School Children Learn About Grammar From Celebrities On Twitter

We all know that techspeak can hurt our grammar. ‘Techspeak’ is a word used to describe the shorthand we use in text, IM, emails, social media and more. It goes beyond abbreviations like LOL, OMG and IMHO. It also encompasses real words that we spell wrong on purpose because it’s faster or shorter. These days it seems we care more about the message than the way it is composed. Celebrities on Twitter are helping with this problem, and they don’t even know it.

Since kids and teenagers spend as much or more time typing in techspeak than they do typing correct grammar in school, it’s extra hard for them since they are still developing their grammar skills. Some of the celebrities on Twitter, who are amongst the biggest grammar offenders, aren’t setting a very good example for their young school aged fans.

Red Balloon, the leading English school for kids in Brazil, decided to use the celebrities on Twitter as a learning platform for their students. The students are told to go to the Twitter page of their favorite celebrities and analyze their tweets. Then, when they spot a grammar error, they send a gracious tweet to the celebrity with the correction. Sometimes they even include a picture of their class in the tweet.

When you watch this video, you’ll see that these young Brazilian students know a lot about English grammar! So far, none of the celebrities have responded to their tweets though, which is a little sad. Imagine how all of the students in the class would feel if one of them replied. That would be so exciting for them! If they keep doing this, I’m sure one of the celebrities on Twitter will eventually reply. What a great way to learn about grammar.