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Does spelling still count?
- Thread starter novella
- Start date
I would hope this would not be an issue for the coming generation because I really don't think anything has "changed" per se. To me, speaking as a primary school teacher 
the basic message is still the same: you write for an audience and the requirements of your writing will differ depending on your audience. Just as an essay for a college professor is not meant to be written in the same style or with the same requirements as a newspaper article, so too is text message language a different animal from the accepted standard English used for written communication. End of story, as far as I am concerned
the basic message is still the same: you write for an audience and the requirements of your writing will differ depending on your audience. Just as an essay for a college professor is not meant to be written in the same style or with the same requirements as a newspaper article, so too is text message language a different animal from the accepted standard English used for written communication. End of story, as far as I am concerned 
Libra
Active Member
I am guilty, I mix up weird, friend,their. I am scared to go read all my old posts because of my excellent spelling.:whistling:
Libra6Poe
New Member
Aww... of course I mean no offense. My boyfriend asks me how to spell things often... And a lot of people have a hard time with those words. I just feel as though I've seen "wierd" one too many times. :flowers:
mechprincess35
New Member
Hi, newbie here! I must say that I am an advocate of correct spelling and grammar, along with most everyone else in this thread. What irks me the most, though, is when people mix up a form of "to/too/two," "there/their/they're," or say "your" instead of "you're," or vice versa. Ooh, that bothers me.
Libra6Poe
New Member
Bad spelling is, well, bad. But a complete lack of familiarity with punctuation and the use of capital letters really annoys me. And what people forget when they start claiming that 'it's only the internet', is that such things are not just there to look pretty. They help us quickly understand what we are reading. So if people bother to post because they want to contribute to a discussion, then it seems crass to post in a barely literate manner that will hinder understanding.
Of course, there are cases where people have problems such as dyslexia, but that isn't an excuse for everyone.
Other things that annoy me include the substitution of 'of' for 'have'.
You wouldn't say: 'I want a cup have tea', so why write 'I could of had some fun'. The two are not synonymous.
I do think that the general sloppiness amongst many for whom English is a first language is connected to the fact that the British, for instance, are notoriously bad at learning other languages (I'm not sure how true that is for the US, although I suspect, on the basis of witnessing US tourists on the Continent, that it's a similar situation). Learning a non-English language is not made any easier when your own language is taught badly. I went through a traditional grammar school education in England, at very good schools, but we learnt very little about the English language – I've learnt far more since then, not least because of making the effort to learn another language.
Of course, there are cases where people have problems such as dyslexia, but that isn't an excuse for everyone.
Other things that annoy me include the substitution of 'of' for 'have'.
You wouldn't say: 'I want a cup have tea', so why write 'I could of had some fun'. The two are not synonymous.
I do think that the general sloppiness amongst many for whom English is a first language is connected to the fact that the British, for instance, are notoriously bad at learning other languages (I'm not sure how true that is for the US, although I suspect, on the basis of witnessing US tourists on the Continent, that it's a similar situation). Learning a non-English language is not made any easier when your own language is taught badly. I went through a traditional grammar school education in England, at very good schools, but we learnt very little about the English language – I've learnt far more since then, not least because of making the effort to learn another language.
beer good
Well-Known Member
Eye halve a spelling check her;
It came with my pea sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye kin knot sea.
Eye ran this poem threw it
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.
A check her is a bless sing;
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.
Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule;
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Bee fore wee rote with checkers
Hour spelling was inn deck line,
Butt now when wee dew have a laps,
Wee are knot maid too wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.
Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier;
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud;
And wee mussed dew da best wee can
Sew flaws are knot aloud.
That's why eye brake in two averse
Cuz eye dew want too please.
Sow glad eye yam that aye did bye
This soft wear four pea seas.
It came with my pea sea.
It plane lee marks four my revue
Miss steaks aye kin knot sea.
Eye ran this poem threw it
Your sure reel glad two no.
Its vary polished in it's weigh,
My checker tolled me sew.
A check her is a bless sing;
It freeze yew lodes of thyme.
It helps me right awl stiles two reed,
And aides me when aye rime.
Each frays come posed up on my screen
Eye trussed too bee a joule;
The checker pours o'er every word
To cheque sum spelling rule.
Bee fore wee rote with checkers
Hour spelling was inn deck line,
Butt now when wee dew have a laps,
Wee are knot maid too wine.
Butt now bee cause my spelling
Is checked with such grate flare,
Their are know faults with in my cite,
Of nun eye am a wear.
Now spelling does knot phase me,
It does knot bring a tier;
My pay purrs awl due glad den
With wrapped words fare as hear.
To rite with care is quite a feet
Of witch won should be proud;
And wee mussed dew da best wee can
Sew flaws are knot aloud.
That's why eye brake in two averse
Cuz eye dew want too please.
Sow glad eye yam that aye did bye
This soft wear four pea seas.
angerball
Active Member
This is one that bugs me as well. I think it is down to the pronounciation of it. When people speak quickly, "I wouldn't have done so" sounds a lot like "I wouldn't of done so".
I misspelt 'definitely' for years. I'd always thought it was 'definately'. :blink: Was mighty surprised when I realised the correct spelling. :blink:
mechprincess35
New Member
Thanks, Libra6Poe!
It makes me glad to find people who are just as obstinate about spelling, punctuation, and grammar as I am.
This might have been addressed in a previous reply but, like other posters, I am a bit too lazy to through ten whole pages of them. My question is: does spelling matter in text messages? Are you the kind of person who would rather spell out everything than use an abbreviated form of the word? What if you're in a hurry?
It makes me glad to find people who are just as obstinate about spelling, punctuation, and grammar as I am.
This might have been addressed in a previous reply but, like other posters, I am a bit too lazy to through ten whole pages of them. My question is: does spelling matter in text messages? Are you the kind of person who would rather spell out everything than use an abbreviated form of the word? What if you're in a hurry?
tjaa
New Member
I think that spelling is important, especially in a book and literature forum.
That's why I'm trying to make as little mistakes as possible, though I'm no native speaker.
My only problem is that I really don't get the punctuation. It is so weird. In German we use so much commas and you hardly use any in English.
That's why I'm trying to make as little mistakes as possible, though I'm no native speaker.
My only problem is that I really don't get the punctuation. It is so weird. In German we use so much commas and you hardly use any in English.
Libra6Poe
New Member
text messages
You know, whether it's text messages or instant messages, I do like to spell out the whole word. Although, sometimes I leave out apostrophes because on my phone, it's a bitch to go to the symbols and select the punctuation I need. So "you're" is left "youre." I personally can't stand "ur." And if I'm in a hurry, it's ok because the "T9 word" things works really well on my phone.
That is a great question!
You know, whether it's text messages or instant messages, I do like to spell out the whole word. Although, sometimes I leave out apostrophes because on my phone, it's a bitch to go to the symbols and select the punctuation I need. So "you're" is left "youre." I personally can't stand "ur." And if I'm in a hurry, it's ok because the "T9 word" things works really well on my phone.
Actually, I've noticed the misuse of 'of' in print – it occurs at least a couple of times in F Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, for instance.
As to text speak – well, it had (or had) a point when text messages were charged by the letters used and screens were tiny. I personally find it easier to use proper words than textspeak, but what is really irritating is when some people use textspeak in environments such as forums, where there are no such restraints on the number of letters that they can use.
On crosswords – I have never been able to get my head around cryptic clues. I think that it's a different way of thinking – some people can do it, others cannot. I currently sub-edit a journal that has a monthly crossword, plus a quarterly magazine with three of them in. All are cryptic and all leave me totally bemused.
Oh, another irritant – 'really unique'. For a word such as 'unique', you don't need a qualifier. It's either unique – or it's not.
beer good
Well-Known Member
Yup. The same applies to people comparing "perfect." Nothing can be more or less perfect.
One of my pet peeves is the word "literally" used to mean "figuratively" or "metaphorically" - in other words, the exact opposite of "literally."
"My head literally exploded." No it didn't.
"Mugabe was literally buried alive in the election." No he wasn't.
"Peter Forsberg is literally on fire in tonight's hockey game." Wouldn't that tend to melt the ice?
Oh, alright then, go ahead.
Litany
Active Member
You need to be taught by someone who does them. There are certain clues that have set answers and you need to be able to spot key words or phrases and then know what the answers for them are. And they can vary by paper too. There are a couple of women at work who do the Torygraph puzzle and I can get the ones that they can't, but I can't do the ones that are based on prior knowledge of how the clues work.
I can't remember specifics, but if a certain word appears then it means there's a specific letter combination in the answer and stuff like that. They know all of them off by heart and fill them in by rote. I don't have the energy to memorise all that crap. It's a shame because the clues that stand up on their own and are just a weird way of asking the question are fun to work out.
Spelling and grammar misusage also irritates me. However, this is the internet and I think people have become too accustomed to texting on their cell phones that they have ignorantly acclimated this habit into their daily emails, posts, etc. So, to lower my stress level I have chosen to ignore it. Just like some of you have said, I too, can't help but think a little less of that person -- but again, it is the internet, so why let it bother you? What I really can't tolerate -on the internet and in the real world - are hypocrites. Not to be blatantly rude, but some of you are belittling general posters by insinuating that they are illiterate, when - in your said post - you, yourself, are making consistent misspellings and "typos". It's fine to throw out your dislikes and petpeeves in a forum, because that's what they are for, is it not? Yet, when your emphasizing on how much you can't stand something, but continue to do it yourself, I find that a bit hypocritical and arrogant. Just my two cents.
GonzoCeltic
New Member
I always try to use the best grammar when I write. When I see other people who appear to be intelligent, or that I know for a fact that they're intelligent, carelessly misspell words, I become irritated because I know they're slacking.
Same as when people type in complete lowercase letters for their whole posts. Man, just imagine how enthralling they would be to people if they were written correctly.
Same as when people type in complete lowercase letters for their whole posts. Man, just imagine how enthralling they would be to people if they were written correctly.