Do you use correct English when you are talking to your friends?

[Dieselfit]

When we're communicating with our keyboards to our friends, we tend to type quickly to get our message across. Some of us don't care about grammar and spelling while others type as if they are writing a essay. I think practice makes perfect so what's your take on this?

[Baburra]

I don't correct them unless the mistake looks like it's going to be embarrassing for them if they repeat it in front of someone outside our group. Otherwise, as long as we're understanding each other, I think it's fine.

[ddrmario123]

I also don't use proper grammar or spelling when communicating to a friend via the internet. I agree with Baburra, as long as we understand each other, I don't see a problem. I think language can be as slurred as you want, as long as both parties understand each other  :wacky:.

That's why there are different languages in the first place. Someone listening to an ancient language would think its gibberish, but to someone who can also speak that ancient language, they can communicate. Likewise, communicating to that ancient person will have them perceive your language as gibberish, yet we don't think its gibberish because we understand it.

[MyDigitalpoint]

I was taught that written English should be correctly expressed, avoiding the use of contractions and colloquialisms and I still try to keep this advice up when typing something aimed to reach a friend.

However I use some contractions, and some colloquialisms or idiomatic expressions that I consider proper to use among friends, but I truly dislike incorrect grammar in excess as much as those SMS-like messages that are almost unreadable without putting into them extra effort or a deciphering service.

[pandandesign]

I do use proper English when I write to me friends. For speaking, I don't use as much as for writing. One reason is that my friends usually like to talk in a simple kind of way. They don't usually speak correct or use proper English because it is not what it used to be, which means the simpler the better when speaking English.

[jbepp]

I like to use correct English.

Of course I use terms like "dude","bro","rad", etc. but I type the entire words and not stuff like "u" or "cuz" since I hate how it looks.

[Firelily99]

I try to keep it as correct as possible but that's not to say that I do slip up and throw in a grammatical bomb from time to time.  A lot depends upon who I am talking to and what we are talking about.  English, even for a native speaker has so many nuances and exceptions that its hard to be a perfect speaker of it, or even a writer.

[thekernel]

I prefer to be as clear as possible. I don't always type with perfect grammar; I usually eschew capitalization and proper punctuation in favor of speed. I still use the best spelling I can though. A friend of mine types horribly and it's just awful trying to unscramble the meaning of his messages.

[sulayman]

I hate to use proper english when i am being free around my friends and family. I think that it is important to be free and people to be able to relate to you and your life and personality. So i take it easy and i am really informal

[SpiralArchitect]

Well if I am not using my mother tongue than I might as well use it right. I don't feel easy or comfortable around them using a language incorrectly then I see no reason to use a language the way it was meant to be.

[Denis Hard]

It depends on how you define 'correct.' Language is used differently, in different settings. If I'm talking to friends then I'll use the style we use when we communicate on a day-to-day basis. Of course that doesn't mean mangling up grammar and stuff. I'd never do that.

[DNA]

Well, when i started to learn English, someone said me that the important thing is to know words, bcs if from 1 sentence you can understand several words it becomes automatically that you understand the meaning. So, my main point was words. I know grammar, may be not very well, but simple things i know. However, during the speech i do a lot of stupid mistakes, for example i can say "she have" or "they was" instead of "she has" and "they were", and I know such rules, but somehow it goes out unconsciously....

[Catalyst64]

Sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. When I'm playing a video game and I have to chat fast, I sometimes make typos, try to shorten the words or not use proper capitalization. When I'm chatting with friends from other countries I usually don't capitalize the first word of the sentence unless it's an "I". I also never put a full stop at the end of sentences. But I always watch out if I've made any spelling mistakes and correct them if I can.

[Kotro]

Whether in my native Portuguese or English, using a keyboard at a distance or speaking face to face, I always try to respect every single grammatical rule in the book. I don't use abreviations, I punctuate accordingly, and I'm absolutely anal about it, to the point of not bothering replying to someone whom I find to be abusing the language in such a way. I often find myself correcting my friends mid-sentence, which they find rather annoying, but I can't help it, I can't stand having educated people massacring the language, it grinds my gears.

[Bandannafied]

I usually have correct grammar and spelling even when I am chatting to my friends through instant messaging software online. Most of my friends are pretty good about it as well. I am not a stickler about anything though and usually won't mind incorrect spelling or grammar unless it prevents me from understanding what is going on in the conversation.

[Limezero]

Thankfully my spellchecker picks up most things, so I correct what I can. It gets messy though if I'm on my phone and I have to write a message or a text to someone and I'm in a hurry. Autocorrect never gets me right, and messages often end up losing their meaning altogether.

[drkn335]

I always make it a habit of using correct grammar and spelling when writing in English as I think it is important, and it's always good to be grammatically correct. It annoys me when people don't bother to use their own grammar.

[LauraM]

I do use correct spelling and grammar even in informal setting.  I think it's important to not fall into bad habits which otherwise can become unconscious and thus suddenly surface at a time when correct grammar is an absolute must.  This is what I learned growing up, being raised by two teachers who made sure I spoke correctly at home.  They were corrective, but in a positive and gentle way.

I don't correct other people's grammar unless we have an agreement that it's okay to do so.  It's tempting, yes, of course, but I don't want to be intrusive in that way. 

[Brometheus]

Oh, I absolutely do not. My grammar gets horrendous when I'm talking to friends over IM or something. Usually, it's just all capital, likely misspelled, and riddled with fake words and insults. It's probably a horrible habit, and my capability of using correct grammar when it's needed has likely suffered. I suppose it could be worse though.

[FatesWing]

I find myself doing both. Sometimes I'll write as if an English teacher will be grading me, and then other times I use slang and text message styled writing. For me it just depends on who I'm speaking with. With my friends if I'm passing down information then I may write very proper vs if I'm telling a friend I'm on my way I may just put "omw" or "bts" for be there soon.

[mickey4533]

Rarely if ever do I use proper English when speaking with my friends. We shorten almost every word until it almost seems like a completely different language. It's really fun but sometimes I wonder if it makes my English skills deteriorate.

[Shannonbutler18]

I always have perfect grammar and spelling when talking to friends, unless I'm using my phone, in which there's a 160 character limit. If I go past that limit, I'll just edit some words into shortcuts, but other than that I write with perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation; because of this I often find myself correcting my friends, who, I have to say, don't spell that well at all.

[sidney]

When I'm texting or chatting with my friends, I use text lingo, but sometimes, there are certain words that I fully spell, especially when it looks too weird to be abbreviated. I don't think it's necessary to properly spell words when we are just chatting or texting.

[atomiczagnut]

I'm definitely the kind of person who uses proper spelling and grammar in almost all of my communication, both written and spoken.  The one exception is that I often find myself typing "wanna" and "gonna" instead of "want to" or "going to".  Of course, being from Chicago, that's how I talk to.

[Dieselfit]

I agree it is important to practice English in the best way possible. Practice makes perfect so whenever possible, use correct English and it will be effortless when you need to use formal English like in a interview or in such cases!