Sundays Washington Post has an article on the decline among young people in the ability to write clear sentences and to construct coherent paragraphs. It gives both sides of the story and doesnt indulge in apocalyptic warnings. But I have myself wondered what the effect of textmessaging, etc. will be. For myself I havent seen noticeable differences among my undergraduate students. I wonder if high schools still require classes in composition, and regular writing assignments. Im grateful for the rather exigent education I got in that area.