Yeah i really enjoy seeing what people are gonna say to me next  ::) ;)

I went with on occasion when it affects the meaning of the statement. 

Wish I could've voted for 2 though as it IS fun at times ;D ;)

Funny thing is that I added that one so that I could vote for it... then realised that the times on-line when I criticise someone else's grammar (in earnest, rather than to plug one of my increasing number of grammar parodies) have always been against people who have levelled (usually unfair) criticism or ridicule against someone else for errors.

Oh yeah 'cus you never tease me  ;)

In an informal setting like this, it's not that big a deal unless it confounds the meaning of a sentence.  Some people have terrible spelling, but cogent thoughts.  Poor grammar implies greater ignorance, but again it is still important to consider the thought being expressed.

In other situations poor grammar or spelling can get you and your points dismissed out of hand.

BTW, there is one L in "marshal" as a noun or a verb, two only for the proper name "Marshall."
;)

See this is my thing.. I am not ignorant (i hope not anyhow) I am well read, very well spoken and understand how most grammatical devices are used. It just dosen't register in my head. However my spelling is just B-A-D! When i was a kid, they thought i was dyslexic, nope.. just a crappy speller.

Plus the english education system leaves much to be desired. My mother (who was educated in North Carolina, Missouri & Montana) was shocked at how things were taught here.

Tough Love

Yes, I believe in using spell check before posting.
Also, when people who have been posting with bad spelling or using shorthand on a BBS for a long time post on Usenet, they become "Trolls" to some people.

BTW, off topic or nonsense posts are considered "Trolling", not "Spam". "Spam" is a term applied to the crappy e-mail you don't want. That's a peeve of mine. I'm always correcting the usage of the word "Spam". I also think that DiC's Sonic the Hedgehog series should be referred to as DiCSonic, not SatAM. SatAM means ALL Saturday morning cartoons.
Is it just me or are people in the Sonic the Hedgehog fandom becoming... weird?

I think anyone who wants to put their thoughts out on a public forum needs to make an effort to use appropriate spelling and grammar, if only for the readers' sake. An occasional blunder is expected, but some people are just ridiculous with it. Harmonica, I'm looking in your direction. ;)

I said only when it effects the meaning. But, like many have already said, sometimes it can be funny. I know I have made a few funny booboos with a misspelling.


Hukt on fonix wurkt for me.  :D :D ;D ;D




Cat

It's come up a few times over the months, where a misspelling (or more usually a typo) or misuse of grammar has become part of the debate.  I just thought I'd get a straw poll of how people think regarding whether this sort of tactic is a valid part of on-line debate.

I'd like to draw the distinction between drawing someone's attention to an error (especially one that can lead to confusion, and even more especially if it means pointing out a parody on the subject of bad grammar ;))), and actively using that error as part of your argument.


I remember when someone bitched about my spelling of some word. I don't complain, because I don't want people to do that to me if I make a mistake. It was less of a debate, more of an argument, though.

BTW, there is one L in "marshal" as a noun or a verb, two only for the proper name "Marshall."

Mwahahaha!  Hoist on my own Picard ;)


I'm always correcting the usage of the word "Spam"
I know what you mean: there is an increasing tendency to use the word to cover.. well, pretty much anything you don't like on your computer

As a terrible speller myself, and a rotten typist to boot I choose occasionally.  The grammar thing is a bit different though.  I think people "should of" learned good grammer (my students make this error in they're papers all the time.  Drives me up the wall).

See this is my thing.. I am not ignorant (i hope not anyhow) I am well read, very well spoken and understand how most grammatical devices are used. It just dosen't register in my head. However my spelling is just B-A-D! When i was a kid, they thought i was dyslexic, nope.. just a crappy speller.

Plus the english education system leaves much to be desired. My mother (who was educated in North Carolina, Missouri & Montana) was shocked at how things were taught here.

What are the problems with the English education system, as opposed to the American one?  I mean, in a nutshell. You could write a whole book on the subject.

It can be fun sometimes. However, when one's making a point that made be negative in nature (especially with regard to society and education), make sure you can write what you are saying.

Tanya

Bad spellers of the world, UNTIE!!  :D :D :D





Cat

Mwahahaha!  Hoist on my own Picard ;)
I know what you mean: there is an increasing tendency to use the word to cover.. well, pretty much anything you don't like on your computer


For reals! Like how people just l o v e to call anything bad on their computer a "virus." Or like how my step-mother consistently refers to the tower as "the modem." And worst of all... that catch-all meaning of "download." "Hey, I have 'wiki1.bmp' in My Documents, but I want to download it to the Desktop... how do I download it to the Desktop???" SHUT UP AND TAKE A COURSE AT YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE YOU DUMB@$$!!!! AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! >:(

I think I may have gotten a little carried away there. ::calms down:: Excuse me.

I think anyone who wants to put their thoughts out on a public forum needs to make an effort to use appropriate spelling and grammar, if only for the readers' sake. An occasional blunder is expected, but some people are just ridiculous with it.
Well I KNEW we'd agree on something ;)

For reals! Like how people just l o v e to call anything bad on their computer a "virus." Or like how my step-mother consistently refers to the tower as "the modem." And worst of all... that catch-all meaning of "download." "Hey, I have 'wiki1.bmp' in My Documents, but I want to download it to the Desktop... how do I download it to the Desktop???" SHUT UP AND TAKE A COURSE AT YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY COLLEGE YOU DUMB@$$!!!! AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!! >:(

Sounds you need a break for a while from the old fam.
;)

There is spell check. Use it!

There is spell check. Use it!

And that's another longstanding computer terminology pet peeve of mine.  Unless you are a witch or a sorcerer, you use not a SPELL check, but a spelling check!

Oh well, I say "spell check" anyway so I don't get looked at funny.  At least not funnier than usual.
::)

There is spell check. Use it!


I did  - and look what I got!

I have a spelling checker,
It came with my PC.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it,
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh.
My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing,
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when eye rime.

Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule.
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.

Bee fore a veiling checker's
Hour spelling mite decline,
And if we're lacks oar have a laps,
We wood bee maid too wine.

Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know fault's with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.

Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier.
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped word's fare as hear.

To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should bee proud,
And wee mussed dew the best wee can,
Sew flaw's are knot aloud.

Sow ewe can sea why aye dew prays
Such soft wear four pea seas,
And why eye brake in two averse
Buy righting want too pleas.

LMAO read Bill Bryson's gripe with the spell check. He got it in one!

LMAO read Bill Bryson's gripe with the spell check. He got it in one!


"To which, frankly, I say hooray.  Or haywire, heroin and hoopskirt, as my computer would prefer it"

Exactamundo

I find that sometimes with the spell check on this message board makes things worse. I don't know how to describe it but a word (after using the spell check) will look something like "masmessenger" if I misspelled "messenger" as "massenger". And then it will cut out parts of the word that was after it. (Chucky, you may want to look into this.) It doesn't happen all the time but sometimes it does.




Cat

Yeah, i have spell checked big long rambles and actually noticed errors that the spell check dosen't pick up on

Yeah, i have spell checked big long rambles and actually noticed errors that the spell check dosen't pick up on


That's why I always proofread it myself. Then I'll run spell check to see if there was anything I missed. Too bad they haven't invented "Malapropism Check" yet.

I find that sometimes with the spell check on this message board makes things worse. I don't know how to describe it but a word (after using the spell check) will look something like "masmessenger" if I misspelled "messenger" as "massenger". And then it will cut out parts of the word that was after it. (Chucky, you may want to look into this.) It doesn't happen all the time but sometimes it does.




Cat


My guess is that the spell checker is a "less than professional" one.  It does find some errors, but when I tries to use it created others, so I stopped.  But even the best of them, like Word Perfect or Word, can't read the context (there, their, they're, would of -would've etc).  They don't think, they just match.  A handy tool, but no substitute for proof reading, which is an art in itself - and one that I obviously have not mastered.  I get to wrapped up in the eloquance of my prose and the brilliance of my thoughts (humble ain't I).  ;)  ;)

Spell checks just find cllumps of letters they don't recognise.. they don't recognise words as such

Proof reading most definitely is an art: I've seen my father look at a page of A4 and circle the mistakes without reading the text... which is kind of scary.  I consider myself pretty good in the proof-read stakes, but I'm a rank amateur compared to some :)

Incidentally, some spelling and grammar checkers now do include context, so that "there/they're/their" are put in they're rightful places ;)  Still won't spot a spelling chequer or an unfortunate typo when typing "duck", however...  And the main thing to remember with grammar checkers is that they're not always right (especially not when they try and correct *my* sentences ;))

I could use a proofreader to look at my book before I send it off to an agent to (hopefully) get it published.




Cat

Excellent.. what is the book about?

Excellent.. what is the book about?



It's a children's story. After the holidays, I am going to submit it to an agent (or two?) and see what happens.



Cat

Superb.. i really hope that goes well

I could use a proofreader to look at my book before I send it off to an agent to (hopefully) get it published.

That's great Cat - I'll give it a go if you like (and try it out on the children, too - what age are you aiming for?)

That's great Cat - I'll give it a go if you like (and try it out on the children, too - what age are you aiming for?)



About 10. I still have to go through it again to make some minor (I hope) changes. Of course, every time I go through it, I keep making changes. Will I ever be finished? Who knows.  :-\\




Cat

About 10. I still have to go through it again to make some minor (I hope) changes. Of course, every time I go through it, I keep making changes. Will I ever be finished? Who knows.  :-\\




Cat


The plague of every author.  Write, rewrite, rewrite again.  It will never be right.  At some point you just need to say it's finished.  It really is a charming story - no Harry Potter, but very charming.

On occasion, when it affects the meaning of the sentence  :)

I don't think that I became passionate about the English language until I entered high school and developed a crush on my English teacher. ;)

I don't think that I became passionate about the English language until I entered high school and developed a crush on my English teacher. ;)


Got it bad, so bad, I'm hot for teacher!

Did he look like Thomas Haden Church (assuming it was a he)?

I don't think that I became passionate about the English language until I entered high school and developed a crush on my English teacher. ;)




Well, it wasn't my high school English teacher but my college history professor. I like to think that the feeling was/is mutual but I will let him speak for himself.  ;)




Cat

Got it bad, so bad, I'm hot for teacher!

Did he look like Thomas Haden Church (assuming it was a he)?


No, unfortunately. He was a Gemini though. Talked a lot.

Well, it wasn't my high school English teacher but my college history professor. I like to think that the feeling was/is mutual but I will let him speak for himself.  ;)




Cat


Yes the feeling was/is mutual, and it created quite a lot of gossip.  ;)