Attacking a person's spelling and grammar?

[honerken]

Am I the only one who's tired of this?  A typical scenario includes Person #1 not having a come back for person #2's opinion, so #1 resort to bashing the other person's grammar.

[Storm Clarence]

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honerken wrote:

Am I the only one who's tired of this?  A typical scenario includes Person #1 not having a come back for person #2's opinion, so #1 resort to bashing the other person's grammar.

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MORAL: Use proper and correct grammar.  You will not only be more understood, you will disarm your opponent.  

[Demonsthenes]

I agree, honerken. It is petty and trifling, especially in an environment that is supposed to be helpful and welcoming to any and all Residents. 

[Storm Clarence]

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Demonsthenes wrote:

I agree, honerken. It is petty and trifling, especially

in an environment that is supposed to be helpful and welcoming

to any and all Residents. 

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Incorrect grammar and spelling in non-verbal media is lazy and inconsiderate.  Especially given the number and quality of tools available before one depresses the 'post' button.  

Imo, correcting poor grammar and spelling *IS* helpful.    

Please point to me where a new resident posting to this forum is admonished for poor grammar or is not welcomed?  This forum welcomes everyone. 

 

[Kelli May]

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honerken wrote:

Am I the only one who's tired of this?  A typical scenario includes Person #1 not having a

come back

for person #2's opinion, so #1

resort

to bashing the other person's grammar.

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I think you meant to write 'comeback' and 'resorts'.

Just joking. There is a point where poor grammar (not to mention spelling and punctuation) are so bad that the message is unreadable. A couple of typos or minor mistakes are hardly a problem; after all, we're only human. You might, of course, have put them there on purpose to provoke a response.

I usually don't make the effort to quibble about minor points like that. If someone's English is so poor that I find their post hard to read, I usually ignore it. The moment you challenge someone on it, you leave yourself wide open for the same attack in return. 

[Vladi Hazelnut]

Correcting spelling is generally considered bad form in most forums. And if you constantly do it you will not be very popular. Not everyone is great at typing or spelling or grammar. In the internet you get people from all walks of life. And for some English may not even be their first language.

I might poke fun of someone's spelling or grammar if their post is of mean nature or they are correcting someone else and they themselves have made mistakes. I feel it is only fair lol. But normally if I get the gist of what they are trying to say I don't bother.

Sometimes I will suggest to someone to break up their posts a bit so its easier read though. Very long posts without breaks are hard to read sometimes.

[Storm Clarence]

Vladi, I understand your point.  Many posts are 'overlooked' for grammar and spelling inconsistancies, especially the posts of ESL'ers. 

But I have to ask why did you not spell-check your post?  Your post has many misspellings - a simple click on spell-check would correct immediately; damn, it even suggests a spelling.  It is laziness.  

And yes, everyone types errors sometimes.  I have been corrected on this forum many times.  I learned.

[Ian Undercroft]

Making due and proper allowance for those who don't have English as their first language, you're kidding yourself if you're suggesting that a person's grammar and spelling doesn't, as a general rule, also say a lot about their intelliegence.

[Dogboat Taurog]

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Ian Undercroft wrote:

Making due and proper allowance for those who don't have English as their first language, you're kidding yourself if you're suggesting that a person's grammar and spelling doesn't, as a general rule, also say a lot about their intelliegence.

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its snobbery, provided the message is clear, mistakes dont matter,  its time consuming to correct and more time consuming to seize on it.

so nobody wins and they lose a tiny part of their lifetime.

it's a forum not an examination.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Ian Undercroft wrote:

Making due and proper allowance for those who don't have English as their first language, you're kidding yourself if you're suggesting that a person's grammar and spelling doesn't, as a general rule, also say a lot about their intelliegence.

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Ian, what grammar says about one's intelligence depends on context.

What criticism of grammar says about one's intelligence depends on context.

But... is this only about intelligence?

[Ian Undercroft]

I've never corrected grammar or spelling here (at least I don't recall doing so). If spelling and grammar doesn't matter to someone, why would they be bothered if someone was to criticise or pass comment on their bad spelling or grammar? Those who are sensitive to whatever response their posting might draw should perhaps think twice before posting in the first place.

[Storm Clarence]

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Dogboat Taurog wrote:

it's a forum not an examination.

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It's a language - the most fundamental tool available for people to communicate thoughts, opinions, and emotions.  Why be misunderstood when the tools are at your fingertips to enable the clear expression of what you seek to communicate?

I have a foolish question for you Dogboat, have you ever felt that any of your posts on this forum have been misunderstood by some?  

[Ian Undercroft]

A question that has always fascinated me in SL: Why is it that those who cannot spell the word "definitely" use it most frequently?

[Dogboat Taurog]

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Storm Clarence wrote:

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Dogboat Taurog wrote:

it's a forum not an examination.

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It's a language - the most fundamental tool available for people to communicate thoughts, opinions, and emotions.  Why be misunderstood when the tools are at your fingertips to enable the clear expression of what you seek to communicate?

I have a foolish question for you Dogboat, have you ever felt that any of your posts on this forum have been misunderstood by some?  

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im pretty sure everyone from steven hawking to einstien to abrham lincoln  have made spelling mistakes at least once in their lives, and yes i spelt all of their names wrongly but you still know who i am talking about dont you?

ETA, i think my posts are quite often misunderstood but they are misunderstood intentionally because i am non PC and honest.

OMG... he said what most of us think but are too afraid to say it etc.

 

 

 

 

[jennylongview Innovia]

Spill Chick

[Ian Undercroft]

I did suitably qualify my comment, Ima, to cover your "not always" situation!

[Celestiall Nightfire]

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Ian Undercroft wrote:

A question that has always fascinated me in SL: Why is that those who cannot spell the word "definitely" use it most frequently?

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Good one Ian! 

I defantelay...err..definately...hmm...definatley...arrgh!   

I, for sure, don't know. 

[Storm Clarence]

Dogboat Taurog wrote:

...i spelt all of their names wrongly but you still know who i am talking about dont you?

Yes, this time.  

[Angelique LaFollette]

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Ian Undercroft wrote:

Making due and proper allowance for those who don't have English as their first language, >>

you're kidding yourself if you're suggesting that a person's grammar and spelling doesn't, as a general rule, also say a lot about their intelliegence.<<

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I might accept this as a trueism were it not far more common for the person LOSING the debate (Despite proper grammar and spelling) to critisize the presentation of the one who is giving them a logical lambasting.

IRL these would be the same sort of person who would resort to mocking a persons accent or pronunciation rather than address a point or points for which they have no supportable answer. It's a cheap and unworthy form of obfuscation, and one i tend to ignore.

As for those of you like myself (Self educated, dyslexic, AND Not originally of English speaking origins) Don't let people who do this intimidate you into silence (For that is indeed their Intent). Even if your form isn't perfect, you still have something of value to contribute.

 

Angel.

[Ima Rang]

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Ian Undercroft wrote:

I did suitably qualify my comment, Ima, to cover your "not always" situation!

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Indeed you did, Sir.  :smileyvery-happy:

 

[Dogboat Taurog]

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Storm Clarence wrote:

Dogboat Taurog wrote:

...i spelt all of their names wrongly but you still know who i am talking about dont you?

Yes, this time.  

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then its good enough.

[Void Singer]

if it's your only argument, unacceptable*

used to highlight or demonstrate a point with a counter argument, acceptable in moderation:
ex. #A claims to be an expert on topic X but consistently misspells or misapplies topic terms.

used humorously, always acceptable.
ex. #A rants about topic X but the words or grammar used mean the opposite of what they meant

 

*only applies as a argument... correction != disagreement

[Qwalyphi Korpov]

The resident who provided the previous content, if any, has replaced it with this generic statement.

[Madelaine McMasters]

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Qwalyphi Korpov wrote:

I often find it distressing that the lithium spell check fails to understand my intentional misspellings and refuses to understand that LL is perfectly OK as is.  Stop attacking me lithium spell check.

Offering spelling and grammar suggestions can be a

kindness

- for instance if there are language translation issues. 

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There we go! It's the intent!

[Ariel Vuissent]

Failing to use proper grammar and spelling does tend to make people seem less intelligent. Therefore, the opinion of someone who does not use proper grammar and spelling may be less respected than the opinion of someone who does use proper grammar and spelling. There is a difference between a typo (of which I have made several while typing this, but quickly correctly those I spotted) and truly poor spelling and grammar. Just because I understand what someone is saying doesn't mean I wouldn't prefer to see the same thing written correctly - and I would probably take the opinion more seriously.

I never make fun of people for poor spelling. I might, however, point out to someone that their opinion is of little to no value to me because it is garbled and poorly written. After one or two exchanges with someone's whose grammar and spelling are poor and who refuses to even consider another point of view, I don't blame people for finally saying "Your grammar and spelling suck, and I don't respect what you're saying, so I'm done talking to you." 

Naturally, it's important to consider that the person typing may not be a native English speaker, though.