"If you think you are old fashioned, then I must be...

"If you think you are old fashioned, then I must be antediluvian. In jest, but many a true word hides in jest, I have postulated that one can work out a person's IQ, and hence whether to take their opinions seriously or not, by the use of a few simple rules of thumb, which are:..."

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Pioupiou, I agree with all the examples in your posts.
I'm not sure, however, that poor grammar is an indication of IQ, perhaps rather the sad reality that today's teachers were not taught grammar so have no notion of how to teach it themselves.

I had a neighbour who taught English in a public high school.
She asked me "what is a noun, and what is a verb?"
She also regularly suggested that she 'should have went' somewhere.

Once upon a time the ABC was charged with the responsibility of bringing us good English. No such hope these days. If someone actually uses 'fewer' when describing individual numbers of something, rather than 'less' I feel a peculiar sense of overwhelming gratitude such is the relief.

One of the ABC Radio's most popular hosts regularly says 'yeah, no', before proceeding to answer a question and frequently includes "um, y'know'.

The welcome exception are the presenters on Classic FM whose English is excellent, the information they offer on the music erudite and interesting, and the modulation of the voices just a delight.

Your average 16 year old would think, reading this thread, what the **** are they on about???