Language Does Matter!

dcsump2

Some people just suck at grammar and spelling. Some people don't. I don't see the big deal and I'm tired of people always complaining about it! There are better things to spend your time worrying about.

Nothing wrong with raising the bar.

...and for people who think this is an "attack"...please. Can I move to the land of rainbows and unicorns also?

Ever consider how rants and judgments like these might feel to people who truly do struggle with grammar and spelling and might be self-conscious about it?

I agree wholeheartedly with your responses!

nerdyandilikeit

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but does anyone here know how to make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder?

I DO!

I also know how to make a pirate hat from a folded newspaper.

Can you please share your knowledge? I really need a new hat.

Contrarian

I do struggle with grammar and spelling. I'm not sure why. English was my best subject as a child, but as an adult, I find it slipping away, which is kind of scary. Plus, I am super sensitive about it.

Do you read much? I find that reading helps a lot. Many people these days seem to have a difficulty finding time to read, but it definitely helps us maintain our language skills as we get older.

Contrarian

They're are alot of people who seam to disagree, its okay. Your beliefs wont always agree with other people, it shouldn't affect how you feel. Weather people agree or not, they shouldn't argue. I think time spent should be focused on loosing wait not arguing.

Oh, you.

tig_ol_bitties

They're are alot of people who seam to disagree, its okay. Your beliefs wont always agree with other people, it shouldn't affect how you feel. Weather people agree or not, they shouldn't argue. I think time spent should be focused on loosing wait not arguing.

:laugh: I really hope that this comment was meant to be hilarious, because it is!

honeysprinkles

I do struggle with grammar and spelling. I'm not sure why. English was my best subject as a child, but as an adult, I find it slipping away, which is kind of scary. Plus, I am super sensitive about it.

and that's why judgmental crap like this irritates me! :explode:

_binary_jester_

Some people just suck at grammar and spelling. Some people don't. I don't see the big deal and I'm tired of people always complaining about it! There are better things to spend your time worrying about.

Nothing wrong with raising the bar.

...and for people who think this is an "attack"...please. Can I move to the land of rainbows and unicorns also?

Ever consider how rants and judgments like these might feel to people who truly do struggle with grammar and spelling and might be self-conscious about it?

Thank you for making my point. Say hello to the unicorn for me.

All this soft and squishy stuff is nuts. Gosh should I say this just in case someone is offended? If I worried about that...well I guess I would never post.

Like I stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with attempting to raise the bar in terms of discourse. Since this site is based on self improvement, I simply fail to grasp why this topic should fall by the wayside.

Is it overdone? Perhaps. Does that make it any less valid? Absolutely not.

_binary_jester_

I do struggle with grammar and spelling. I'm not sure why. English was my best subject as a child, but as an adult, I find it slipping away, which is kind of scary. Plus, I am super sensitive about it.

and that's why judgmental crap like this irritates me! :explode:

Then I suggest you go pet your cat and take a walk. You are irritated because you choose to be. You continuously return to this thread, which I find more amusing.

Krizzle4Rizzle

I do struggle with grammar and spelling. I'm not sure why. English was my best subject as a child, but as an adult, I find it slipping away, which is kind of scary. Plus, I am super sensitive about it.

I do read quite a bit. Always have. It's weird. I will be typing and suddenly I will forget how to spell a very simple word and I have to google it. This is coming from the 4th grade class spelling bee champion. I guess maybe technology has contributed to it. Almost everything has spell check or auto correct.

honeysprinkles

Some people just suck at grammar and spelling. Some people don't. I don't see the big deal and I'm tired of people always complaining about it! There are better things to spend your time worrying about.

Nothing wrong with raising the bar.

...and for people who think this is an "attack"...please. Can I move to the land of rainbows and unicorns also?

Ever consider how rants and judgments like these might feel to people who truly do struggle with grammar and spelling and might be self-conscious about it?

Thank you for making my point. Say hello to the unicorn for me.

All this soft and squishy stuff is nuts. Gosh should I say this just in case someone is offended? If I worried about that...well I guess I would never post.

Like I stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with attempting to raise the bar in terms of discourse. Since this site is based on self improvement, I simply fail to grasp why this topic should fall by the wayside.

Is it overdone? Perhaps. Does that make it any less valid? Absolutely not.

Okay. No sense in arguing with you. Some people lack the ability to put them selves in another person's shoes for even just a moment.
Let's try not to pretend that the judgmental "I'm better than you" blogs and internet rants are making a difference or raising the bar. It's nothing more than a platform for making yourself feel better compared to others over trivial nonsense.

pastryari

I happen to think that was a joke because I have not found it to not be true at all.

So, you DO think it's true. Double negative. Woops.

Exactly. Now the intended meaning of her statement has changed. Why don't people get this?

Yes, I made a typo and now the whole world is going to end because you're on the internet and making an assumption from a typo. Hmm, what's that saying about assumptions.........

It wasn't a typo, it was a grammatical error. I make them all of the time. Humans are flawed and have room for improvement. I personally would prefer someone to point it out to me. Maybe I don't know any better. Maybe I have been using a word in the wrong way. The bottom line is that you are judged by what you say. Even in writing. You don't have to like it. In fact you can continue to be defensive about it. Although I am not sure why. I would rather grow and improve. It seems more productive that getting angry.

Haha. Are you really going to TELL me that I didn't make a typo? Is it just that you don't believe in a typo or what? Because I know that was a typo considering that I'M the one who wrote it. Thanks. I am not angry, just really disgusted with how far people are willing to go to make themselves feel better and superior.

Fine. A typo. The point is that no one is pointing it out to feel superior. I feel superior for other reasons. It is being pointed out because like it or not you are judged on the way you communicate. I have also chosen not to hire people based on poor communication skills. In my line of work we submit reports to various government agencies around the world. If English is their second language (agency) they can not always understand grammatical error and typos. I don't have time to translate the reports for my German collegues.

But where you people are wrong is in judging people for their language skills on the internet, which has NOTHING to do with work. There are tons of people who can communicate just fine at work or in "real" life but don't choose to be so picky when they are on the internet. You're making assumptions that people who don't take the time to look over what they wrote to be sure it's correct when posting on forums/internet are not capable of doing so in the real world. THAT is my point.

Im sorry, where exactly did I say that?

Since I wrote a lot, I'm not too sure what you're refering to? Where did you say what?

Where did I mention anything about judging people based on what they write on the internet? I did agree with the blog in that language is important and I stand by that. And since this post is specifically about grammar it would apply here. And I don't recall judging anyone. Simply stating that we are judged based on communication skills. That is a simple fact. Not liking the truth doesn't change it. You seem to have taken my general statement very personally.

Because you were using a typo as an example. If you were not talking about writing on the internet then a typo should never have been used as an example. As I said in a previous post somewhere, we all have our own opinions. Mine never said that language is unimportant. Now I'm back to work. See ya, folks.]

Just_Dot

I personally don't feel that my "unnecessary grammar lesson" was out of line, or context. There might be some people that truly have a hard time remembering and if that helps, well...yay!

As far as "people like me" being the downfall of the polite world as we know it (yes, I know this isn't what was said...I'm too lazy to sift through 3 pages and see where I was quoted) and how a certain poster here is going to teach her children to be empathetic, and kind, and rainbows and glitter...well, you are more than welcome to your opinion. I happen to know that not only do I teach my own children kindness and empathy but I try to instill this in my students, as well as giving them a rock-solid education.

Since we're generalizing, it's people like "you" that pull out the "it's just the internet...it doesn't matter!" card and helping perpetuate the idea that we will just have to deal with people not knowing how to write and speak properly...it's the internet yo...get used to it!

Later "you" mentioned, "of course, in a resume or paper, my grammar is sparkly and fresh!" I made my original comments before that was even mentioned...but I digress. Of course we would hope that in an academic or professional setting, grammar, spelling, etc. would be correct, however, if we don't expect students to write like this now, when will they have the practice time *to* write correctly?

In the shiny, happy world of MFP, people come here for different reasons. Some, like me, come for the calorie tracker, stay for the friends; some come for exercise, menu, nutrition advice; others come to tout the benefits of Tae Bo. In the Chit-Chat section, as long as I can read a post, I'm good. However, if someone is either asking for advice--or giving it--you bet your sweet bippy that I don't read/don't put much stock into what's being said if there are numerous typos, spelling errors, grammatical errors, and so on. I guess for me, this falls into the category of a "professional" writing--despite the fact that it's been written by some imaginary person that lives in my computer. I understand that not everyone thinks of it that way, but why not? Once it's here...it's for-frelling-ever...do you want people in the future to think we were imbeciles?

Of course, there are exceptions to every rule--I have friends from other countries or friends with learning issues where it's virtually impossible for them to write correctly. I'm cool with that. But, for people to come on here and spouting that it's okay to type like you're ignorant is not only insulting to the people that legitimately can't, it's insulting to the people that take pride in what they write. I don't think I'm "better" than anyone because I'm a decent writer, or that I know how to spell, or I can, for the most part, correctly apply grammar rules. But I do take pride in my skills, much like a runner takes pride in a PR time, or a weight lifter takes pride in increasing weight. I won't apologize for it. :flowerforyou:

/rant

erikblock

I'm an English/Communications/Writing instructor, and I tell my students this all the time. I always hear the complaint that they shouldn't have to take this class because writing isn't going to be a major part of their professional future. My response: In many situations in life, your writing will precede you, and you will be judged according to it. It's not necessarily FAIR...but it's the way it is. Whenever someone is confronted with something you have written before they have met you face-to-face, they will make judgments about who you are as a person--your intelligence, your education, your level of motivation and dedication--based on your writing.

And then I ask them: Think about a time that you read something that someone had written and thought to yourself, "Wow...this person must be really stupid if they can't even spell <blank> correctly or put together a proper sentence (or whatever the situation may have been."

Do people's judgments of you on an online forum REALLY matter? Is a misspelled word or improperly punctuated sentence on MFP or Facebook going to cause you to lose out on a job promotion? No. But why not foster the habit of communicating as clearly, properly, and effectively as possible, so that you're able to do so more easily when it really DOES matter?

_binary_jester_

Some people just suck at grammar and spelling. Some people don't. I don't see the big deal and I'm tired of people always complaining about it! There are better things to spend your time worrying about.

Nothing wrong with raising the bar.

...and for people who think this is an "attack"...please. Can I move to the land of rainbows and unicorns also?

Ever consider how rants and judgments like these might feel to people who truly do struggle with grammar and spelling and might be self-conscious about it?

Thank you for making my point. Say hello to the unicorn for me.

All this soft and squishy stuff is nuts. Gosh should I say this just in case someone is offended? If I worried about that...well I guess I would never post.

Like I stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with attempting to raise the bar in terms of discourse. Since this site is based on self improvement, I simply fail to grasp why this topic should fall by the wayside.

Is it overdone? Perhaps. Does that make it any less valid? Absolutely not.

Okay. No sense in arguing with you. Some people lack the ability to put them selves in another person's shoes for even just a moment.
Let's try not to pretend that the judgmental "I'm better than you" blogs and internet rants are making a difference or raising the bar. It's nothing more than a platform for making yourself feel better compared to others over trivial nonsense.

Or...Or...we can just revel in our mediocrity! So much better because everyone will be alike and no one will be all judgmental and stuff because that's bad.
The way I see it is, if one person says, "You know what, she is right and maybe I'll work on that a little" then the battle is won.

Contrarian

I do struggle with grammar and spelling. I'm not sure why. English was my best subject as a child, but as an adult, I find it slipping away, which is kind of scary. Plus, I am super sensitive about it.

I do read quite a bit. Always have. It's weird. I will be typing and suddenly I will forget how to spell a very simple word and I have to google it. This is coming from the 4th grade class spelling bee champion. I guess maybe technology has contributed to it. Almost everything has spell check or auto correct.

It's true. Having spell check as a crutch is a great tool, but it really doesn't force us to retain it. I think our brains just don't think it's necessary to hold on to information that we can easily have handed to us again.

TDGee

I have noticed in this thread a tendency by some to defend a tenuous position. :huh: I really hope you aren't in charge of anything important. Reminds me of Custer at Little Bighorn.

what do you mean by "a tendency by some to defend a tenuous position"? Wordy phrasing, but doesn't really say much at all.

How about boneheadedly sticking to a poor argument? I was trying to be polite.

IpuffyheartHeelsinthegym

if it's not already, that blog should be #1. I'm sorry, not to be insensitive, but sometimes trying to figure out what someone is saying is ridiculous.

I would agree technology plays a slight role in this, but that should not be an excuse. We're not texting each other on here....

Contrarian

Some people just suck at grammar and spelling. Some people don't. I don't see the big deal and I'm tired of people always complaining about it! There are better things to spend your time worrying about.

Nothing wrong with raising the bar.

...and for people who think this is an "attack"...please. Can I move to the land of rainbows and unicorns also?

Ever consider how rants and judgments like these might feel to people who truly do struggle with grammar and spelling and might be self-conscious about it?

Thank you for making my point. Say hello to the unicorn for me.

All this soft and squishy stuff is nuts. Gosh should I say this just in case someone is offended? If I worried about that...well I guess I would never post.

Like I stated earlier, there is nothing wrong with attempting to raise the bar in terms of discourse. Since this site is based on self improvement, I simply fail to grasp why this topic should fall by the wayside.

Is it overdone? Perhaps. Does that make it any less valid? Absolutely not.

Okay. No sense in arguing with you. Some people lack the ability to put them selves in another person's shoes for even just a moment.
Let's try not to pretend that the judgmental "I'm better than you" blogs and internet rants are making a difference or raising the bar. It's nothing more than a platform for making yourself feel better compared to others over trivial nonsense.

The blog wasn't an attempt to make me feel like I'm better than anyone. This inability to communicate really concerns me. I think it's important.

TDGee

I'm not sure if this is the right place to ask, but does anyone here know how to make a Pine Cone Bird Feeder?

As you wish:

What you'll need:

Pine cone
Paper plate
Butter knife
Smooth peanut butter
Birdseed
Ribbon or yarn
Scissors


How to make it:

Cut a long length of yarn or ribbon to hang the bird feeder.
Tie the ribbon in a knot around the pine cone near the top (about 3 sections down).
Tie a knot in the end of the ribbon.
Use the knife to get a large clump of peanut butter on the paper plate.
Use the knife to spread peanut butter inside the pine cone and around the edges.
Sprinkle the birdseed over the pine cone.
Roll the pine cone in the birdseed that is on the plate.
Hang the bird feeder on the tree.
Enjoy watching the birds eat their treat!

k8blujay2

I'm an ESL teacher, and it SHOCKS me that native speakers mistake you're/your and their/there/they're.

Sometimes it's a genuine typo that spell check nor the author catches. At least that's usually the case for me, because I sometimes type so fast that I'm on to the next thought before I finish typing.

In general though, I blame chatrooms of the 90's and lack of character spaces in text messages (though that's not so much the case anymore).