Spelling and Grammar

[nuphoria]

As a severely dyslexic Cockney, I find myself at a disadvantage a lot of the time, but I always have the spellchecker on and try not to post something until I've reread it. This does not mean however, that it will always make sense! I do have to relearn words daily as they often don't compute and my writing skills betray my vocabulary all too often. This is worse when I'm tired - that's a disclaimer on all late night posts

My main problem is missing out words, especially small ones, which must make my posts look like nonsense sometimes. I trust however, that the average intelligence here is high enough to overlook these foibles and idiosyncrasies to see that I am actually talking rubbish anyway

I dislike txt speak but will put up with almost anything else as it adds colour to the characters here. Some of our ESL members have better written English than those of us who claim to speak it as a first language, and that is impressive as the same can't be said of most Englishers. I speak a little Spanish and a few words of many other languages but I certainly couldn't make myself understood on a non-English forum  
This place is exceptional for a number of reasons including it's lack of unnecessary rules and regulations, which often seem to serve only as a method of dressing down and embarrassing people on other forums. I dislike bullies and abusers of power, especially when they are hiding behind a user name and a screen.
 

[Mike 56]

As a severely dyslexic Cockney, I find myself at a disadvantage a lot of the time, but I always have the spellchecker on and try not to post something until I've reread it. This does not mean however, that it will always make sense! I do have to relearn words daily as they often don't compute and my writing skills betray my vocabulary all too often. This is worse when I'm tired - that's a disclaimer on all late night posts

My main problem is missing out words, especially small ones, which must make my posts look like nonsense sometimes. I trust however, that the average intelligence here is high enough to overlook these foibles and idiosyncrasies to see that I am actually talking rubbish anyway

I dislike txt speak but will put up with almost anything else as it adds colour to the characters here. Some of our ESL members have better written English than those of us who claim to speak it as a first language, and that is impressive as the same can't be said of most Englishers. I speak a little Spanish and a few words of many other languages but I certainly couldn't make myself understood on a non-English forum  
This place is exceptional for a number of reasons including it's lack of unnecessary rules and regulations, which often seem to serve only as a method of dressing down and embarrassing people on other forums. I dislike bullies and abusers of power, especially when they are hiding behind a user name and a screen.
 

I understand completely i am the same way. I have to reread everything at least twice. Reading and writing has never came easy for me. I basically taught myself to read on message forums. I am still not very good but i am still working on it.
Mike

[nuphoria]

That's wonderful Mike, you are doing it somewhere with no pressure but I'm concerned you might be learning an odd form of the language! 

[John]

Spelling is one thing! grammar you pay for 

[ringzero]

Let's not forget the primary purpose behind all of those seemingly arbitrary rules.  Rules for grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization, etc. exist to insure clear and efficient text communication.

As Orwell said, the best writing is transparent writing.

Mangled spelling and grammar usually don't hinder communication too badly IMO.

However, posts lacking capitalization, without any paragraph structure, and written in run on sentences can be very difficult for me to decipher.

Often I just don't bother to read them, because trying to extract the meaning is not worth the pain.

.
 

[ducktapehero]

The only real issue I have is when someone writes a huge post but doesn't use paragraphs. My eyes start playing tricks on me so I usually just skim it and try to get the important parts.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

The only real issue I have is when someone writes a huge post but doesn't use paragraphs. My eyes start playing tricks on me so I usually just skim it and try to get the important parts.

+1 on that

[Zack]

i ThIanK ebYOne HEr wrIts GoOOd
mE

(Image removed from quote.)

That so reminds me of how my youngest is writing. 

You can ask him when he should be using upper case and he'll tell you... and then totally ignore it when writing

worked for e.e. cummings.

[Zack]

I have the ability to write very fluid and thought provoking phrases, however, I simply choose not to.  As long as you are getting your point across then I find nothing wrong with anyone's writing.  If I had to draft every message like one of my history papers, then I simply wouldn't post at all.  My wife, however, is the grammar nazi of the family.  She is always getting on to me about my speech patterns, and I can understand why.  It can make you sound unintelligent when speaking with other people.  But, when I'm home I prefer to let my hair down so to speak.  I have to be PC all day working in HR, that sometimes I can't be bothered with all the correct forms of speech.  I guess that is why she is graduating with a 4.0 in her master's program and I barely scraped by with a 2.0 in my undergrad.

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

The only real issue I have is when someone writes a huge post but doesn't use paragraphs. My eyes start playing tricks on me so I usually just skim it and try to get the important parts.

+1 on that

Does that include endless quoting?

[ringzero]

I have the ability to write very fluid and thought provoking phrases, however, I simply choose not to.

A likely story...  Just kidding Zack.  ;>

No one expects to find writing to equal Hemingway or Dostoevsky on the interwebs.

However, far too many posts on the various interweb forums are so badly written that basic communication suffers.  Probably reflects the general decline of education in Western countries.

People whose native language isn't even English seem to do a better job posting in English, on average, than many native English speakers.

.
 

[american lockpicker]

Very good point.

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

The only real issue I have is when someone writes a huge post but doesn't use paragraphs. My eyes start playing tricks on me so I usually just skim it and try to get the important parts.

+1 on that

Does that include endless quoting?

No

[DaveK]

Hmmmmm. A good thought this.

I've no time at all for the pedantic, grammar obsessed types that will nit-pick and dissect someone's post because the grammar is poor or the spelling isn't great. It's a kind of snobbery really, and it scares non-english speakers and people who are less "literate" from posting on forums - which is wrong!

However, when posting on a forum, I find it discourteous to repeatedly USE CAPITAL LETTERS, TXT SPK, and other basically LAZY options that make my eyes bleed. It's not asking much for posters to make a little effort.

Having said all of that, we don't seem to get too many problems on here, long may it continue!

[Gareth]

Some habits I find irritating are;

USING BLOCK CAPITALS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE PERSON IS SHOUTING ALL THE TIME!

The other is over using exclamation marks!!  It rather feels far to enthusiastic and disingenuous!!  One or even two I can live with!!  But when it's the only punctuation used!!  It rather looses the effect!!

 

[rp252]

Some habits I find irritating are;

USING BLOCK CAPITALS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE PERSON IS SHOUTING ALL THE TIME!

The other is over using exclamation marks!!  It rather feels far to enthusiastic and disingenuous!!  One or even two I can live with!!  But when it's the only punctuation used!!  It rather looses the effect!!

 

AGREED!!!1!11!1!!one!111!eleven!!1!!

[cryptrick]

Typing all in capitals is very annoying, but the worst has to be Txt speak. I can't stand it! I don't even text like it on my phone let alone type it on the internet. Why someone would use txt speak when they have a QWERTY keyboard is beyond me
Anybody using txt speak will get

[Spork, Lord of Lime Jello!]

The only real issue I have is when someone writes a huge post but doesn't use paragraphs. My eyes start playing tricks on me so I usually just skim it and try to get the important parts.

+1 on that

Does that include endless quoting?

No

That's good...

[Mike, Lord of the Spammers!]

The only real issue I have is when someone writes a huge post but doesn't use paragraphs. My eyes start playing tricks on me so I usually just skim it and try to get the important parts.

+1 on that

Does that include endless quoting?

No

That's good...

I try to be informative!

[David]

I like DTH sig line. me fail english?  Thats unpossible. I`ve never been a good speller and my english leaves alot to be desired. Altho I`m very flunent in redneck speak. Some times it takes me a long time to make a simple post as I got to look up words in the dictionary. Plus I find it very difficult to communicate typing. So I tend to keep it short and simple. Others sometimes find this bluntness as rude but its not meant that way I just dont know how to commnnicate any better.
I dont really care how others communcate as long as I can understand what their saying.   

[Freudian Frog]

The only real issue I have is when someone writes a huge post but doesn't use paragraphs. My eyes start playing tricks on me so I usually just skim it and try to get the important parts.

+1 on that

Does that include endless quoting?

No

That's good...

I try to be informative!

The keyword being try...

[rp252]

One of the paramedics who works in my area is from South Africa, and when writing his ambulance reports he sometimes accidentally shifts into Afrikaans.  Its funny to read his reports sometimes, though not always that informative

I sometimes start speaking Welsh mid sentence, or just speak Welsh accidentally.  It wasn't a problem when I lived in Wales, but here in New Zealand it gets me some funny looks!  

[Poncho65]

Spelling I can do Still use spell checker quite a bit

Grammar not so much Who would have thought the language I learnt as a child would be so hard to pass in school

Some habits I find irritating are;

USING BLOCK CAPITALS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE PERSON IS SHOUTING ALL THE TIME!

The other is over using exclamation marks!!  It rather feels far to enthusiastic and disingenuous!!  One or even two I can live with!!  But when it's the only punctuation used!!  It rather looses the effect!!

 

You mean like when I say  !!!MINI!!!  

[Gareth]

Spelling I can do Still use spell checker quite a bit

Grammar not so much Who would have thought the language I learnt as a child would be so hard to pass in school

Some habits I find irritating are;

USING BLOCK CAPITALS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE PERSON IS SHOUTING ALL THE TIME!

The other is over using exclamation marks!!  It rather feels far to enthusiastic and disingenuous!!  One or even two I can live with!!  But when it's the only punctuation used!!  It rather looses the effect!!

 

You mean like when I say  !!!MINI!!!  

LOL.  No, I'll let that pass.

[Poncho65]

Spelling I can do Still use spell checker quite a bit

Grammar not so much Who would have thought the language I learnt as a child would be so hard to pass in school

Some habits I find irritating are;

USING BLOCK CAPITALS FOR NO REASON WHATSOEVER, IT JUST FEELS LIKE THE PERSON IS SHOUTING ALL THE TIME!

The other is over using exclamation marks!!  It rather feels far to enthusiastic and disingenuous!!  One or even two I can live with!!  But when it's the only punctuation used!!  It rather looses the effect!!

 

You mean like when I say  !!!MINI!!!  

LOL.  No, I'll let that pass.

Had me worried there for a minute mate

[zepla]

I've read some replies mentioning using some sort of spelcheck on this forum? How does that work? I have it, of course, when typing in MS Word but not when typing here? It could be very useful as English is not my first language.

[Grant Lamontagne]

There is a spell check built into Firefox.  I think Internet Explorer may also have something similar, but I don't use it, so I can't really comment.

Def

[John]

Using chrome spell check goes everywhere with you 

[AHB]

I've read some replies mentioning using some sort of spellcheck on this forum? How does that work? I have it, of course, when typing in MS Word but not when typing here? It could be very useful as English is not my first language.

I know what you mean, English is my second language too, but wouldn't a spellcheck make the forum too "main-stream".?
If I'm about to post something "meaningful"..   and if I'm not sure about the spelling I'll run it through Google translate... If doesn't
help build the sentence, but if it recognize the words, I'm OK... (Do I make any sence here..?)  

[Neil]

...
You mean like when I say  !!!MINI!!!  

No, that's how its meant to be, everyone else is wrong!

I've read some replies mentioning using some sort of spellcheck on this forum? How does that work? I have it, of course, when typing in MS Word but not when typing here? It could be very useful as English is not my first language.

I know what you mean, English is my second language too, but wouldn't a spellcheck make the forum too "main-stream".?
If I'm about to post something "meaningful"..  and if I'm not sure about the spelling I'll run it through Google translate... If doesn't
help build the sentence, but if it recognize the words, I'm OK... (Do I make any sence here..?) 

Fractionally more than normal