Phonics 101

I know that, for most of us, grade school was a long time ago. It's hard sometimes to remember basic facts and concepts learned back in the 3rd and 4th grade, like what is the capital of Vermont or how to find the quotient (or the remainder) in long division. The brain rot we experience in these subject areas is largely due to lack of use; when people don't have to apply this knowledge, they are more likely to forget. And with devices like calculators and sites like Google Earth, the answers to the above questions are literally at our fingertips.

What I don't understand, though, is how people can forget the basic concepts of a subject that we use all day, every day? I'm talking about language, people: grammar, phonics, and spelling. It's astounding to me just how often the English language is abused, misused, and bastardized. Just this week, I heard a news story about how the editors of Webster's Dictionary had to add a definition for the word nonplussed, because it is misused with such alarming frequency. The term is basically a fancy word for confused, but most people think it's synonymous with the word unimpressed. So many, in fact, that the dictionary people caved to public pressure.

Also this week, former Alaska governor and current pain in the ass, Sarah Palin, attempted to defend herself against the ridicule she received for using words like "refudiate" and "misunderestimate" in a speech she gave... She did this by comparing herself to Shakespeare... because he liked to coin new words too, you know.

That politicians make up fancy-sounding words in an attempt to sound smarter than they are is nothing new. The latter President Bush made up so many words (like "suiciders" and "strategery") and used them so convincingly, some people started to wonder if it was they who were uninformed, and former Vice President Quayle never did live down his highly publicized misspelling of the word tomato.

So as a service to the general public, I will be posting a worksheet on homophones, and possibly one on punctuation marks as well. Although I'm sure that you, my dear readers, will all pass with flying colors, feel free to pass the upcoming posts on to anyone who demonstrates a need for a refresher course. Like the annoying guy who comments on all your friends' Facebook posts: "I love movie's! There filming one outside my office bldg rite now!" Or a colleague's sister who texts: "The Cubs one today"... get my drift?

So sharpen your #2 pencils, kids-- one phonics quiz, coming right up!