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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 10:44:17 AM

Lockit

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I am guilty of that 'could care less' rather than couldn't. I learned the correct way from some chicky pooh named Stacy when she stalked the boards. I'm easy like that... I will take the lesson wherever it may come from if it is correct.

My greatest goal in life was to get an education. I wasn't learning disabled, but I was ill and going to school wasn't something I was able to do no matter how hard I tried to do it. I started out teaching myself to read because I wanted to know what mom had on her Christmas list and what I was getting. Within a short time she realized she had to use cursive and then I learned that too. I read a Dr Suess book a day to help myself get better and decided all this in kindergarden. I taught myself most everything I know by reading. Because even when sick and in bed all the time, I had books I could learn from.

But since the English language is so difficult and I got that from professionals saying we have totally made a mess of it all... I could never get the why of every rule and exception to the rules and when you are reading a dictionary for fun and learning, you don't always hear something and can't always understand how to spell.

If someone can make their thoughts clear... then I think they have done well. If they try, then all is good. Sometimes we bash people before we know what struggles they faced in getting to where they are. That is helpful. Not everyone grew up the same and not everyone had the same advantages. I remember my parents helping me with math one time. Forget any other helps, they just couldn't do it. Add a learning disablity or some other thing and we ought to be real proud of considering it all before we bash someone for being less than educated and proper.

Many writer's need an editor... even the professionals get it wrong sometimes.

Lighten up... it isn't like any of this is life and death to those who are educated. To those who are not, it might pose for some problems, but I doubt it leads to something like death.

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 11:32:01 AM

MistressWolfen

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quote:

ORIGINAL: slavekal

Really? I grabbed one at random...this one...
[A lot of it is just laziness too. When I wanted to respond to the guy from Norway, I realized that I wasn't sure how to spell NORWEGIAN. So you know what I did? I looked it up. It's kind of easy to do when you are already on the friggin' internet. Good spelling does not make one effete or an elitist. It just means that they give half a crap.]

What grammatical error did you find there? Or here...?

[It's not good news, for sure. But if it's true, it's true. On a positive note, a couple of teachers of retarded kids (we call it cognitively impaired around here), teach their classes very well. Kids learn multiplication, how to tell time, how to read, and how to write. Their skills are way stronger than a lot of the "normal" kids out there. ]

Your statement is simply not true.

Good gravy a request for marking before I have consumed my caffeine quota; just a few quick notes for your consideration. I never mark papers before lunch *lol*

Eight common grammatical errors in eleven sentences
Punctuation; comma use, semicolon use
Use of a conjunction to start a sentence, although not incorrect in common usage would be unacceptable in technical, business or academic writing.
Clarity of identifiers
Consistency in dependant clauses
Bracket use with nonessential clauses
Misuse of quotation marks
Furthermore, although consistent style is not a grammatical issue it does support clarity in written communication. The mix of simple and complex sentences does not lend itself to ease of comprehension. This is a writing habit I would instruct a student to correct for awkwardness and to support their reader.
OP I note you are a professional writer and realise that none of us take the time on posting that we would in our professional delivery. However, I made this point not to personally attack your writing, but to illustrate that we all slip into sloppy habits at times. None of us is perfect, and certainly not this old bird!
**edited for a grammatical error**

< Message edited by MistressWolfen -- 7/19/2009 11:34:24 AM >

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 11:33:16 AM

ThatDaveGuy69

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quote:

ORIGINAL: slavekal

Really? I grabbed one at random...this one...
[A lot of it is just laziness too. When I wanted to respond to the guy from Norway, I realized that I wasn't sure how to spell NORWEGIAN. So you know what I did? I looked it up. It's kind of easy to do when you are already on the friggin' internet. Good spelling does not make one effete or an elitist. It just means that they give half a crap.]

What grammatical error did you find there? Or here...?

I just HAD to jump on this one!
The very 1st statement: "A lot of it is just laziness too.", should, in fact, have a comma (,) after laziness, ie: "A lot of it is just laziness, too.".

Sorry, man - I just couldn't resist :D

I can actually defend "could care less" but it requires a modifying statement afterward:
Correct usage: I couldn't care less about his grammar.
Incorrect usage: I could care less about his grammar.

My defended version: I could care less about his grammar, if I tried.
Emphasis needs to be placed on the word "could". But then again, this usage requires effort.

I had a teacher in high school who was a bit anal-retentive about the word "thing". She would not allow the word in any papers we turned in. Being the natual-born smart-ass I am, I looked for ways to force the word into a sentence, making sure that no other word would do. It probably took more effort than simply finding a better word, but sometimes ya just gotta say WTF.

Other usage annoyances:
When a reporter uses "hurt" instead of "injured". All too often a story will read "... 5 people were hurt when the train..." I'll bet a lot more than 5 people were hurt. I'm sure everyone involved in the story was hurt in some way. But only 5 people were actually injuered, and that's the fact that is being reported. I know, I know: the news has been dumbed-down to a 1st-grade level. Been like that for years. Doesn't mean I have to like it. Thare are a couple of others, but my brain hurts and I can't think of them at the moment.

On a bit of a tangent, I get irritated when a person pronounces the "t" in the word "often". The impression it leaves me with is that the speaker somehow thinks he is being more sophisticated when in fact he sounds a bit daft. The only time I ever heard the "t" when I was a young'en was in the rarely-used "oft-times", a cheesey contraction of "often times". Sadly, this pronounciation is becoming mainstream. Even those nice people at MW had to admit that the no-longer-silent "t" is gaining legitimacy simply through usage. Bummer.

In the immortal words of both Dave Edmunds and Linda Ellerby: And so it goes...

~Dave

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 11:38:08 AM

slavekal

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quote:

ORIGINAL: MistressWolfen

quote:

ORIGINAL: slavekal

Really? I grabbed one at random...this one...
[A lot of it is just laziness too. When I wanted to respond to the guy from Norway, I realized that I wasn't sure how to spell NORWEGIAN. So you know what I did? I looked it up. It's kind of easy to do when you are already on the friggin' internet. Good spelling does not make one effete or an elitist. It just means that they give half a crap.]

What grammatical error did you find there? Or here...?

[It's not good news, for sure. But if it's true, it's true. On a positive note, a couple of teachers of retarded kids (we call it cognitively impaired around here), teach their classes very well. Kids learn multiplication, how to tell time, how to read, and how to write. Their skills are way stronger than a lot of the "normal" kids out there. ]

Your statement is simply not true.

Good gravy a request for marking before I have consumed my caffeine quota; just a few quick notes for your consideration. I never mark papers before lunch *lol*

Eight common grammatical errors in eleven sentences
Punctuation; comma use, semicolon use
Use of a conjunction to start a sentence, although not incorrect in common usage would be unacceptable in technical, business or academic writing.
Clarity of identifiers
Consistency in dependant clauses
Bracket use with nonessential clauses
Misuse of quotation marks
Furthermore, although consistent style is not a grammatical issue it does support clarity in written communication. The mix of simple and complex sentences does not lend itself to ease of comprehension. This is a writing habit I would instruct a student to correct for awkwardness and to support their reader.
OP I note you are a professional writer and realise that none of us take the time on posting that we would in our professional delivery. However, I made this point not to personally attack your writing, but to illustrate that we all slip into sloppy habits at times. None of us is perfect, and certainly not this old bird!
**edited for a grammatical error**

The brackets were just for visual ease. Mix of simple and complex sentences is not an error. Irrelevant. When I was a kid, they taught us to never start a sentence with a conjunction. Since those days, in casual writing, it has become acceptable. You did not point out one specific error. You just rattled off a list of possible ones.

Daveguy...you got me! I did omit a comma!

< Message edited by slavekal -- 7/19/2009 11:39:52 AM >

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 11:49:57 AM

MistressWolfen

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Of course I did not point out a specific error, nor do I with my students. The work and learning process is for them, and in this case you. Further, you did not request I correct your mistakes; you asked if there were mistakes. There are grammatical errors in the sample you forwarded and I have listed them for your edification. What you do with that information is your business. Again, this is not personal nor will I permit you to make it so. I wish you all the best in your life journey and with your writing career.
With care,
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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 11:52:31 AM

slavekal

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I think you are wrong. I will admit, though, that you are a very good writer.

< Message edited by slavekal -- 7/19/2009 11:58:31 AM >

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 12:29:51 PM

MistressWolfen

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Thank you slavekal, it is amazing what comes with age

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/19/2009 6:05:29 PM

autoRelease

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quote:

ORIGINAL: ThatDaveGuy69
Sadly, in a text-only medium such as this, spelling, grammar, and punctuation do have an impact. If we were to have this conversation verbally, the difference between "no" and "know" disappears. But when someone writes "I'll bet you didn't no that..." I stop reading and move on to the next post. Does that make me a "grammar snob"? Maybe. Do I care? Hardly. I'm the "victim" of a public education and yet I somehow still know the difference between "their" and "there".

I use an older version of Dragon NaturallySpeaking and it makes mistakes with sound-alike words all the time. I have to carefully review everything I write - Which I think actually helps me keep my language skills up.

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/20/2009 8:06:18 AM

CallaFirestormBW

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quote:

When I was a kid,

Just as an off remark, my mother used to give me a particularly vile look when I came out with this type of phrase, and would respond with... "Kid? Were you born of a -goat-? I gave birth to children, and may even admit to having had 'offspring', but I did not give birth to any 'kids'!"

DC

< Message edited by CallaFirestormBW -- 7/20/2009 8:08:10 AM >

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/20/2009 11:40:29 AM

slavekal

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I knew some folks who used to say that too. But.....

kid

–noun
1.
Informal. a child or young person.

< Message edited by slavekal -- 7/20/2009 11:52:16 AM >

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/20/2009 2:02:42 PM

sirsholly

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quote:

ORIGINAL: CallaFirestormBW

quote:

When I was a kid,

Just as an off remark, my mother used to give me a particularly vile look when I came out with this type of phrase, and would respond with... "Kid? Were you born of a -goat-? I gave birth to children, and may even admit to having had 'offspring', but I did not give birth to any 'kids'!"

DC

LOL...i used to catch hell from my dad if i ever addressed him starting with "Hey".

I can still here him..."Do i LOOK like a horse to you?"

One day i was pissed off and told him just which end he reminded me of. He laughed till he couldn't breath.

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RE: Spelling/Grammar (again?) - 7/20/2009 6:23:50 PM

MistressWolfen

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*lol* that was one of my Mom's pet peeves as well

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