Rant - spelling

[spackard]

Slow Children at Play
"The Death of the Comma? U.S. Academic Claims Punctuation Mark Could Be Abolished From English Language With 'Little Loss of Clarity' "--headline, Daily Mail (London), Feb. 8

 

[DBMaster]

Could be that these "skills," drilled into our heads by rote memorization in school, have a lot less value today. I, like many of you, have to fight very hard to keep from discriminating against those who lack "sophisticated" written communication skills. I often feel that such prejudice is a sign of arrogance.

Language is a living thing that evolves. Dead languages, like Latin, generally don't. So, should we feel privileged that our language is not yet dead?

 

[yeti]

in a recent thread -- "needs back glass lock tires soon ...", and "... a reliable safe trucm I di.t need anyone elsr worrying ...".
two of my favorites.nobody here has perfect grammar, spelling and punctuation skills,but one shouldn't have to read sentences two or three times to understand what is said.it is what it is.
re: no caps -- a few years back, i sustained a hand wound on a job, and learned to plunk along with one finger.it became easier to not use caps, and i just kept typing this way.just sayin'.
have a good night, all.

 

[salv]

Originally Posted By: Benzadmiral
Originally Posted By: salv
Errors with subjunctive mood are a big pet peeve.

"If I was you." Wrong.
"If I were you." Correct.

When conjugating the verb "to be", was is the past tense, not future or present tense.

The "were" is that rarely seen and terribly shy wild animal, the subjunctive. Approach and use with caution.


I love how wonderfully pretentious I sound when using words like "were" or "whom".

My mother is an English teacher, yet I find myself at times correcting her grammar, reminding her that she taught me to speak and communicate using only standard written English.

 

[datech]

They is nothing that gets me like using breaks.

IT is all the fault of the internet.

 

[ET16]

"'s" plurals probably irk me the most. I don't quite know where they came from, but I know that the Internet has spread them. I remember a couple of years ago a battery chain had "battery's" (plural) written all over their trucks. They eventually changed them all to "batteries". Must have been expensive.

I don't like seeing "it's" when it's not a contraction, but I accept now that most people never learned, or forgot that "its" is the possessive form, not "it's" or "its'".

I get that some people couldn't be bothered, but there's correct and incorrect. It still seems to me that it's better to be correct. It's a reflection on you. I'm not bother by typos, by the way.

 

[exranger06]

The #1 most annoying grammar mistake is "I could care less."

 

[MolaKule]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Who gives a f*** about an Oxford comma (*and all that English drama*)... So if there's any other way to spell the word it's fine with me.

I personally do not care. As long as I can decipher the intent, I am fine with it.

Language is intentionally ambiguous and specific so that it maximizes the amount of potential comprehension from a wide number of individuals and then exchanges particulars.

If this was a submitted term paper, ok, check that grammar. Forums... meh.
Many of us use quick-auto correct, type late at night, and are just semi-lazy.



Actually, there really is precision in language, particularly in written language, where the absence of so many non-verbal cues on which we ordinarily rely.

As a "FutureDoc" you should be very concerned with precision in language - consider your written direction to a hospital staff for patient care - should it be ambiguous? Should it be the staff's job to decipher what you're saying?

Of course not. Good grammar is a courtesy to the reader. In your articulated future profession, good grammar might mean the difference between correct care, and malpractice.

Now, does this matter on BITOG? Well, you can tell who writes with precision, or at least attempts it as a courtesy to their fellow forum members. Make it hard to read your thread, and I am far less inclined to respond or help you. Why should I help you, or even respond, when you've shown little courtesy to me?

Finally, you do realize that your post is self-contradictory, right? There cannot simultaneously be ambiguity and specificity at the same time. Those terms are antithetical...

If you ever hope to gain admission to Medical School, I recommend that you pick up a copy of Strunk & White...

The other misused word I have seen in many threads is Advice vs Advise.

Advice is a noun meaning "opinion" or "counsel."

Advise is a verb meaning "to give advice or opinion"


Joe asked me to give him advice regarding XYZ oil. When he asked me about which viscosity to use in his car, I advised him as to the proper viscosity to use.

 

[edhackett]

"Recommend me" is one that I find highly annoying.

Ed

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I understand relaxing the rules a bit in places like a discussion forum or social networking site, and I also understand the occasional misspelled word or grammar faux pas. That being said, the inability of so many people to use reasonable grammar, correct sentence structure and proper punctuation is deeply concerning even on a forum such as this. Writing skills are the foundation of communication, and writing is the primary basis upon which your work, your education, and your intellect will be judged; in college, in the workplace, and in the community.

When you fail to make writing an important part of yourself, you fail to do well that which makes your thinking visible to others.

 

[zrxkawboy]

A guy on another forum likes to use this example regarding the importance of punctuation and capitalization.

I helped my uncle, Jack, off his horse.

i helped my uncle jack off his horse

 

[SatinSilver]

Just saw this on another thread regarding a new car:

Originally Posted By: *****
Any one have any ideas about engine brake in on the *****


Goodness.

 

[Sonic]

I says
I seen
We was
brung
anyways
alls
too vs to
advice vs advise
irregardless?

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: tc1446
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
I'm sure EVERYONE, including those of us who gripe about such things (myself included) have indeed screwed up. But it is sad and painful to see the same mistakes made time and time again by the same folks. Not only spelling, but also punctuation and plurality.


So many of us had no education, or very little, yet many are extremely talented in other ways; mechanics for example. You all are judging these people and suggesting they are ignorant thereby discouraging them from participating.

Ease up folks, its a GD forum for all, not a language test.


Very little education as in 5th grade or college? Im pretty sure my writing skills have not particularly improved since about 8th grade... 12th if you want to define the last formal class I had on "English".

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
Originally Posted By: FutureDoc
Who gives a f*** about an Oxford comma (*and all that English drama*)... So if there's any other way to spell the word it's fine with me.

I personally do not care. As long as I can decipher the intent, I am fine with it.

Language is intentionally ambiguous and specific so that it maximizes the amount of potential comprehension from a wide number of individuals and then exchanges particulars.

If this was a submitted term paper, ok, check that grammar. Forums... meh.
Many of us use quick-auto correct, type late at night, and are just semi-lazy.



Actually, there really is precision in language, particularly in written language, where the absence of so many non-verbal cues on which we ordinarily rely.

As a "FutureDoc" you should be very concerned with precision in language - consider your written direction to a hospital staff for patient care - should it be ambiguous? Should it be the staff's job to decipher what you're saying?

Of course not. Good grammar is a courtesy to the reader. In your articulated future profession, good grammar might mean the difference between correct care, and malpractice.

Now, does this matter on BITOG? Well, you can tell who writes with precision, or at least attempts it as a courtesy to their fellow forum members. Make it hard to read your thread, and I am far less inclined to respond or help you. Why should I help you, or even respond, when you've shown little courtesy to me?

Finally, you do realize that your post is self-contradictory, right? There cannot simultaneously be ambiguity and specificity at the same time. Those terms are antithetical...

If you ever hope to gain admission to Medical School, I recommend that you pick up a copy of Strunk & White...


That is Dr. FutureDoc, Ph.D. Completed a few years ago.

"FutureDoc" was a nickname given by a a family friend when I was marrying into a family that included a "Doc", Mrs Doc", and "LittleDoc" I was going to be the "new member" to "Doc's" family... so FutureDoc. The family friend did not know I was entering a PhD program.

My field deals with a lot of engineers and non-native English speakers. I tend to be patient with language. However, there is a significant difference between a technical report and a a community forum. I expect precise language there with a report but despite that, I know many incredibility bright people, some of the best engineers, statisticians, and quantitative who struggle with English even when they are a native speaker.

Symbolic logic is precise, English is goofy. The ambiguity exists, even with my "FutureDoc" name as you assumed I was a Physician, not a Ph.D. (Because the term "doctor" in latin means "teacher"... I am closer to the definition than a medical doctor or physician). Not as ambiguous as Persian (it is a lot more quirky). If there was no ambiguity in language, poetry would not work. In addition, language changes. Communication is a partnership...both sides must strive to understand. Putting the onus on the speaker to meet basic requirements of the listener is one thing, to meet the requirements of the speakers expectation of how the language "should" be handled is another. That is the failure of the listener. The listener can always ask the speaker to clarify.

What drives me mad... those that jump to spurious reasoning. That is my pet-peeve. Acronyms are a close second.

There are accents, even in written speech and that is what you respond to in the forums by expecting a certain grammar style. I talk with a moderate Southern accent and some folks respond with certain prejudices against that accent. So when you see odd grammar, do not be prejudicial towards someone.

 

[zrxkawboy]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Very little education as in 5th grade or college?


Exactly. My 4th grade daughter spells much better than many adults I encounter.

 

[andrewg]

I admit it....I STINK at spelling, punctuation, and knowing basic sentence structure. Sometimes I feel like a real fool because of it. Words like their, there, they're etc. really rack my head.
But I do try to improve on this issue.

 

[zrxkawboy]

Originally Posted By: andrewg
I admit it....I STINK at spelling, punctuation, and knowing basic sentence structure. Sometimes I feel like a real fool because of it. Words like their, there, they're etc. really rack my head.
But I do try to improve on this issue.


But I can READ your post...easily!

its the people who type like this that irritate me you know they just type so its easy and dont care how hard it is to read but then get [censored] when someone misunderstands them or no one responds

 

[gfh77665]

Spelling and grammatical errors are irritating, but verbosity has to be the worst. Those who feel the need to try and make their point here by often writing out a thesis are so annoying.

I just skip over and skim through their posts, if I even bother to read them at all. If you can't support your point in a paragraph or two, its unsupportable. Those who ramble the most really have the least to say. Ironic isn't it?

 

[PF52]

Originally Posted By: ET16
"'s" plurals probably irk me the most. I don't quite know where they came from, but I know that the Internet has spread them. I remember a couple of years ago a battery chain had "battery's" (plural) written all over their trucks. They eventually changed them all to "batteries".


There is a pet store near me with a giant lighted sign that says "Puppy's". I want to go in and ask to speak to "Puppy".