 BRONZE said...
on May. 26 2011 at 11:25 am
Bones96 BRONZE, Charlotte, North Carolina
2 articles 0 photos 108 comments

Favorite Quote:
Life isn't about finding yourself it's about creating yourself-

I agree with Welcome2myworld, When I text I use proper grammer and and spelling only when I am not sure of it's corrcet spelling do I shorten or do the best I can. And I think shorting the words isn't good for us but it's how it is these days.