What does it mean when someone makes dt mistakes?

Answer

Some dt errors are indeed due to inattention, but certainly not all.

Inattention ?

We do not always analyze the context in which we use a word and then there is a real chance that we will use words that have two forms as happens/happens interchangeably. Certainly on a computer screen we see “errors” less quickly than on paper.

Intelligence ?

Nevertheless, the correct application of the DT rules in the first place requires a sense of analysis, ie a form of intelligence. You can indeed test someone’s analytical intelligence by the correct application of dt rules.

The correct application of dt rules often requires a correct grammatical analysis of the sentence in which you use the word in question. For this, grammar education at school is strictly necessary and education is currently falling short. This explains why the making of dt errors is increasing. Young people are insufficiently trained at school to analyze a language (including their own language) grammatically, and this has consequences for the correct application of rules such as dt. It is therefore not only a matter of intelligence, but also a matter of education at school.

Grammar education is also of fundamental importance for the learning of foreign languages. The lack of this explains the decline in foreign language skills among Flemish youngsters compared to previous generations, in particular those languages ​​in which grammatical rules are important to use them correctly, such as French and German.