Be honest- do you remember EVERYTHING you were taught in school? The thing is, we're taught a lot of stuff at school some of it we retain for the rest of our lives, some of it we forget a few months after we do the exam to check that we know it. The stuff we retain tends to be the stuff we have reason to use and be precise about on a regular basis. For example- I'm not very sure I remember how to do long division, which I'm sure I was taught, and did fairly well at, when I was around eleven. But then I never have cause to do long division in my day to day life because for the past eight or so years I've never needed to do it in a situation where there wasn't a calculator readily available. I do tend to remember my theirs and theres because I write regularly, and risk making an idiot of myself or losing out on respect, publication or both if I make too many mistakes. People who don't rely on written English to make a living tend to let this kind of thing slip out of their brains, because all they really need to worry about is making themselves understood. If a plumber writes the wrong "their" on a memo chances are no-one's going to call him up about it. The rule slips out of his mind to make room for the things he does use on a regular basis- such as how to fix your washing machine. (Now I don't know about you but when I call out a plumber I'm far more interested in his washing machine fixing abilities than his grammar.) Bottom line is that are brain capacity is finite- people remember what is relevant to them and cut out what isn't.

They refuse to look at THEIR post and take advantage of the 5 minute grace period to edit? Then again, maybe some folks haven't made it past the fifth grade.

To be honest I think a large part of it is laziness. They can't be bothered to remember which version it is or to work it out, so they just put the same one down repeatedly.

I have to admit, when I first started to answer questions on a legal site I have been on for a long time, I did not realize how innacurate I had become. One person pointed it out, and I have tried never to make that mistake again. I even now, notice when others do it.

I think a lot of it is laziness and also that teachers don't take the time to correct misspellings or wrong grammar usage. If a person actually stopped to think about the usage of the word they would probably use the correct one. They're = they are, their = belongs to, there = place. My step-son is in the 5th grade and when I look over his papers it is pathetic. He has so many misspellings and wrong usages. My sis-in-law is a teacher and asked why he isn't being corrected, she told me it's because teachers now are not required to as long as the student gets their point across. To me this is doing the student a grave misjustice. Grammar and spelling are very important. My mother was a teacher and these rules were instilled in me and I now pass them on to my daughter. Although we live in a small Kentucky town, I will make sure my daughter knows how to spell and speak correctly and properly. But, every now and then, I too will make a mistake. How boring it would be to be perfect all the time. English and it's rules are a hard thing to learn and remember all the time. I generally will look over people's flaws and correct them in my head. If a person really tries their best, that's all I, or anyone, should expect.

To some people, accuracy is not important - they are the ones who won't notice an error in their bank statement or distinguish a true offer from a scam. And they have only themselves to blame if they get ripped off because they chose the 'it's close enough' attitude.

I would say that it depends on the situation in which the error is made. If it is the occasional misuse of the word, then it is not a sign of that the person is stupid or lazy so much as they may just have not been thinking about what they were writing. I know the difference between the words, but sometimes, my fingers type one when my brain is thinking of one of the others. If I spot the error I will go back and fix it. On the other hand, if the problem is habitual and consistent., then I would say that it is a mark of someone who is lazy to stupid. Keeping straight which one is which is not all that difficult. So, getting them consistently confused does not reflect well on the writer. BTW, I would say that the same thing applies to those that consistently fail to properly use to, too, and two.

We are slough learners <g>. Some people do not integrate and differentiate the auditory and visual with precision.

That lax attitude that people get, once they are over with school. They think they don't need to know that stuff anymore. Other things become more important. And stress gets in the way. But not everyone is like that. Some people develop psychological problems, later in life. Some are just lazy, to begin with.