Spelling and grammar

[Gevs1966]

Not really a news item so much but more a general, present day topic of annoyance.

Why can't people spell properly? Why can't people use the right words in the right places?

I'm noticing more and more these days that people don't actually write the words they mean, but instead, replace them with other words that mean something completely different.

Examples would be using the word loose instead of lose, board instead of bored, aloud instead of allowed and to instead of too.

I don't mean to criticise anyone in particular but it happens in abundance on this very site.

When I was at school, spelling and grammar was deemed very important. Is it only me that gets the impression these standards have gone out the window and such mistakes allowed to pass by with alarming regularity?

[WaldoMcFroog]

I'd be lying if I said I never made errors of spelling or grammar on this site. The lack of an editing function on the site is quite galling.

My personal bugbear is people who can't use superlatives properly. I'm forever hearing people say things such as, 'that party was the most maddest party ever', 'the most biggest fight broke out' etc. Arghhhh! Things will start being described as 'more bigger' next...

With that said, as long as the sense of the text is apparent, it's hardly worth upbraiding individuals over. This is not a site to teach spelling and grammar, and any AB old timers may recall the uproar caused by a gentleman named SpellMaster when he attempted to do so. It wasn't pretty.

On an unrelated note, I'd like to nominate Lonnie's blaming grammar errors on "the emergence of the PC brigade" for the January 2006 Garry Bushell 'It's PC Gone Mad' award. The judges were particularly impressed with the seemingly random attribution of blame at the feet of the 'PC brigade' and the insistance that there is any form of organised group dedicated to 'PC' in the first place.

[WaldoMcFroog]

Ha! That'll teach me. I meant to write 'blaming grammatical errors on'. D'oh!

[Oneeyedvic]

Stephen Fry mentioned on TV (I was going to say on Jonathan Ross' program but whilst I think that is correct use of the apostrophe, I am not 100% sure) and mentioned that he knew of a child who said something was 'book' when he liked it. Unsure as to the meaning he asked the child who explained that to write the word 'cool' on a phone used the numbers 2665 and the T9 dictionary defaulted to 'book'. Instead of hitting an extra button to scroll onto the next word, these children had just changed the usage of the word to suit their purpose.

Nice story (not sure if it is true or not).

[WoWo]

I do agree but to be honest if it's a choice of having my question answered and not because somebody didn't for fear of not using perfect spelling and grammar I'd go for the former.

"When I was at school, spelling and grammar was deemed very important."

Genuine question, should that not be "were deemed"?

[WoWo]

You might like this blog....

http://phantomnitpicker.blogspot.com/

[Gevs1966]

It's not so much the spelling or necessarily the grammar that really annoys me but as I said before, using the wrong words in place of others that make no sense.

See above for examples

[Englishbird]

My spelling is appalling, I don't think my grammar's too bad. The only ones that irks me slightly is when people use the wrong your (or you're) or there (they're, their).

[kittiecris]

I never learned any grammar at school. So that is probably why i get it wrong! I can's spell and I'm rubbish at knowing how to punctuate a sentence. But I'm doing a degree at University and doing well (i'll probably get a 2:1 so could do better). But I can't really understand the importance my self.

[ianess]

I thought this was worth sharing.


I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer inwaht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a
porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas thought slpeling was ipmorantt.



Who nedes splelcehck eh?

[Gevs1966]

kittiecris you will come to understand the importance when you finish uni and get a job. What's going to happen if you have to write an important report or a letter to a customer and you use the wrong words? The spell check will not pick it up as it is spelt correctly but it just doesn't make sense.

It will show you in a negative light and you could miss out on opportunites as a result

[kittiecris]

That was a fair comment. I was going to argue that I do have a job as well as going to university, but because I'm in retail it's not really a good argument! Oh well, I'll struggle on being illiterate!

[OBonio]

I am the grammar police at home. Not that I think that I'm any good at it, just that I'm better than my wife. She's Wiltshire born and bred ;o)

I kindly corrected some of her 4000 word assignments for her degree but didn't get any plus points.. in fact the best mark she got was riddled with mistakes.

Anyway, have a go at this. I am a grammar god apparently :o).

http://quizilla.com/users/BaalObsidian/quizzes/How%20gra mmatically%20correct%20are%20you%3F%20(Revised%20with%20 answer%20key)/

[Oneeyedvic]

<img src="http://images.quizilla.com/B/BaalObsidian/1080162080_ctu resgod3.jpg" border="0" alt="Grammar God!"><br>You are a <b>GRAMMAR GOD</b>!

I feel so proud!

[joko]

lol grunty - i spotted that a second too late - typical 'eh?

I don't mind spelling and grammatical mistakes when its clear that the person has made an effort - but when its clear that they haven't even tried to get it right - that irks me.

If you want someone to understand you in a conversation you wouldn't mumble or speak too quietly - so why write confusing illiterate rubbish?

I don't know what it has to do with the PC brigade - bad spelling is not a new rule - i think its akin to the pulp song "common people" - kids don't want to be 'too' clever for fear of being picked on , so its cool to act like a dunce.

I remember at school, if you read aloud with any kind of flow you were sneered at, so everyone developed this kind of stilted reading of the words individually with no apparent links or meaning - very tedious.

[Drusilla]

Sadly media exposure encourages young people to embrace, 'the culture of thick.'

Whenever I complain about standards of English, my nine year old daughter whispers,
....'I ain't dun nuffink, mate!'
It reminds me how I used to speak when I was a child and lived in Hackney. I'm hopeful today's youngsters will improve their speech patterns, grammar and spelling when they are convinced of the need.

[Drisgirl]

I so feel sorry for people who are geniuses at IT.plumbing, re-wiring a house,property development but dont know you dont start a sentence with And or Because.Not.

I feel sorry for people who inadvertantly perhaps think they are above people who post quite genuinely and expect ABers just to read their response.

I recently apologised to a user, who posted a long thread using there instead of their,by letting them know the difference.I only did this because I knew someone would pounce.

Oh just as an addendum - I saw on the TV today a child in Pakistan who cant open his/her eyes because they are stuck together because they cant get medical help because of the horrific weather in the light of the earthquake - also listened to the Grandfather on This Morning of the 12 week old baby who was raped repeatedly by the babysitters boyfriend who had quarter of a million child porn pictires downloaded although he had only subscribed to 7k.

Puts all this in perspective - whether someone uses a comma or apostrophe in the right place.Doesnt it?

[Drisgirl]

I of course meant pictures !!

[campbellking]

I don't know whether standards have slipped that much. I work with people of all ages and there are literacy problems across the generations. Working in a hospital, it intrigues me how, as doctors get promoted and go up the grades, their writing deteriorates. The house officers have beautiful writing which is perfectly legible, the registrars have reasonable writing, and the surgeons have a wonky scrawl!

I was chatting to my Aunt at the weekend, who was telling me that when her husband went into the RAF (in the 1950s), all of the rookies had an intelligence test. The results of this determined whether they they were referred to the literacy officer for basic English lessons. This again makes me think that problems with the articulation of language are nothing new. One of my housemates is currently taking basic English lessons at college, as she missed a lot of school through illness as a child. I have been trying to help her with her homework, but have rapidly realised that I'm not very good at explaining the structure of grammar.

My final thought is that I still struggle with typing and keyboard use, and until this improves, anything I submit will still be riddled with errors!

[joko]

lets not talk about anything ever again because there are things that are worse...

I stubbed my toe but i can't say ouch or rub it because i know a guy who had both legs fall off.

No one is suggesting that bad grammar is the worst thing in the world - this is just a discussion in the change in the levels of ability.

Although, i accept some people probably do get a little over-agitated by it...

it only irritates me when i feel someone is being rude because they can't be bothered to speak properly.

[Drisgirl]

joko-Directed like a missile at me.Sorry if you are offended.

I answered the Q but I also added an addendum - please note the word addendum.

There are things which in the News category are worthy of a passing opinion/mention but come on commas et al.

Worthy forum for debate but not IMO to this extent and I am entitled to offer my opinion on the gravity of the discussion compared with the unsightly things I have observed and heard today.I did not have a pop surrepticiously at anyone and I expect the same respect in return.Unfortunately you were not so discreet in your response.