spell check

[Buckle-meister]

Most of it has been mentioned, so I wasn't going to chip-in, but I've seen the following quite a lot recently;

...could care less...

It's couldn't care less!!!

Regards

 

[racquetman]

I can't even look at that "To big" thread without cringing. It has been right there on the forum main page for a while now. Duffinator kindly pointed it out, but was yelled at for it. Seriously, is it that hard to understand the use of the word "to" and "too".

OK, someone hit me with a negative chicklet. I know it's coming . . . . . .

 

[Takeereasy]

Alandamp, you are to much. If people can't keep up with they're spelling and grammer then their just not trying very hard. The two above are my least favourite offences: to too, they're their. I myself am a pretty horrible speller but there are some things that get me riled a little.

 

[mulester7]

.....Gentlemen, some paid attention and tried to learn during their elementary and secondary educations, and some simply didn't....some had an opportunity for higher education, and some didn't....and some simply didn't have much of an opportunity for education at all....to read posts on this board and find words that are misspelled or misapplied, is something that is now happening, and is GOING to happen from here on, no matter what is said or pointed out....I say simply BE THANKFUL if you can do better, and don't come down too hard on those who fall short....there's plenty of people who didn't finish the third grade that are self-made millionaires.....

.....this site is set up to help those who have questions and need guidance along the lines of audio and video....as long as the post and the wording of is decipherable and makes sense no matter the grammatical errors, let us continue on to attempt to help and aid others with question answering....jest mi too cints.....

 

[racquetman]

.....Gentlemen, some paid attention and tried to learn during their elementary and secondary educations, and some simply didn't....some had an opportunity for higher education, and some didn't....and some simply didn't have much of an opportunity for education at all....to read posts on this board and find words that are misspelled or misapplied, is something that is now happening, and is GOING to happen from here on, no matter what is said or pointed out....I say simply BE THANKFUL if you can do better, and don't come down too hard on those who fall short....there's plenty of people who didn't finish the third grade that are self-made millionaires.....

.....this site is set up to help those who have questions and need guidance along the lines of audio and video....as long as the post and the wording of is decipherable and makes sense no matter the grammatical errors, let us continue on to attempt to help and aid others with question answering....jest mi too cints.....

It's never too late to better yourself!! All it takes is the huge effort of pressing the spell check button on the toolbar. Hell, someone might actually learn how to spell a word in the process. I don't think that's a bad thing.

I just have a hard time taking someone's opinion seriously when they have trouble with simple spelling and grammar. This is a technical forum, and if you don't know the difference between "to" and "too" then why should I trust you know anything about the difference between LCOS and LCD for example.

 

[mulester7]

It's never too late to better yourself!! All it takes is the huge effort of pressing the spell check button on the toolbar. Hell, someone might actually learn how to spell a word in the process. I don't think that's a bad thing.

I just have a hard time taking someone's opinion seriously when they have trouble with simple spelling and grammar. This is a technical forum, and if you don't know the difference between "to" and "too" then why should I trust you know anything about the difference between LCOS and LCD for example.

.....Alandamp, I can go along with this too, but there must be the DESIRE to better one's self....a reader who falls short on spelling and usage skills simply reading posts here, seeing mostly correct spelling and usages, SHOULD be brought to an awareness that mistakes are being made on their part....but, as I said, I will attempt to aid others no matter their errors, as long as their posting is decipherable....

 

[racquetman]

I will attempt to aid others no matter their errors, as long as their posting is decipherable....

I will do the same, but, as was said earlier, the state of education in this country is frustrating. I'm just complaining out loud. I realize nothing is going to change.

 

[j_garcia]

I will do the same, but, as was said earlier, the state of education in this country is frustrating. I'm just complaining out loud. I realize nothing is going to change.

That is, unless you are going to become an english professor.

I wouldn't ignore someone's question based on spelling or grammar, but I will occasionally point it out with the intent that someone learns from the information provided. Each person is responsible for their own education, or lack there of.

 

[mulester7]

I will do the same, but, as was said earlier, the state of education in this country is frustrating. I'm just complaining out loud. I realize nothing is going to change.

.....Alandamp, you're a good man for sure....I'm thankful for some education and I'm sure you are also....far too many good-hearted people didn't have much opportunity for structured learning/education, and still confidently maintain a smile throughout their day....there's a lesson to be learned there, imo.....

.....my Daddy finished high school WAY out in the country in a one-room school that contained grades 1-12, and about 20 students was the highest count at any one time through his 12 years there....the higher the grade you were in, the more you had to dig out learning on your own via homework as the younger students demanded more attention from the lone teacher, or so he told me....Daddy was especially strong in math which helped him conquer fractions to move into carpentry where one relies on being able to read tape measures....he never thought he was better than anyone, and I mean anyone....I treasure my heritage which some would call meager....oh well, am rambling now.....

 

[Buckle-meister]

Each person is responsible for their own education, or lack there of.

Hahahahahahahahaha!

Regards

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

Now, for a contrarian view (hey, that's one thing I'm good at): I think I'd get little argument from linguists when I point out that English orthography (the system of writing and spelling and its correspondance to speech) is far from logical. I mean, you've all seen the example of the "correct" way to spell "fish", right? For those who haven't:

ghoti = fish. "Gh", as is lauGHter, "o" as in wOmen, "ti" as in attenTIon.

More than many other languages, English spelling requires the ability to remember a lot of purely arbitrary rules, exceptions to the rules, and exceptions to the exceptions. There is even considerable evidence that spelling and reading are partly a function of recognizing the correct overall "shape" of the word on the printed or written page, and other pattern recognition abilities. Those abilities are not necessarily correlated to overall intelligence or even education, any more than the ability to (say) mentally manipulate 3-D shapes in one's mind, or to easily comprehend higher mathematics. I have good language abilities (and some others) but am a mathematical (and otherwise) idiot. Some brilliant scientists can't spell worth a rip. There are lots of dimensions to "intelligence" and education, and very few are good at all.

The emphasis on spelling and grammar as markers of intelligence are purely social constructs; prejudices, if you will.

For that matter, any editor will tell you that the manuscripts of even professional writers are often rife with spelling and grammatical errors.

Historically speaking, the whole concept of standardized, "correct" spelling (by the way, the UK and much of the English speaking world consider "standardised" the correct spelling) is quite recent - only since the widespread compliling and publishing of dictionaries in the 19th century. Before that, spelling was pretty much "made up", even by the most educated people as you can easily see by reading unedited quotes from letters, literature and such from the past.

And of course, the immediacy of posting on a forum like this militates against things like proofreading, editing. This is not like writing a book or term paper, after all.

But anyway; y'know my pet peeve? Misplaced apostrophes. Bug's the heck out of me!


So THEIR!

 

[Buckle-meister]

More than many other languages, English spelling requires the ability to remember a lot of purely arbitrary rules, exceptions to the rules, and exceptions to the exceptions.

That's because English is just a conglomerate of other folk's languages.

Regards.

 

[j_garcia]

Hahahahahahahahaha!

Regards

Or maybe thier off? thereuv?

I'd say English is definitely not a simple language (many seemingly arbitrary rules, spellings, pronunciations, etc...), and I've heard many say that if you've learned another language first, it's even tougher.

 

[MDS]

No doubt English is the most complex language; however, we are taught English every year for at least 12 years - that is if you actually made it through high school.

It's not like people are having difficulty remembering how to spell 'antidisestablishmentarianism'. It's the simple stuff like:

it's vs its
to, too, and unbelievably two
their, there, they're
lose vs loose
and on and on...it makes me crazy just thinking about all the little things that should have been fully learned before the end of 8th grade that sadly, people just can't get right. I don't even want to whine about simple grammar rules.

Note: I am NOT an English major. After 12 years of high school and 6 years of college, I would be absolutely ashamed of myself if I couldn't write or spell properly.

 

[j_garcia]

No doubt English is the most complex language; however, we are taught English every year for at least 12 years - that is if you actually made it through high school.

Yep. At the very least, the basics should be quite well understood by then.

Note: I am NOT an English major. After 12 years of high school and 6 years of college, I would be absolutely ashamed of myself if I couldn't write or spell properly.

If you can't write or spell reasonably well coming out of high school alone, something is already wrong. I had one boss who not only was not a good speller, he was also guilty of malapropisms - using the wrong word that sounds like the correct word for the situation, but which has a very different meaning. I would be embarrassed to send out an e-mail to a group of people and have it be incorrect on a very basic level.

 

[mulester7]

And of course, the immediacy of posting on a forum like this militates against things like proofreading, editing.[/b]

.....guys, I believe this is a major point....if most posts here were read through one time before clicking "SUBMIT REPLY", some words and wording would be corrected....I see posting here as a privilege, and I want what I have to say to be as legible and flowing as possible....I submit proofreading AT LEAST one time for FLOW needs to be implemented AFTER some method of spell-checking.....

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

One more thing: this is WAY better than arguing about whether amps sound alike!

And a big "ahem" to Buckle-meister: what's that apostrophe doing in "folks", laddie?

Of course, English is a second language to Scots....

(I guess if I visit the UK again I better stay out of Scotland! Buckle's already sharpening his Claymore over that sheep comment...)

 

[MDS]

I had one boss who not only was not a good speller, he was also guilty of malapropisms - using the wrong word that sounds like the correct word for the situation, but which has a very different meaning.

Would something like this be an example of a malapropism?

'As soon as my new subwoofer arrived, I got write to work setting it up'.

 

[Rip Van Woofer]

Would something like this be an example of a malapropism?

'As soon as my new subwoofer arrived, I got write to work setting it up'.

Not quite. That's a homonym substitution where two words that sound exactly the same but are spelled differently are confused. It only works on paper. "Comparisons are odorous" (where the speaker meant "odious") is an example of a malapropism. Or "the Pope is inflammable" instead of "infallible". See? The words sound similar but not exactly the same.

(Quick: what play and TV show were the above taken from?)

There was a professor at either Cambridge or Oxford in Victorian times who was famous for his malapropisms, and his name (which I have forgotten) has become synonymous with them, or at least a certain type of malapropism. (A good malapropism there would be "...anonymous with them"). He tended to confuse beginning sounds of words so "the dear old Queen" became "the queer old dean" and so on.

No, I wasn't an English major. As W.C. Fields might put it, I am merely a veritable ambulatory compendium of extraneous information.

 

[MDS]

Thanks, Rip. Another useful fact to add to my own compendium of extraneous information.