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 Apr. 27 2010 at 7:02 pm
Lanna8o9 BRONZE, Medina, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
We can do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it<br /> ~Anonymous

=) You're not sorry. And I can read it just fine. If i am so rong thn i shldnt rly b able 2 type ths cz i dont kno how 2 txt, rite??? But don't worry. I know.

on Apr. 27 2010 at 7:02 pm
Lanna8o9 BRONZE, Medina, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
We can do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it<br /> ~Anonymous

Oh geez I'm sorry!!! I forgot to click reply instead of new comment =) how do you delete these.....?

on Apr. 27 2010 at 6:58 pm
Lanna8o9 BRONZE, Medina, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
We can do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it<br /> ~Anonymous

=) You're not sorry. And I can read it just fine. If i am so rong thn i shldnt rly b able 2 type ths cz i dont txt, rite??? But don't worry. I know.

on Apr. 26 2010 at 1:52 pm
dxrider27 SILVER, Howard Beach, New York
6 articles 0 photos 27 comments

Favorite Quote:
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

Well I'm srry, but u r rong Lanna8o9 cuz if u txted enough, u would no how 2 read it

on Apr. 25 2010 at 8:42 pm
possiblylindsey GOLD, Keller, Texas
12 articles 12 photos 74 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;see? if i liked chris drew, id end up like randy. 5 foot 1 and vegetarian. vegetarians arent men.&quot; -camden<br /> &quot;what are you grinnin&#039; at?&quot; - mr. martinez<br /> &quot;you just cant recreate stupid.&quot; - jacob

haha me too =] my friends laugh because i dont abbreviate every single word. but its worth it when ive got an A in English and they dont =] i really like this article! good job!

on Apr. 25 2010 at 7:34 pm
Lanna8o9 BRONZE, Medina, Ohio
2 articles 0 photos 16 comments

Favorite Quote:
We can do whatever we want to do whenever we want to do it<br /> ~Anonymous

dxrider27, I'm sorry, but I couldn't understand what you typed for a second. There's a certain line between text-typing and typing so that nothing is readable lkths (like that)

on Apr. 25 2010 at 7:05 pm
Dandelion PLATINUM, Franklin, Massachusetts
20 articles 8 photos 173 comments
I'm so glad you wrote this article! My friends laugh when I send them intelligible instant messages, but I know that it's reflected in my English grades.

ftsk... said...
on Apr. 25 2010 at 6:16 pm
ftsk..., Newport Beach, California
0 articles 0 photos 18 comments
great article I actually took the time to read it beacuse it was very interesting! I know what you are talking about sometimes I'm in class and I ask my friend to let me read her paper and I see her horrible writting like you would see in a text...its dissapointing to see that people don't take the time to check what they're writting

on Apr. 25 2010 at 4:54 pm
kazuntai101 BRONZE, Winnipeg, Other
4 articles 1 photo 5 comments
I definitely agree. I go out of my way to not use chatspeak and use capital letters (what is with the sudden loss of capitals? Is it really that hard to press shift) because chatspeak annoys me so much!!

on Apr. 25 2010 at 3:51 pm
Alice_in_Wonderland GOLD, San Clemente, California
16 articles 0 photos 620 comments

Favorite Quote:
&ldquo;I could give up, I could stay stuck, or I could move on, So I put one foot front of the other, No no no nothing&rsquo;s gonna break my stride, &ldquo; &ndash;David Archuleta (The Other Side of Down)

Wow! Great article. I liked that it was entertaining but also made you think about something very important. Good job. I don't have a cell phone but I do abbrieviate words on IM.  I actually don't have the inproper grammer problem that you mentioned because I just know when it's time to just text abbrieviations and when to type properly besides most of the time I type everything up anyway so if I do misspell something then spellcheck will probably catch it or my parents when they read it. The only gramer I have problems with are commas. Great job!!!

Sarbear GOLD said...
on Apr. 25 2010 at 1:54 pm
Sarbear GOLD, Milan, Ohio
10 articles 4 photos 489 comments

Favorite Quote:
--Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you&#039;re a mile away from them and you have their shoes.<br /> --When life gives you lemons, squirt them in people&#039;s eyes.

this article is so very true.

on Apr. 25 2010 at 7:14 am
LoveOfWords BRONZE, Ascot, Other
4 articles 3 photos 48 comments

Favorite Quote:
I reject your reality and substitute my own! -- Adam Savage

Really good article. It really annoys me when I have to struggle to read what people write because they don't take the time to do it properly. I don't know how to text, but I do use some abreviations on Facebook chat, like: "BRB" "G2G" and "cuz" instead of "because."

on Apr. 10 2010 at 10:53 pm
dxrider27 SILVER, Howard Beach, New York
6 articles 0 photos 27 comments

Favorite Quote:
NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!!

no i alwys use txt language cuz itz easy nd better

on Apr. 6 2010 at 10:26 pm
deardiary BRONZE, Saskatoon, Other
3 articles 0 photos 65 comments

Favorite Quote:
It is a truth universally acknowedged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife. -Pride and Prejudice

Haha, i have put "ur" instead of your on an essay a few too many times ;p

on Apr. 3 2010 at 11:29 pm
fictionlover10 SILVER, Scottsdale, Arizona
6 articles 0 photos 59 comments
I know, right? I always use correct spelling and grammar, but it ends up being a pain in the butt because my texts are always super long...

Jenni_Marie said...
on Apr. 3 2010 at 11:18 pm
Haha. I always use my best grammar, except for smiley faces and such. Text-language is sort of a pet peeve of mine.

Dexter02 GOLD said...
on Apr. 3 2010 at 8:59 pm
Dexter02 GOLD, Derby, Kansas
13 articles 0 photos 12 comments

Favorite Quote:
Even though doing what will make you stronger may not always be what you want to do, it will keep you grounded and secure you where ever you may soar.<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> ~ Sarah ~

I agree with this article 100%. But when your in a rush then you have to do what you have to do. If your were to text the police (which we know we can't do) that you need help would you text it all out or would you put " HELP ME "

on Apr. 3 2010 at 6:07 pm
dancer4Christ BRONZE, Granbury, Texas
2 articles 2 photos 7 comments

Favorite Quote:
&quot;Happiness is like the old man told me, look for it and you&#039;ll never find it all.&quot; -The Fray, Happiness<br /> &quot;Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.&quot; -Philippians 4:6

I absolutely agree with this. I am probably one of the few people in my school that uses proper grammar when texting, and my grades in AP English reflect that. Great piece!

on Apr. 3 2010 at 12:29 am
loveisblind GOLD, Tenino, Washington
10 articles 0 photos 71 comments

Favorite Quote:
This world, it ends as you believe it to end; yet it&#039;ll live on to the actuall end, where then you admit yourself wrong.<br /> <br /> <br /> ~Me~

I somewhat dissagree with this peace. Some people use text language simply because it costs them money for every character.

However, with the excessive amount of texting used today, it's amazing that some of the huge texting people is passing english/ language arts.

Great peace, I loved it!


on Mar. 12 2010 at 11:55 pm
patty-watty BRONZE, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
3 articles 0 photos 4 comments

Favorite Quote:
Awh Poubelle!

Agreed, that is the reason why I think everyone should have a phone with a keyboard, so that its just as quick as cutting out a few letters. Plus, I love grammar. Haha.