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> While I believe that writers should use rules of
> grammar, can we really expect those who aren't writers
> and haven't been trained in language quite the way we
> have to know and understand the rules - and use them
> fluidly?
>
> I don't think so! That would be equivalent to a
> programmer expecting everyone to know how to use a
> computer fluidly - Not everyone has the use for it, or
> has the skills for it.
>
> That is, after all, why our jobs exist!
I disagree. I distinctly remember these rules (it's/its,
there/their/they're, whether/weather, etc.) being covered repeatedly in my
grammar and composition books in elementary and junior high school. In my
opinion, if something is taught at a sixth grade level, that doesn't make it
elite knowledge that only specially-trained people need to know or are
capable of understanding. In this day and age when there is such an
emphasis on people finishing high school, there's nothing wrong with
expecting them to know and be able to use correct grammar, at least at a
fifth or sixth grade level.
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