Correcting grammar, spelling in posts
- Thread starter redneck2
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whipper
Member
Can't we all just get along.
Stiletto Null
Member
They come naturally to me. Major typos, I feel with my hands before I actually bother to read.
Occasionally I'll go back to edit for content, but that's about it.
Occasionally I'll go back to edit for content, but that's about it.
D_Burchfield
Member
I used to spend a great deal of time editing before I submitted my posts. But I bought a brand new Browning 20 Ga over/under Webmaster with hand tooled spellcheckering on the fore end and grip. Now it's as easy as point and click... I mean shoot.
Doug
Doug
Although I try to make my posts free of spelling and grammar errors as well as lucid and readable, I don't automatically ignore imperfect posts, and small mistakes don't bother me at all. I would certainly never criticize the spelling, grammar, and sentence structure of someone else's contributions unless they had provoked me by criticizing mine. Hasn't come up yet.
I personally believe individual spelling performance is either genetic (something to do with pattern recognition?...) or perhaps the result of very early educational experience or technique. I have no proof for this belief, only the fact that I have known many well-educated, intelligent, and well-read people who just can't spell worth a darn.
As for writing coherently, who knows. Either you have it or you don't. Back in college I took a class where we reviewed/critiqued each other's papers. I saw a few that were nearly unreadable - garbled structures, massive run-on sentences, and so on - from intelligent, educated people. On the other hand, I see posts here from people who by their own admission barely made it out of high school that are clear, concise, and stylistically smooth.
It seems that being able to think or speak clearly does not always result in being able to write clearly. It's not safe to assume that garbled and disjointed posts on an internet forum are necessarily the product of an ignorant or stupid person, although I admit it can be tiresome to wade through reams of near-gibberish to divine the intent of the writer.
I do get extremely irritated by those who point out minor spelling/grammar mistakes. At best it is irrelevant nit-picking or compulsiveness, but it's often employed by those who have nothing else to offer. See: http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/grammarian.htm
My problem? I'm a little long-winded.
I personally believe individual spelling performance is either genetic (something to do with pattern recognition?...) or perhaps the result of very early educational experience or technique. I have no proof for this belief, only the fact that I have known many well-educated, intelligent, and well-read people who just can't spell worth a darn.
As for writing coherently, who knows. Either you have it or you don't. Back in college I took a class where we reviewed/critiqued each other's papers. I saw a few that were nearly unreadable - garbled structures, massive run-on sentences, and so on - from intelligent, educated people. On the other hand, I see posts here from people who by their own admission barely made it out of high school that are clear, concise, and stylistically smooth.
It seems that being able to think or speak clearly does not always result in being able to write clearly. It's not safe to assume that garbled and disjointed posts on an internet forum are necessarily the product of an ignorant or stupid person, although I admit it can be tiresome to wade through reams of near-gibberish to divine the intent of the writer.
I do get extremely irritated by those who point out minor spelling/grammar mistakes. At best it is irrelevant nit-picking or compulsiveness, but it's often employed by those who have nothing else to offer. See: http://redwing.hutman.net/~mreed/warriorshtm/grammarian.htm
My problem? I'm a little long-winded.
deadin
Member
I think the operative word here is "minor". When every 4th or 5th word has some sort of problem, I don't consider it "minor" any longer. I'm not so anal that I will write off a post if it contains some predetermined number of errors.
(And I don't sit here looking for errors.) I do know that when I find myself spending more energy trying to decipher the actual words or wording of a post than I am spending absorbing the thought behind it, I tend to move on.
all lower case OR ALL CAPS are irritating, but not undoable. I find the posts that have each word starting with a cap extremely obnoxious. I don't know why I feel this way, I just do. Spelling errors are understandable, unless there are large numbers of them. I tend to notice when 3 and 4 letter words are misspelled. (And that's misspelled, not typo'ed)
Lack of punctuation and run on sentences all add to the mix. Grammar errors don't seem to bother me much, as long as the thought being offered is still somewhat clear.
When a mixture of all of these things reach some critical point ( or as my son used to say "It makes my head hurt"), I will usually give up on that particular post.
Dean
Free spell checkers can be found at http://downloads-zdnet.com.com/ that can help. The one I like is iespell. It takes a few minutes longer to post ones message, but this is an easy, simple solution to spelling errors.
whipper
Member
This is a society of many different people; some excel at something’s where others do not. I failed in English. I would love to blame the system, but I am just as much to blame as the system is. “Someone once asked me if you could go back in time any time what would you do over? My reply was I would have payed moor attention in school”.
I joined this forum because of the wealth of information there is here and the kindness of the people that are here. I was nervous to reply to posts because of my lack of spelling and sentence structure but I did anyway. I am just wondering how many guests are reading this post now and are not going to post because they too have bad spelling and sentence structure and are afraid that their post will be passed over because of their spelling and grammar. My suggestion is if you do not under stand someone, PM them, and ask what they are trying to say. But don’t say because you can’t spell worth a darn don’t post or reply. As I said, this place has a wealth of information here, does it all have to do with guns? It is supposed to, But I don’t think the moderators would mind if some of the English majors passed on some of their knowledge either, (no disrespect intended to any body) as this post turned in to a grammar debate.
I don’t think Redneck wanted this to be a debate, I think (correct me if I’m wrong) redneck wanted to politely suggest that we all review our post and reply’s before submitting them. Just my 2 cents.
I joined this forum because of the wealth of information there is here and the kindness of the people that are here. I was nervous to reply to posts because of my lack of spelling and sentence structure but I did anyway. I am just wondering how many guests are reading this post now and are not going to post because they too have bad spelling and sentence structure and are afraid that their post will be passed over because of their spelling and grammar. My suggestion is if you do not under stand someone, PM them, and ask what they are trying to say. But don’t say because you can’t spell worth a darn don’t post or reply. As I said, this place has a wealth of information here, does it all have to do with guns? It is supposed to, But I don’t think the moderators would mind if some of the English majors passed on some of their knowledge either, (no disrespect intended to any body) as this post turned in to a grammar debate.
I don’t think Redneck wanted this to be a debate, I think (correct me if I’m wrong) redneck wanted to politely suggest that we all review our post and reply’s before submitting them. Just my 2 cents.
Well, whipper, you raise a good about about people holding back for fear having the style rather than the content of their posts evaluated and responded too. Fortunately, in my brief time so far here at THR, I haven't seen too much of that kind of thing. I have, around the net, from time to time, seen arguments that boiled down to "you can't even use 'their' and 'there' correctly - how could you possibly have a worthwhile opinion on whether Alito is a wise choice/.45ACP is better than 9mm/Animals is better than The Wall." A fairly lame discussion/debate strategy...
Your post is a good example of the sort of stuff I was talking about. I'm sure a grammar or spelling nazi (I have deliberately chosen not to capitalize "nazi" as I am using it in its colloquial sense of "obnoxious busybody") could find a couple of insignificant errors or slightly awkward constructions, but if there was anyone who did not feel that it was clear, sensible, easily read and understood, then I'd conclude that the problem was with their reading comprehension, not your writing skills.
I agree, a little editing/revising before hitting "submit" is a good idea, but forum members shouldn't feel that they're facing a hostile panel of literary critics whenever they have something they'd like to contribute.
Your post is a good example of the sort of stuff I was talking about. I'm sure a grammar or spelling nazi (I have deliberately chosen not to capitalize "nazi" as I am using it in its colloquial sense of "obnoxious busybody") could find a couple of insignificant errors or slightly awkward constructions, but if there was anyone who did not feel that it was clear, sensible, easily read and understood, then I'd conclude that the problem was with their reading comprehension, not your writing skills.
I agree, a little editing/revising before hitting "submit" is a good idea, but forum members shouldn't feel that they're facing a hostile panel of literary critics whenever they have something they'd like to contribute.
XDKingslayer
member
They way I look at it is this:
If the opinion or information I have typed is foreshadowed by my grammar, then it is not I who has the problem.
I come here for information on guns. I don't come here for a grammar lesson. I don't correct people on their grammar if I can easily understand what they are conveying. I don't go to www.grammarforums.com for information on guns either.
Greg L
Member
I tend to be a bit anal about my own posts (editing them if I notice a mistake) but I try to ignore minor typos in others.
However, with the exception of the smilies off to the right to help convey meaning , this is a written form of communication between people. Like it or not those that compose their thoughts with decent grammar, spelling & punctuation are going to come across better than someone who just randomly hits the keyboard & hopes for the best.
When I see something along the lines of "dude,i'm 14 and wnat to get a gun can u guys help me tel my rents that there rong & i'm a grate kid too be trusted" it just makes me want to smack the snot out of them & tell them to forget about the range & spend that time learning to communicate.
It really is all about respect. By forcing me to spend time & effort translating whatever you wrote into English, you are demonstrating that you don't care about my time. If I have to work hard to understand what you are trying to say (when I feel that you are doing it out of laziness & not that English is a foreign language), the less effort I'm willing to put into a thoughtful reply. A spelling error/typo doesn't generally slow my reading down, but when it reaches pax's "nails on a chalkboard" level then I don't bother anymore.
However, with the exception of the smilies off to the right to help convey meaning
, this is a written form of communication between people. Like it or not those that compose their thoughts with decent grammar, spelling & punctuation are going to come across better than someone who just randomly hits the keyboard & hopes for the best.When I see something along the lines of "dude,i'm 14 and wnat to get a gun can u guys help me tel my rents that there rong & i'm a grate kid too be trusted" it just makes me want to smack the snot out of them & tell them to forget about the range & spend that time learning to communicate.
It really is all about respect. By forcing me to spend time & effort translating whatever you wrote into English, you are demonstrating that you don't care about my time. If I have to work hard to understand what you are trying to say (when I feel that you are doing it out of laziness & not that English is a foreign language), the less effort I'm willing to put into a thoughtful reply. A spelling error/typo doesn't generally slow my reading down, but when it reaches pax's "nails on a chalkboard" level then I don't bother anymore.
JohnBT
Member
Nails on the chalkboard. Heck, nails on the chalkboard don't bother me as much as...
1. peaked instead of piqued
2. walla instead of voilà (or voila)
After years on the web I can stand almost anything, except those two.
John
1. peaked instead of piqued
2. walla instead of voilà (or voila)
After years on the web I can stand almost anything, except those two.
John
John,
OK, fill me in on how you get the accent over the "a" in voilá. I know it is correct but don't know how to make it happen without typing it in MS WORD and then pasting it here. Is there an easier way? Thanks!
Good shooting and be safe.
LB
OK, fill me in on how you get the accent over the "a" in voilá. I know it is correct but don't know how to make it happen without typing it in MS WORD and then pasting it here. Is there an easier way? Thanks!
Good shooting and be safe.
LB
I personally will edit any mistakes that I catch. I also use www.iespell.com a free spell check that works on forums where my Windows spell check doesn't work . What I need is a grammar check and better typing skills. A comment was made by someone about not being worried about what the SPELLING NAZI'S thought but IT all comes down to "FIRST IMPRESSION". If you come across as someone who can't spell , or doesn't care, you give the impression of someone uneducated and maybe someone that does not know what he is talking about. This might be wrong but the FIRST IMPRESSION is what is seen to be fact until it is proved wrong. The sloppy dirty man that comes to pick your daughter up gives you a FIRST IMPRESSION but there may be a good explanation ( had to work late and didn't want to be late picking his date up , car problems, etc)for that appearance . But first impressions are hard to overcome.
LHB1 said:
Go to the Start Button, click Run, and type "charmap."
All the characters you could ever want are in there, and you can either copy and paste them, or use the ASCII codes (ALT + some keypad numbers) to type them directly.
äâåø
Sunray
Member
"...I'm also usually annoyed by the "thier" instead of "there" type mistakes..." By the what? Sorry, JamisJockey, I couldn't resist it.
Poor usage of The Queen's English makes me crazy and it severely reduces the crediblity of the poster. Typos aren't the same as bad spelling or using the wrong word. Bad spelling is bad spelling.
On a forum, grammar is a bit daft too. Type the way you speak, but check the spelling and word usage. IE: 'there goes JamisJockey.' is fine, but 'their goes JamisJockey.' isn't. Ending a sentence with a preposition is how people talk too. 'JamisJockey speaks of.' is the way people talk, but not how it is written for publication in books. Thanks, JamisJockey, for the usage of your name. Copy and paste is the friend of the idler. Like you had a choice. Snicker.
No spell checker will catch a correctly spelt word used incorrectly. 'To' in place of 'too' won't be caught by any spell checker. Both words are spelt correctly, but used incorrectly. You just have to know the difference. On http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/, (where ya'll are, naturally, more than welcome.), special dispensation is given to our cousins from Quebec. As is anybody else whose first language isn't the Queen's English. Ya'll can spell Armour without the 'U' and not be chastised.
"...voilá..." That even I wouldn't worry about. Loosely translated it means 'there you go' or 'there it is'.
Poor usage of The Queen's English makes me crazy and it severely reduces the crediblity of the poster. Typos aren't the same as bad spelling or using the wrong word. Bad spelling is bad spelling.
On a forum, grammar is a bit daft too. Type the way you speak, but check the spelling and word usage. IE: 'there goes JamisJockey.' is fine, but 'their goes JamisJockey.' isn't. Ending a sentence with a preposition is how people talk too. 'JamisJockey speaks of.' is the way people talk, but not how it is written for publication in books. Thanks, JamisJockey, for the usage of your name. Copy and paste is the friend of the idler. Like you had a choice. Snicker.
No spell checker will catch a correctly spelt word used incorrectly. 'To' in place of 'too' won't be caught by any spell checker. Both words are spelt correctly, but used incorrectly. You just have to know the difference. On http://www.canadiangunnutz.com/forum/, (where ya'll are, naturally, more than welcome.), special dispensation is given to our cousins from Quebec. As is anybody else whose first language isn't the Queen's English. Ya'll can spell Armour without the 'U' and not be chastised.
"...voilá..." That even I wouldn't worry about. Loosely translated it means 'there you go' or 'there it is'.
I try and correct mine if I spot it. Working long hours (and trying to "do alot at once"), typing two-finger, glancing at the keyboard every second or two, I have found myself making some bizarre spelling errors, missing words completely or entering them twice. The latter probably because I sometimes re-arrange paragraphs by cutting and pasting.
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http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org
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http://ussliberty.org
http://ssunitedstates.org
MrTwigg
Member
Usually I don't care.
When expressing oneself via the written word one needs to be clear and concise. There are no gestures, body language or facial expressions which convey as much information & emotion, if not more than the written word.
It's rare that I publicly (twice in 10 years.) chastise someone for errors, but when a post becomes painful to read and the person is actually embarrassing him or herself by posting, then yes I will speak out.
The primary language in this country is still English,
(At least for now - don't get me started on this because I believe we will be involved in a debate over language similar to what Ontario went through a while ago. This is a subject for another thread.)
...There is no excuse for someone who's native tongue is English to not be able to speak, read and write this language correctly. One need not have to write like a college professor, but you need to get your ideas across clearly.
When expressing oneself via the written word one needs to be clear and concise. There are no gestures, body language or facial expressions which convey as much information & emotion, if not more than the written word.
It's rare that I publicly (twice in 10 years.) chastise someone for errors, but when a post becomes painful to read and the person is actually embarrassing him or herself by posting, then yes I will speak out.
The primary language in this country is still English,
(At least for now - don't get me started on this because I believe we will be involved in a debate over language similar to what Ontario went through a while ago. This is a subject for another thread.)
...There is no excuse for someone who's native tongue is English to not be able to speak, read and write this language correctly. One need not have to write like a college professor, but you need to get your ideas across clearly.
Walt Rauch
Member
- Joined
- Dec 4, 2004
- Messages
- 126
To those that don't use spell check, ieSpell etc., think how your letters
(e-mails?) to elected representatives are viewed and valued.
(e-mails?) to elected representatives are viewed and valued.
LiquidTension
Member
There, their, they're - mistakes with these are annoying.
There is some stuff.
That is their stuff.
They're doing some stuff.
Easy, huh? That said, I don't let spelling and grammar mistakes keep me from learning valuable information from otherwise knowledgeable posters.
I've had a link to dictionary.com on my toolbar for years, it's quite handy. Oh, that's another one! Quite, quiet, quit. Nevermind.
There is some stuff.
That is their stuff.
They're doing some stuff.
Easy, huh? That said, I don't let spelling and grammar mistakes keep me from learning valuable information from otherwise knowledgeable posters.
I've had a link to dictionary.com on my toolbar for years, it's quite handy. Oh, that's another one! Quite, quiet, quit. Nevermind.
Two words:
Gresham's Law.
For those not familiar with it, "Bad money drives out good money."
More generally, tolerating garbage encourages more of it, thus eliminating quality.
Typos are just typos. One or two in a post are no crisis.
Ill-conceived scrawlings by the barely literate, however, serve little, if any, useful purpose. Posting on a public-access forum makes the author (and I use that term VERY loosely) a legitimate target of criticism.
If you can't conceive and convey a coherent thought in a correct and concise manner, stick to text-messaging and posting on the DU or myspace.com. If you do post drivel on a forum such as this, it should be Open Season on you.
Gresham's Law.
For those not familiar with it, "Bad money drives out good money."
More generally, tolerating garbage encourages more of it, thus eliminating quality.
Typos are just typos. One or two in a post are no crisis.
Ill-conceived scrawlings by the barely literate, however, serve little, if any, useful purpose. Posting on a public-access forum makes the author (and I use that term VERY loosely) a legitimate target of criticism.
If you can't conceive and convey a coherent thought in a correct and concise manner, stick to text-messaging and posting on the DU or myspace.com. If you do post drivel on a forum such as this, it should be Open Season on you.
Carl N. Brown
Member
If it's something obvious, like hitting the key next to it on
the keyboard, I'll let it go.
I have learned to Preview and Edit before Submit.
Nothing like thinking faster than you type, running sentences
together and realizing AFTER you're flamed that you left out
a connecting or introductory thought.
the keyboard, I'll let it go.
I have learned to Preview and Edit before Submit.
Nothing like thinking faster than you type, running sentences
together and realizing AFTER you're flamed that you left out
a connecting or introductory thought.
scooterthegreat
Member
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2006
- Messages
- 132
Ya know what really bugs me? When I make a gross error and don't catch it until I see it quoted in another post.
Quote:
"Go to the Start Button, click Run, and type "charmap." All the characters you could ever want are in there, and you can either copy and paste them, or use the ASCII codes (ALT + some keypad numbers) to type them directly."
Kevlarman,
Thanks for that info. There definitely are MORE characters on that list than I will ever want although it still requires copy/paste. Was hoping there was something on the THR software that worked like MS WORD.
While we are on the HowTo topic, how do you get the nice looking quote box? I copy and paste but don't see a quote button or a ready means to enclose the quote in a simple box to make it stand out better. Thanks.
Good shooting and be safe.
LB
"Go to the Start Button, click Run, and type "charmap." All the characters you could ever want are in there, and you can either copy and paste them, or use the ASCII codes (ALT + some keypad numbers) to type them directly."
Kevlarman,
Thanks for that info. There definitely are MORE characters on that list than I will ever want although it still requires copy/paste. Was hoping there was something on the THR software that worked like MS WORD.
While we are on the HowTo topic, how do you get the nice looking quote box? I copy and paste but don't see a quote button or a ready means to enclose the quote in a simple box to make it stand out better. Thanks.
Good shooting and be safe.
LB
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