Editor's Note

Growing up, I never thought I would find myself in the position of editing the words of my peers. English was always my favorite subject and spelling came naturally to me, but when it came to spoken word, my grammar wasn't always the best. I blame this on the amount of slang my generation has implemented and now as the editor, I see its ramifications.

Most people, students included, tend to write the way they speak or think. There's nothing wrong with this if you're posting a bulletin on Myspace, but in terms of schoolwork, I can't stress enough the importance of proofreading. I'll admit that I, too, find myself forgetting this imperative step and when I'm marked down because of it, I further realize the necessity of the editorial process.

One of my biggest pet peeves and the mistake I see most often, is the misuse of homonyms. Yes, I realize they all sound the same, but there is a reason there are three forms of the word 'there.' And if you haven't had this ingrained in you since childhood, I'll give you a quick lesson. 'You're' is the contraction for you are. It is NOT the same word as 'your,' which is the possessive form of you. ?'Too' translates into 'also,' as in "he was there too!" Not to be confused with the prepositional version of ?the two, 'to.'

Not everyone has to worry incessantly if they are grammatically and stylistically correct, but for those of us who decided to major in a subject governed by these rules, it is a necessary component to our survival in the field. So the next time someone corrects your grammar don't be annoyed. Your mistake is their equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.