It was just a little thing....but then, in my mind, those little things tend to escalate.

It shouldn't have bothered me as much as it has.  But, sometimes, I just can't help myself....and that is how I found myself mourning for the future.

I was reading an article online today.  By someone who is presumably a "journalist."  Someone who went to school and graduated with a degree for writing.  Someone who has worked through the ranks to become a "published" author, of sorts.

And then, as I was reading, I noticed it.  This person used "undo" (definition - verb: to untie, loosen or unfasten. Noun - cancel or reverse) instead of "undue" (definition - adjective: unwarranted or inappropriate).

And I heard English teachers around the world weeping.

Seriously?

Sure, sure, spell-check would have never flagged that - since they are both real words - but these words have two, totally different meanings!  How could this have passed by the journalist, the editor and whomever (although, I must admit the whole whom/who one is still a struggle for me - and odds are good, I went with the wrong word here) else it had to go through to land on that page for me to find it?

I admit I may be a little crazed in this department.  And while I realize that there are certain words that are the most misused (can you say - there, their, they're?  Or - your, you're? Or even lose and loose? Or, the classic, to, two, and too?) in the English language - but these two?  This bugged me so much, that not only did I dwell on it (and the demise of the world as we know it) all day, I even contemplated commenting and pointing it out (despite the fact that I can't stand "those" people-so instead, I blogged about it!).

C'mon.  If you are going to write for a living (i.e., get PAID for it) understand your craft; is that too much to ask?

Mistakes like this are the harbinger of doomsday - the apocalypse, if you will - of the English language.  If the writers stop caring about the differences between "undo" and "undue" than what is next?!

Before you know it there will chaos and mayhem!  Words will be bandied about willy-nilly with not a care in the world for their definitions.  Punctuation, which is already speeding downhill, will become extinct.

And those of us left who actually care about such things, will be forced to read incoherent sentences that will drive us mad...until we reach the point that we no longer read.

And before you know it, civilization will have come full circle and we will be grunting and pointing trying to make ourselves understood.

Until somebody gets the bright idea to "create" a language.  One filled with definitions, rules and punctuation.   And the vicious cycle will start all over again.


***
And, as is Murphy's Law, I go on a rant about the English language and I have a typo in the rant.  Of course. *sigh*  On the plus side, I don't get paid to write...so I've got that for an excuse; as lame as it may be.