proper spelling/grammar in forums

Linda - posted on 07/01/2010

I truly appreciate proper grammar and spelling. And I think the world is seriously dumb-ing down it's standards. I can handle the typos from fast moving fingers, but knowing or not knowing how the words should be spelled is usually obvious even through that. But sometimes on blogs and chatting you need to follow up with some slang terms to get your emotions through. Maybe you typed something a little harsh, but jokingly, so you follow it with a :) or an lol. Just to get the point across. The internet is certainly a different caliber of writing than what should be allowed in the world of academia.

After my girlfriend moved across the country, we chatted, but it was difficult to get our personalities to come through at first. Simply because we were so used to being in the same room to speak. I am ashamed to admit that when I wrote an actual snail mail letter this week, I added lols in it!!! Ack!

The only place I can personally allow txtspk is in text messages. And that's ONLY because there are a limited amount of characters and they charge me per text. Sometimes there's just too much to put into one text message! I will go through a text and edit it to fit more if needed.

I guess the world is moving too fast to re-read your written thoughts anymore. Or care if it even makes sense. The children on these "permanent txtspkrs" will hopefully retaliate during their teen years by learning the most proper writing and speaking possible so their parents can't understand. Ha!

Jodi - posted on 06/30/2010

LOL Dana, I never realised that till was also correct until I looked it up in my dictionary earlier. I was always taught 'til. Possibly it was because that was the version my English teacher in school preferred!

Chatty - posted on 06/30/2010

Both till or 'til is fine.....sorry, I didn't mean to say one wasn't....I use 'til all the time so I just looked up the other one because I was curious and was surprised when I found it in the dictionary!

As for fortnight.....not in Canada.....I'd honestly never heard it until I was speaking to a friend on here who lives in the UK.....I've also heard some Aussie's use it too!

Tanya - posted on 06/30/2010

Oh i do miss some words too. I started reading Edgar Allen Poe in middle school and when I went around saying things like " vex", "enthrall"," chamber", and so on people made fun of me. I do love betwixt my dad used to say that all the time.

Jodi - posted on 06/29/2010

Fortnight? Really? I use that ALL the time.

Jodi - posted on 06/29/2010

Maybe the 'til is the way I was taught back in the late 70s, 80s, because the definition I have here is that the term till is the informal version of 'til, and it can be spelled both ways.

Chatty - posted on 06/29/2010

Or "fortnight"?......I never knew what that was so I finally looked it up! God, I love google! *winks*

Chatty - posted on 06/29/2010

Oh, haha! It's British for "while".....silly wabbit!

Chatty - posted on 06/29/2010

I see some people type "whilst"....? I don't understand.....forgive my ignorance?!!!

Krista - posted on 06/29/2010

Using "'til" is more of a poetic usage than a grammatically proper one.

There are some words that just aren't even used anymore that I sort of mourn. "Betwixt" "erstwhile" "forsooth"....I've used a couple of those in casual conversation, just to try to get people to use them.

However, I tend to just get funny looks.

Chatty - posted on 06/29/2010

till    /tɪl/ Show Spelled[til] Show IPA
–preposition
1. up to the time of; until: to fight till death.

Joanna - posted on 06/28/2010

Sometimes the "smartest" people aren't really that smart, lol.

Till sounds like what you do to your yard, or where the money goes when you pay for something at the store.

I have to admit, I say til sometimes too, with no apostrophe. Heck, Firefox didn't even underline it in red, so it can't be THAT wrong, right?

Teresa - posted on 06/28/2010

Hmm.... well, I don't use the '... A braniac lady who had been an English major is the one that told me about the 'till'.... more hmmm.... ;)

Jodi - posted on 06/28/2010

LOL Teresa, the proper spelling is acutally 'til ;) The apostrophe represents the missing *un*.

Teresa - posted on 06/28/2010

Oh, and til instead of until even though I've read that the proper spelling of it is till.... I just don't like it as much.

Teresa - posted on 06/28/2010

I am one that tries to use proper spelling and punctuation and will usually go back and edit my post if I notice a mistake later...

I do use cuz instead of because a lot and w/ instead of with. I do grammatical errors like ending sentences w/ a preposition and stuff, but... so what? ;) gqtm...... Oh yeah, I use stuff like that too. :)

Shalah - posted on 06/28/2010

Yes, it is bothersome. I know I don't spell everything right, and tend to be a little casual, but I can't even understand some people the way they use emotes instead of language. I suppose some people are really that bad at spelling and grammar, so I try not to let it bother me. But it would be nice if all the people who can use proper english would.

Chatty - posted on 06/28/2010

That's awesome, Tanya....I use that word all the time but I didn't think it was actually a word! haha...

Tanya - posted on 06/28/2010

ginormous


Main Entry: gi·nor·mous
Pronunciation: \jī-ˈnȯr-məs\
Function: adjective
Etymology: gigantic + enormous
Date: circa 1948
: extremely large : humongous

Ginormous was added two years ago.

Jodi - posted on 06/28/2010

Really? It's in the dictionary? Oh, ok, "poor style", there you go, proves our point ;)

Joanna - posted on 06/28/2010

I never realized so many people say Irregardless.... Then I was pinning fabric in the living room and my husband had on Band of Brothers, and one of the guys said it. I was thinking NO WAY!! They are even using it on TV.

Pamela - posted on 06/28/2010

My dictionary states this about the word (as it is a real word):

Irregardless: Nonstandard. regardless [IR-(probably after irrespective) + regardless]. Usage: Irregardless is considered nonstandard because it is redundant: once the negative idea is expressed by the -less ending. It is poor style to add the negative ir - prefix to express the same idea. Nonetheless (or irregardless - haha), it is occasionally used by some speakers, perhaps in an attempt to achieve greater emphasis.

Pamela - posted on 06/28/2010

Well, irregardless of what you all say...nah, just kidding:oD

Jodi - posted on 06/27/2010

Tanya, I have seen it more than once, and it drives me nuts. But then, I frequent the Welcome Page......

Where does it come from? Probably words like irrespective....who knows? Maybe people think that because it is a long word it makes them sound intelligent?

Chatty - posted on 06/27/2010

Haha! I had a friend in highschool who ALWAYS said it.....I would correct her but she'd just look at me like I had three heads. I don't think she believed me?! lmao....I should look her up now and see if I can get her to say it!

Tanya - posted on 06/27/2010

They are trying to say regardless. I am not sure where it comes from but I hate it. I think I have only seen it once.

Shannen - posted on 06/26/2010

Huh? "irregardless" what does it mean?

Chatty - posted on 06/26/2010

Exactly, Jodi! Can someone explain where that word came from and why people are so confused?

Jodi - posted on 06/26/2010

@ Tanya, I hate that too. It's not even a word!

Chatty - posted on 06/26/2010

I have never understood why people say that? I've never seen anyone type it either...that's awesome!

Tanya - posted on 06/26/2010

Oh one more thing I hate irregardless. Stop that

Pamela - posted on 06/26/2010

Grammar and proper spelling is a good thing. I hate having to decipher what someone is saying - which means I probably won't read a post that is full of slang I don't understand. Text typing makes me crazy.

Shannen - posted on 06/25/2010

I was Really bad at english when i started High school. Like aweful, i could read and spell ok but my grammar was rubbish and i never understood all the nouns and pronouns and things like that until around yr 10 when they started teaching shakespear. I then self taught myself all of that so i could understand and do well in english. I then went on to do Advanced english in yr 12 and pass with flying colours.

They need to really look at how children spell and use grammar in schools in general. Not just in the classroom but also the way they talk to their teachers and other students.

Jodi - posted on 06/25/2010

Actually Jackie, "should've" is a shortened version of "should have" anyway, so same thing. I am a "should have" person :)

I am going to have to look up this Ebonics thing.....

The whole "dumbing down" to cater for the kids that don't get it is the same as no-one getting any awards more than anyone else, and just getting awards for participation. Let's not make any kids feel they are doing any worse than anyone else, then let's unleash them on the real world when they are 18. Then we expect them to cope with that.

Pretty screwed up if you ask me.

How do these kids even get to HIGH SCHOOL with the level of spelling and grammar they have?

Jackie - posted on 06/24/2010

Correction:
Do you remember some of the school systems in CA trying to implement "Ebonics" in a class room setting??

Jackie - posted on 06/24/2010

should of should be should've.

Do you remember some of the school systems in CA trying to implement "Ebonics" in a class room setting. There's even an Ebonics dictionary. Now that's dumbing it down if I've ever heard it! It's just as bad as the "nobody left behind" that they have implemented.

Hey, I have an idea! Let's lower the learning standards for everybody so that the dumb kids or the kids that don't apply themselves can keep up. NOW THAT'S A GREAT F**CKING IDEA!

Jodi - posted on 06/23/2010

Or 'should of' for 'should have' :)

Joanna - posted on 06/23/2010

I always hate when people put ARE instead of OUR. They even sound different when you say them.

Tanya - posted on 06/23/2010

hu = who

~Jennifer - posted on 06/23/2010

My motto is : "I mentally correct your grammar while you are speaking"

......so we know where I stand on this topic.

;)

Chatty - posted on 06/23/2010

Where, were and we're......the list goes on! If someone's not careful it can drastically change the meaning of their comment! To, too and two is another one that seriously bugs me!

Since this post I'm much more aware of the things that I do.....I'll type " I'ma go to the doctor today" instead of " I'm going to go to the doctor today " OR " I gotta go" instead of " I have to go..."

Are those things irritating to other people? I've never really realized that I do it SO often......" I'ma pay more attention to it! "

Jackie - posted on 06/23/2010

Run on sentences bug the hell out of me!! I'm like WHAT the hell did you just say? Gah!

I admit I'm a pretty good speller for the most part but I'm not great with grammer, though I do try. I often put commas in the wrong places and after I read it back to myself it doesn't make sense. Spelling errors don't bother me though because you can usually figure out what they're trying to say.

The misuse of there, their, and they're kinda bugs me a little, though. I don't know why. Just does.

Patricia - posted on 06/23/2010

I usually correct those that spell wrong. I find that teenagers usually use what they think is short hand in text form, but I find that by doing so, they really can't spell because of it.

Jodi - posted on 06/23/2010

LOL Carol, it actually took me a while to figure it out. I ended up reading it out aloud to try and get it, and I *think* that's what it is. Maybe the fact I can decipher this shit is a really bad sign.......

Johnny - posted on 06/22/2010

Perhaps they should start a language tutoring community on here....

enyiears=any ideas...wow, Jodi, I could not have figured that out. But I guess that is why you are a Welcome page moderator and I'm not. They've got mad skillz ;-P

Joanna - posted on 06/22/2010

enyiears?!?! WTH.

Tanya - posted on 06/22/2010

Yeah I saw another one with some very random periods.

Jodi - posted on 06/22/2010

Oh, dear God, classic example (excerpt):
"couse his only 3 and been though so much i dnt know how to talk to him and copfet him enyiears?"

It took me a while, but I think I deciphered it:
"Because he is only 3 and been through so much I didn't know how to talk to him and comfort him. Any ideas?"

My head hurts. That was only a small portion of the post......

Jodi - posted on 06/22/2010

I only read those threads on the welcome page to make sure people aren't getting nasty at each other, but I tend to try and avoid them because some people just get way too opinionated and righteous to be honest (on both sides), and the debates over there are never true debates, just a bunch of people bitching at each other. I've never paid much attention to the way the posts are written, LOL.

Tanya - posted on 06/22/2010

Well I don't mean everyone. Its just that in this thread I did notice. I went back and read the post and was pretty surprised. I do have to say a few of the spanking mom's posts weren't that bad.