Spelling - does it matter on The Forum?

[Gadget]

In which case, the question I have to ask is why is your spelling (typing) so much better than it used to be?

Because I can type faster now and I'm more practiced at writing/reading posts. I can make better use of keyboard shortcuts and navigation than I could then. And there is so much more on the forum now that I am very selective about what I read and what I actually post on.

If I can suggest something: I think the forum isn't the easiest place to read long posts. Something I find helps is using lots of white space.

I agree; very good practice and something I advocate. I normally do it for longer posts - in this case I thought that with the preamble, it would make it easier for a reader skip that bit if they wanted.

People use the pub analogy, but it is only an analogy. In the pub, do you often stand up and make a 10 minute speech to the entire audience?

no?
The only reason you don't is because people would interrupt or turn away - here you have a captive audience that can only have input once you have finished talking

[David Franklin]

The only reason you don't is because people would interrupt or turn away - here you have a captive audience that can only have input once you have finished talking

I hate to break it to you, but it's not just at the pub that people can turn away...

[Gadget]

Yea, but here you're blissfully ignorant if you are preaching to an empty table or the whole room.

[bigdjiver]

Errors can be a great aid to creative thinking. Competition theory dictates that one institution will end up owning everything, which gives some credence to the "Big Bank" theory of creation.

[pjay]

Always re-read it after posting, it's amazing how many mistakes you'll pick up on and the Save button is easy to click on.

Even better, I hear, is to read it one word at a time, backwards.

(Dare I admit that I tend to do this for shorter posts, but get lazy on longer ones? Particularly when I'm writing interspersed with someone else. )

[Trousers]

Is it any good ?

I'm Dyslexic ( something malious about how hard that is to spell ) and find that spell checkers help but quite often I can stump them, took me 2 years to find out necessary had a "c" in it

As long as people can understand what you are typing then to me it just being pedantic, verging on anal to get upset about spelling/grammer/punctuation.

Ok so I'm biased on the subject as I have poor written english skills, but what is the point in getting upset / disregarding someone's input if they have problems with written English, some very intellegent people aren't so hot on this, so should there comments be disregarded.

Basically you can guess that I'm with Gadget on this one.


McJester

<hr>
" It's a might poor mind that can only think of one way to spell a word " - Andrew Jackson

Enuff already!

Like McJ above I have a reading difficulty mines called Scotopic Sensitivity Syndrome (Irlen Syndrome) and with that I have difficulty absorbing information from the written page. So to me the only important thing in an informal (Note the Informal) environment of the Forum is getting information across.
As long as a point of view is stated it matters not whether the grammar was acurate or the spelling correct - did the point of view get understood. Simple spelling mistakes cannot be held responsible for failures there surely. We all make typo's and backspace over and start again some times we miss the typo and issue the posting but we all know the rules and surely can understand that for example RECIEVE means receive.

All this talk about spell checkers is bumkum too - to be offered a list of words that may be the word you were trying to spell is pretty useless and i guess there is a lot of 'well its at the top of the list; that must be the one I want' going on.

It would be nice to live in a world where everyone spoke well (won't say proper as that's subjective), where we could all write down acurately all the words we know and we could use the grammar rules we should all know correctly. Personally I would love my kids to pronounce 'TH' with their tongues not their lips as I am thucking thed up with it coming out as 'F' but all I can do is continue to keep my use of the language correct in my dealings with them and hope they will learn. If I belittle them where does that get me? they don't learn and I have built walls that will then become bigger and bigger barriers to our communication.

So lets chill out on the spelling and grammar there are times and places to be pedantic - divorce proceedings, letters of complaint, letters of praise but these are formal important documents - nothing said in here is going to be of life or death import (I hope) so relax - write what you want HOW you want to write it.

[Lee]

No one (notice the error hehe) can beat that so don't try.

I call this the end of the thread.

I dare anyone to add to it........

Lee

[Msfab]

No one (notice the error hehe) can beat that so don't try.

I call this the end of the thread.

I dare anyone to add to it........

Lee

ad wot?

[Baruch]

I blame it on the weird way we were taught english in school. We learnt a method called ITA. Not sure what the purpose of this was but, it certainly buggered up our education.

Same here. I remember learning to read and write using ITA (which, for those who don't know, was an artificial, totally phonetic alphabet), then having to learn to read and write all over again when I came to 'real' books and writing. What an absolutely stupid system! It was very confusing. Add to that an almost complete lack of formal grammar teaching during the 1970s and 1980s when I was at school, and it's a wonder that I can spell and write as well as I can. Most people who went to school with me and went through the same system have appalling spelling.

Correct spelling is important to me. I don't tend to go on at people who have bad spelling, as life is too short, but bad spelling irritates me. That doesn't mean I'm "up my own @rse" or whatever - it just means that I value correct English. I'm conscious that I'm not perfect myself, particularly where grammar is concerned, but that's the way it is.

As an aside, I'm a primary school teacher, and it never ceases to amaze me just how poor many teachers' spelling and grammar really is. What hope is there for the children if the teachers can't even get it right? Mind you, many of them were subjected to ITA as children too.

[Baruch]

Well, let's give it a try.

Who can spell 'synecdoche'?

I can: συνεκδοχη

[Heather M]

I reelly thinc you all are takin this topick two seriouslie.

Chil out and enjoy yer danzin.

[Baruch]

Same here. I remember learning to read and write using ITA (which, for those who don't know, was an artificial, totally phonetic alphabet

And for those who are wondering what ITA looks like, take a look.

[David Bailey]

And for those who are wondering what ITA looks like, take a look.

Interesting link - I thank God I was never subjected to ITA schooling, by the way.

Does anyone else see a parallel between ITA for language and Ceroc for dancing?

In other words, they both look like methods designed to get you "up and running" as quickly as possible, but they both can cause problems when you want to make the transition to "doing it properly".

[Baruch]

The attached pic of an ITA text says:

Once upon a time the beautiful daughter
of a great magician wanted more pearls to
put among her treasures. "Look through the
centre of the moon when it is blue," said
her mother in answer to her question.
"You might find your heart's desire."

[Barry Shnikov]

The attached pic of an ITA text says:

It's really difficult to imagine how such a hare-brained system could get invented, never mind accepted to the point where it was actually taught.

I'm not quite sure why, but I'm reminded of a story on Watchdog or similar a while ago about a company charging £5000 to 'inventors' to carry out a feasibility and marketing study of their invention, blah blah.

This chap invented a 'glow-in-the-dark' panel to sit under light switches so you could see where they were in the dark. Over a year and £5000 later, despite the company's study and the 2" thick report they supplied him with, he was getting nowhere. No-one was interested in manufacturing it.

Then one day he was wandering around B&Q and he saw 'glow-in-the-dark' light switch panels. They'd been on the market for yonks.

You would think he might have thought of visiting DIY shops and asking about such a product before spending £5000 on the feasibility study...

[thewacko]

I fink tht bad speeling and; improper use of punctuations markings are very improoper, txt tlk shd b band and only prper use of the english language should be used at allll times especially around 7.30 when its time for the old earl grey
ohh
and as for the smiley thingummy whatsit

so for now tfb for me, after me cup of whorelicks

[Whitebeard]

..... me cup of whorelicks .....

That's a bad habit you've got into there wacky boy !!

[thewacko]

That's a bad habit you've got into there wacky boy !!

i know it costs a fortune

will have to try drinking hot chocolate "you sexy thing"

[Whitebeard]

i know it costs a fortune

will have to try drinking hot chocolate "you sexy thing"

I hear that some girls really 'melt' at the mention of chocolate.