Do things like spelling and grammar....

olDave
olDave Posts: 557 Member
in Chit-Chat
...really matter in forums like this?
«1

Replies

  • TylerJ76
    TylerJ76 Posts: 4,375 Member
    depends on if you want to appear intelligent or not...
  • diodelcibo
    diodelcibo Posts: 2,564 Member
    For a certain group of people it makes them twitch.
  • sunsnstatheart
    sunsnstatheart Posts: 2,544 Member
    depends on if you want to appear intelligent or not...

    ^ This. Just be careful, because correcting grammar is against the rules, just like correcting false beliefs is bullying.
  • Scott2ndGradeTeacher
    Scott2ndGradeTeacher Posts: 147 Member
    Their a lot of people hear looking 4 a raisin 2 correct you’re grammer an spelling.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    communication is made up of senders and receivers. The responsibility of the sender is to send the information out with the fewest barriers. Incorrect spelling and improper grammar are barriers. If you are sending to one person, who you know and knows you to the point where a barrier like spelling or grammar would not be an issue, then spelling and grammar do not matter. The more people the sender wants to reach with his/her message, the more proper and within the general rules of sentence structure, spelling, and grammar they should make the message. While it is indeterminable to whom the spelling and grammar effect, you will not find someone who cannot understand the message because it IS spelled properly, and structured correctly.

    So, really, whether or not it "matters" is dependent upon with whom the sender wishes to communicate, and if they want to exclude people from receiving said communication.

    Is that the kind of answer you were wanting?
  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    Kinda... but not really. :ohwell:

    You want people to understand what you are writing. But a few spelling and grammar mistakes aren't the end of the world. Of course, we often forget that not everyone who uses this site speaks English as their primary language. I try not to let it bother me too much. But I do have grammatical pet peeves that send me into a tizzy.


    Actually, I am taking my MBA courses online, and you would be amazed how badly grad students **** it up. I think that annoys me more than seeing spelling and grammar mistakes here.
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Only if it gets to the point where it's hard to understand the post. In that regard, I think punctuation is far more important than spelling.
  • olDave
    olDave Posts: 557 Member
    Kinda... but not really. :ohwell:

    You want people to understand what you are writing. But a few spelling and grammar mistakes aren't the end of the world. Of course, we often forget that not everyone who uses this site speaks English as their primary language. I try not to let it bother me too much. But I do have grammatical pet peeves that send me into a tizzy.


    Actually, I am taking my MBA courses online, and you would be amazed how badly grad students **** it up. I think that annoys me more than seeing spelling and grammar mistakes here.


    I agree....there are situations where proper spelling and grammar are important but not in forums like this. It may just be me but I see a dumbing down of our society overall when it comes to spelling and grammar when compared to twenty or thirty years ago.
  • Scott2ndGradeTeacher
    Scott2ndGradeTeacher Posts: 147 Member
    Only if it gets to the point where it's hard to understand the post. In that regard, I think punctuation is far more important than spelling.




    "Let's eat grandma!"

    "Let's eat, grandma!"
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
    I think so. A typo is one thing, but if a person is repeatedly making errors in spelling and grammar it can get frustrating to read. This is a written word medium that we're using, we should do our best to use it correctly.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,417 Member
    Were there even online forums twenty years ago?

    Regardless, before spell-check and computerized word processors, it would have taken us two or three hours to complete a typed document and then to retype it to fix those errors. I think we made more of an effort to be grammatically correct when it meant having to redo the entire document. Now I can make all kinds of mistakes and have a lot of them corrected before I even realize I've done it.

    Word processors changed the way we do business for the better. Productivity is far higher.

    Now that we have text speak, people want to use as few characters as possible to keep the message short but still understandable.





    Oh, and "Get off my lawn."
  • csuhar
    csuhar Posts: 779 Member
    I would generally say "yes". But there is a level of forgiveness to be given, too, especially due to the speed at which these discussion boards move. Normally, I say that if you have the time to compose a message, take it and try to have a good product. Here, however, you almost have to treat it as though you were texting, lest ten more posts show up between when you choose to reply and actually post it.
  • Cadori
    Cadori Posts: 4,810 Member
    Oh, and "Get off my lawn."

    :laugh:

    i lik u. wnt 2 hng out?
  • Cindy873
    Cindy873 Posts: 1,165
    communication is made up of senders and receivers. The responsibility of the sender is to send the information out with the fewest barriers. Incorrect spelling and improper grammar are barriers. If you are sending to one person, who you know and knows you to the point where a barrier like spelling or grammar would not be an issue, then spelling and grammar do not matter. The more people the sender wants to reach with his/her message, the more proper and within the general rules of sentence structure, spelling, and grammar they should make the message. While it is indeterminable to whom the spelling and grammar effect, you will not find someone who cannot understand the message because it IS spelled properly, and structured correctly.

    So, really, whether or not it "matters" is dependent upon with whom the sender wishes to communicate, and if they want to exclude people from receiving said communication.

    Is that the kind of answer you were wanting?

    I think I love you. I'm even willing to overlook the lowercase "c" at the beginning of the first paragraph. :flowerforyou:
  • CharityGC
    CharityGC Posts: 499 Member
    I'm a fan of proper grammar and spelling everywhere.
  • witchy_wife
    witchy_wife Posts: 792 Member
    Let's eat Grandma.

    Let's eat, Grandma.

    Sometimes punctuation is important lol.

    But mostly I don't freak out about spelling or grammar. It can be a bit annoying when it makes it hard to read what people write, but I'm not perfect with it either so would never go around trying to correct anyone.
  • xiamjackie
    xiamjackie Posts: 611 Member
    Only if it gets to the point where it's hard to understand the post. In that regard, I think punctuation is far more important than spelling.




    "Let's eat grandma!"

    "Let's eat, grandma!"

    I used these examples when teaching grammar to my 7th graders!
  • taso42
    taso42 Posts: 8,980 Member
    There does seem to be a correlation between poor spelling / poor grammar / use of all-caps, and Really Dumb Posts. Just an observation.
  • wolverine66
    wolverine66 Posts: 3,779 Member
    communication is made up of senders and receivers. The responsibility of the sender is to send the information out with the fewest barriers. Incorrect spelling and improper grammar are barriers. If you are sending to one person, who you know and knows you to the point where a barrier like spelling or grammar would not be an issue, then spelling and grammar do not matter. The more people the sender wants to reach with his/her message, the more proper and within the general rules of sentence structure, spelling, and grammar they should make the message. While it is indeterminable to whom the spelling and grammar effect, you will not find someone who cannot understand the message because it IS spelled properly, and structured correctly.

    So, really, whether or not it "matters" is dependent upon with whom the sender wishes to communicate, and if they want to exclude people from receiving said communication.

    Is that the kind of answer you were wanting?

    I think I love you. I'm even willing to overlook the lowercase "c" at the beginning of the first paragraph. :flowerforyou:

    Thank you for the reprieve. :drinker:
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    I think I've stopped caring about grammar and spelling because the lack of reading comprehension skills seems a far bigger issue to me. It makes me wonder where our education system is failing.
  • Ramberta
    Ramberta Posts: 1,312 Member
    That's like saying, do table manners matter at McDonald's? Do rules of the road matter when I'm the only car around? Can I litter just because no one's watching?

    I think you get my drift.

    I can understand someone making one typo in a paragraph... but bad grammar and spelling does bother me, no matter what context. Unless English is your second (or third, etc) language-- and that's not really the case for a majority of users here, since this is an english site (unless there are some translating apps that I don't know about)-- then it kind of just means you don't give a *kitten* about communicating correctly in your own language... people aren't stupid, they just choose not to pay attention when they type, or chose not to pay attention in school.
  • gracielynn1011
    gracielynn1011 Posts: 726 Member
    I generally don't make a big deal out of it.

    Unls its wrtn lik diz.

    That type of writing bugs me. Especially when the writer then says "Sorry for the mistakes, I'm on my phone/tablet/etc." I had to try really hard to make me phone let me type those words, so I know that a smart phone will not overlook them!
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    Everyone makes the occasional typo, but a sloppy post can be unclear and takes more time to read; it's discourteous. The failure to demonstrate an understanding of basic grammar does reflect badly on your attention to detail, and often your education and intelligence.

    And most people who successfully lose weight are detail-oriented.
  • mfpcopine
    mfpcopine Posts: 3,093 Member
    I think I've stopped caring about grammar and spelling because the lack of reading comprehension skills seems a far bigger issue to me. It makes me wonder where our education system is failing.

    Add critical reasoning and the common argumentative fallacies: straw man, ad hominem, attack, appeal to questionable authority, post hoc ergo propter hoc, etc.
  • SRH7
    SRH7 Posts: 2,037 Member
    Everyone makes the occasional typo, but a sloppy post can be unclear and takes more time to read.

    QFT

    I don't bother to read posts with poor grammar, spelling and SHOUTY POSTS IN CAPITAL LETTERS as it is just far too time consuming.
  • Kali2024
    Kali2024 Posts: 73 Member
    For a certain group of people it makes them twitch.


    My left eye twitches when i see: they're, there or their not used correctly
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,230 Member
    I don't understand why some people only apply grammar and spelling in certain situations. I mean, why have two different ways of writing? Isn't it easier to write correctly all the time than have to remember to alter the way you write depending on the situation?

    I just think it I stopped using correct spelling and grammar on the internet, it would creep into work. Why let it deteriorate?
  • n0shitsherl0ck
    n0shitsherl0ck Posts: 24
    I won't 'Grammar Nazi' someone unless they make a really stupid mistake like mix up 'their', 'there' and 'they're' or more annoyingly 'your' and 'you're'. Just for the plain fact no-one (when English is their first language) should even have to put any thought into the difference between each whatsoever. The fact people still do though kills my happiness.
  • janehlansing
    janehlansing Posts: 54
    Unls its wrtn lik diz.

    That type of writing bugs me. Especially when the writer then says "Sorry for the mistakes, I'm on my phone/tablet/etc." I had to try really hard to make me phone let me type those words, so I know that a smart phone will not overlook them!

    I turned off autocorrect b/c it made me feel like an idiot.

    The United States is definitely dumbing down its citizens. Facebook posts by my son's friends makes my skin crawl. My daughter who is 8 doesn't make a quarter of the mistakes I see kids 15-25 years of age doing. Makes my skin crawl. Using a z instead of an "s" is just stupid. A principal of a highschool up here in MA cancelled an awards ceremony for students making honor roll b/c it would "hurt" the feelings of the other students who "tried really hard and didn't get the grades" . When I was growing up, that meant... study harder.

    I would love to correct people sometimes but, it causes too much drama. I go to topix.com sometime for my hometown and I am embarassed to say I am from there. They write like they never made it past 1st grade.

    Jane
  • janehlansing
    janehlansing Posts: 54
    twitchable moments include: their, there, they're. Realy. Prolly. anything with iz on the end and a whole bunch more but it makes my fingers ache and weep to type them.

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