Netlist said:
Guilty as charged.
He's being polite. There are times when I've gotten pretty crusty when American/Australian/British/etc. posters act as though they've only had a second grade education...and abandoned that before puberty.
I went on a tear recently in another thread, so I've probably already exceeded my monthly rant quota. All I'll do is repeat my standard lament that it's a crying shame when non-native English speakers compose better posts than we do.
Grey
P.S.: Please, oh please don't get me started on rednecks.
P.P.S.: I hope our British members aren't bothered by my appropriating some of their slang. I've grown fond of bloody, particularly useful because it isn't censored hereabouts.
Yet.
P.P.P.S: (How many Ps can one man do? Depends on how long it's been since he's been to the bathroom.) Christer's observation about phonetic spelling is spot on. The problem arises when people don't pay attention in school. When they become adults they belatedly discover that...oops!...all that silly stuff really does matter. So they try to cover their (asterisks) by guessing.
It shows, guys...it shows...
P.P.P.P.S.: Now that the sum of my postscripts exceeds the length of my actual post...oh, never mind...
Cloth Ears said:
I think I read the same article, and I have to say that it's amazing how easy it is to read that passage, though it seems that it's mostly the words with lots of consonants that are the most difficult.
Oh, and I'm the same way, grammar fascist. Bothers the hell out of me when people can't even speak or write their (they're, nooo...... there, NO....ARGHHH!!!) own language. It boggles the mind.
James
Cloth Ears said:
I believe you had to get both first AND last letters right for the statement to be valid.
I used to be a grammar and spelling fascist myself, and I still am as far as my own writing is concerned. But I have given up policing others. It's just not a meaningful quest. Face it, it's not going to change anything, other than to aggravate people. They'll make the same mistake over and over again, simply because they really don't care. At least not when it's their native language. If they cared - or even grasped the significance - they'd get it right. And if they're dyslectic, it's just painful to be told how deficient you are.
Most people who write in a foreign language (to them) will know that they have to try their best to get it right, and are mostly thankful if you point out their mistakes in a polite and constructive manner.
The above notwithstanding, I get furious when people who are asking for assistance fail to recognise that they'll be much more likely to get useful replies if they at least try to be as lucid and comprehensive as possible. Including a meaningful thread title. I want proper punctuation, paragraphs where appropriate, avoiding acronyms and abbreviations and capital letters at the beginning of sentences and proper names. Still, I'll generally just ignore them if I don't understand, or maybe post a slightly sarcastic "What?". The onus should be on the one who wants help, not the helpers.
Rune
Responsez and apostropheze
Re the ubiquitous and omnipresent, ' .
Lately read: "...see's" (meaning sees, as in, I see, you see...)
A nice one "...the car's three subwoofer's (are) driven by separate amplifier's..."
So can we assume the spelling may change depending upon the local accent?
Shouldn't that be "its"? (Respectfully noted; that's an easy typo)Cloth Ears said:
Re the ubiquitous and omnipresent, ' .
Lately read: "...see's" (meaning sees, as in, I see, you see...)
A nice one "...the car's three subwoofer's (are) driven by separate amplifier's..."
Very much so. As in, "Stradavari" (Stradivari: relating to the manufacturer of string instruments; also model of contemporary speaker by Sonus Faber).
So can we assume the spelling may change depending upon the local accent?
Lol, cruel world, as long as we are trying to communicate rather than fight, all is well...
I can laaik to wear a rokkie wiff a rooi belt.
That are my stuffs.
I can laaik to be wearing my jean pant.
South African English can be cruel...
You guys from small countries with other languages and less exposure to english, are actauly very priviledged (sp.).
In SA we used to have very good reresentation of our Afrikaans language, you could at least listen to the news to hear the correct form (kinda like the BBC)... of late I can hear the children have lost so much language skill and are starting to speak completely diffirent to older generations, not just slang, but basic pronouniation issues... Its like the language is dissapearing in the time of 2 or 3 generations, if I had to take a guess....
I can laaik to wear a rokkie wiff a rooi belt.
That are my stuffs.
I can laaik to be wearing my jean pant.
South African English can be cruel...
You guys from small countries with other languages and less exposure to english, are actauly very priviledged (sp.).
In SA we used to have very good reresentation of our Afrikaans language, you could at least listen to the news to hear the correct form (kinda like the BBC)... of late I can hear the children have lost so much language skill and are starting to speak completely diffirent to older generations, not just slang, but basic pronouniation issues... Its like the language is dissapearing in the time of 2 or 3 generations, if I had to take a guess....
When I was in grade school I generally won pretty much every spelling bee (sp?) I entered. As I get further and further away from school and structured reading and writing, I find those skills are falling off a bit. Now that the kids are in school I half (have 
) to sharpen up a bit.
I think that in a lot of cases, its simply a lack of practice.
But-
Originally posted by Cloth Ears:
"2) each word begins with it's correct letter.
Shouldn't that be "its"? (Respectfully noted; that's an easy typo)"
I think "it's" is correct. The apostrophe (sp? ) indicates the word is possessive (sp? ). I would think the word in question owns the first letter of itself. But then again, I'm rusty.
) to sharpen up a bit.I think that in a lot of cases, its simply a lack of practice.
But-
Originally posted by Cloth Ears:
"2) each word begins with it's correct letter.
Shouldn't that be "its"? (Respectfully noted; that's an easy typo)"
I think "it's" is correct. The apostrophe (sp?
) indicates the word is possessive (sp? ). I would think the word in question owns the first letter of itself. But then again, I'm rusty.
A modest proposal
I can see that the differences between American and British spelling and usage are often problematic. To alleviate this, I recommend that the forum adopt as its official dictionary the Oxford Canadian, which - as I'm sure all will concede - contains the best of both worlds (note that the Gage Canadian is not, alas, as good).
Regards.
Aengus
P.S. "Soder" is incorrect in British, Canadian, and American English.
I can see that the differences between American and British spelling and usage are often problematic. To alleviate this, I recommend that the forum adopt as its official dictionary the Oxford Canadian, which - as I'm sure all will concede - contains the best of both worlds
(note that the Gage Canadian is not, alas, as good).Regards.
Aengus
P.S. "Soder" is incorrect in British, Canadian, and American English.
Its may be the only word that an apostrophe is not used to signify the possessive. Only because It's was already taken by the contracted version of It is
I used to get angry with a lack of effort but I now realize the purpose of a language is communication and who am I to suggest how another should present themself?
Oh, I just love that last word.
I used to get angry with a lack of effort but I now realize the purpose of a language is communication and who am I to suggest how another should present themself?
Oh, I just love that last word.
Re: Responce...
Ah, an alumnus of St Custards.
(Before pinkmouse explains that this is an obscure cultural reference only relevant to those "of a certain age," I'll explain that St Custards hosted the Molesworth school stories and that our hero Molesworth couldn't spell.)
bulgin said:Time flies, sed da monkie when he through da watch threw da windo
Ah, an alumnus of St Custards.
(Before pinkmouse explains that this is an obscure cultural reference only relevant to those "of a certain age," I'll explain that St Custards hosted the Molesworth school stories and that our hero Molesworth couldn't spell.)
Shoog said:
It's a negative proof - accurate spelling and grammar indicate a reasonable-to-high level of intelligence but there may be extenuating circumstances for poor literacy. Having English as a second language is common and faults acceptable; genuine dyslexia is rare and generally obvious in a passage of text.
'Talent' is different to intelligence - a craftsman or artist communicates through his work. A talented one has a gift.
Typos are one thing, but for a native English speaker to misuse 'your' and 'there' for 'you're' and 'they're' is pure ignorance. Failing to use the shift key when necessary shows contempt for the reader.
One of the key features of human intelligence is the ability to learn from other people, from passed-on knowledge, information from teachers and from the world around us. To be educated. Some ******** just don't listen.
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