Proper spelling/grammar

Sorry, folks, but I really need a quick minute to rant on this: Misspellings and improper grammar. It just absolutely drives me insane. I can't even take certain threads on this website seriously because they are rife with misspellings and poor grammar from beginning to end.

Now, I know we all make mistakes from time to time, but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm not referring to simple mistakes here and there. No one is perfect. I'm talking about these posts that take a special decoder ring or a translator to make heads or tails of what is being said. It really sucks because I've seen some thread headlines that interest me, and then I try to read the OP and all of the misspellings, insane amount of commas, and run-on/fragment sentences make it a losing battle. If you cannot produce something at least semi-coherent then please do us a favor and don't post it. Or have someone help you. Seriously. No diss. Ask a friend or family member to type up what you are saying.

And if you are going to make references to people, famous people, historical figures, pop culture icons, anyone recently mentioned widespread in the news, etc. and are unsure of the spelling of their names: GOOGLE IT! Please! A thread I just saw about recent events and comparing them to another event from the past year or so is what inspired this rant. The OP completely mangled and butchered the name of that person to which they were making a comparison. And it's not like it was a complex name like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It was a regular English name.

And, finally, along the same lines, I am completely bewildered by people who either do not put a space between a "period" or a "comma" and the start of the next sentence, or those who put a space between the word before the period/comma and the period/comma itself.

For instance:

"Went to the store today.Bought some milk.Can't wait for bed."

Or

"Can you believe what he did ? I thought for sure , if he had known better , that wouldn't have happened . Oh well , as the saying goes , you live and you learn .

Not to pick on people, but anyone with a fourth grade education should at least be able to get that right. I mean no offense to anyone. Just needed to get that off my chest.

Rant over. I feel better.

If English is ones native language, then yes, their posts should have some semblance of coherence to them. But for some of our members, English is a second, or even third language. Surely we can give those folks a pass while they are learning, as long as we can comprehend what they are saying.

For us Americans, it's just shortcuts and laziness with the "Queen's English".

reply to post by Klassified


Well, I agree. If it's not someone's first language then of course they get a free pass. But, seriously, how many members of this page aren't from either America or the UK? How many aren't from English-speaking nations? How many don't have English as a first language? I'd imagine it's not that big of a number. I could be wrong, though.

Well, I'm sure no one to talk. As my frequent correction notices on my messages support, there are days I better fit the name Captain Typo than White Rabbit.

Having said that, I agree entirely with you and a few in recent days have stood out, without naming members specifically. Like you say here, I wouldn't even key off simple typos or a punctuation screw up. We all make them and this isn't school with a grade-book. However, your point about needing a decoder ring is a very valid one with some. It's been surprising as well to see no one comment. I guess we're all being especially nice on those threads where the OP is so far outside decent English, well, it's embarrassing.

Thsi is nott fiar...

Dyslexics muts UNTIE !!!

These threads always make me laugh!

Why you no spell better dummy!

Of course though...is English so prominent that everyone should use it as their native tongue?

Let's say I am from Mexico...might my misspelled words be overlooked?

Or how about China...let's say I am from China...maybe symbols are the majority of my dialect!

Or maybe I am in the fifth grade...are my posts unwelcome?

Just some thoughts!

English is a skill just like any other. Some people are good at math some are not. Its stupid to assume that a thread is not credible based off of grammar. Its like saying a child cannot teach you any thing.

Personally, I had a stroke at 26, wiped out large chunks of memory as well as vocab.

Avid reader though, probably the only reason I recovered so much, consume books by the boat load, 5 years later and Im damn near functional.

Ive always view the "grammar" Nazi, in the case of forums. As a weak attempt to discredit the thoughts and ideas of the OP that is posting.

No matter how horrific the spelling or grammar, I always give the op consideration, never discrediting them because English may not be their first language.

Hell from some of the post on here I would also wonder if some are learning disabled (dyslexia etc) but again, no reason to discount their thoughts.

reply to post by Infi8nity


I'm not saying it's not credible. I'm saying I'm not going to waste my time trying to decode what someone is saying. If I can't even basically understand the point that is trying to be made because I have to stop every three words and go, "Wait a minute. What?!" it's just not worth it.

My point is exactly the opposite. It may be a credible, useful, and informative thread. I may be missing out on something. But if I can't even begin to decipher what is being said I'm just not going to waste my time.

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786


I find people who complain about this type of stuff irritating as hell, and wish they could just learn to "skip" over the posts that they feel they can't understand.


We have enough thought control in this world, the last thing we need to do is make people feel like they should not communicate because their grammar doesn't measure up to someones standards, or they may misspell a name.

yes, it is good to check, but quite frankly I am sick of hearing about it from the spelling and grammar nazi's.

reply to post by CoolerAbdullah786

......comparison. And it's not like it was a complex.......

Let he who is without fault cast thy first stone.


Please note that my engrish is piz por. Dnt rp n me

reply to post by benrl


Again, Benrl, not discrediting anyone. Not saying someone is lying or full of # because they use poor grammar. I'm saying I can't read some threads because they are a garbled mess of "WTF"

reply to post by WhisperingWinds


I do skip over it. That's the point. But I'm seeing it more and more. This is the RANT forum. I'm RANTING. It's funny how some people can't get that concept. Maybe that'll be my next rant.

And I'm not saying people shouldn't communicate. I'm merely suggesting that they try to communicate MORE CLEARLY. Please. Enough with the strawmen. I'm not going to defend statements that I didn't make or positions that I don't hold.

Never mind. Lost my train of thought....

Originally posted by CoolerAbdullah786
reply to post by benrl

 

Again, Benrl, not discrediting anyone. Not saying someone is lying or full of # because they use poor grammar. I'm saying I can't read some threads because they are a garbled mess of "WTF"

There is a polite way to say "could you clean this up a bit, because it is interesting and I want to understand"

I've seen it done politely with a wall of text with no paragraphs.

Originally posted by CoolerAbdullah786
reply to post by benrl

 

Again, Benrl, not discrediting anyone. Not saying someone is lying or full of # because they use poor grammar. I'm saying I can't read some threads because they are a garbled mess of "WTF"

Here is an idea...don't try to read them anymore!

Just move onto a thread you do understand!

Problem solved!

reply to post by jerryznv


I don't attempt to read them anymore.Again, just RANTING in the RANT forum. The problem has been solved for a while. I didn't come here to seek "solutions." Just to RANT. RANT FORUM. Get it? A forum for RANTING.

Originally posted by CoolerAbdullah786
reply to post by jerryznv

 

I don't attempt to read them anymore.Again, just RANTING in the RANT forum. The problem has been solved for a while. I didn't come here to seek "solutions." Just to RANT. RANT FORUM. Get it? A forum for RANTING.

I get it...I have been around for a minute!

Rant away...just offering up some advice to help calm your nerves!

You can appreciate suggestions cant you...it's just a suggestion...get it...suggestion!

In my experience, people who have learned English as a second language tend to have better grammar because they actually studied the language, rather than learning it by osmosis. I'm not sure about spelling but in conversation they speak "The Queen's English" more than native speakers do.

If you are making an effort to make yourself understood, then I am willing to put in an effort to understand you. However, many forum posters simply won't bother to use capitalization, punctuation, and whitespace to make their writing clear and coherent. If you are struggling with English, I will struggle with you. If you are too lazy to hold down shift when you begin a new sentence, I will suspect you haven't put any effort into doing your research or developing your opinion either.

The Nazis were a German party. The correct term is "grammar fascist".

To me reading a thread or post that does not have proper spelling or grammar; is (no big deal). I can still understand the meaning of what they are trying to say; and that is what is important.