Poor spelling

[muses_nightmare]

This more specifically pertains to teenagers and younger who simply do not bother to spell anything properly. A typo now and then sure, but to not be able to write out the most basic sentence, it boggles my mind. My step-sister is especially bad for this, her facebook statuses make me cringe every time (and sometimes not just for the spelling!). She constantly spells Know as no, and sense as sence, and any number of other random misspellings and netslang.

Her misspellings are not even the part that bothers me the most, it’s the fact that it seems like no kid can spell anymore. They don’t even try it seems, and it’s really sad. Being even moderately intelligent seems to be going out of fashion, less and less kids seem to be reading actual books (after all what else can account for the popularity of the glorified fanfic that is Twilight). I’m sorry, maybe I was a nerd in school, but by grade 4 I was reading White Fang and The Call of the Wild, my favorite book at that time was The North Runner by R D Lawrence (I read and reread that book for the 4 years I was in elementary school), I don’t consider myself any type of super intelligent person, I just find it sad that my fourth grade reading skills were better than a lot of 10th graders now, and I’m only 22. :(

It’s just been aggravating me lately because my step-sister’s and a couple other younger peoples’ status updates have just gotten worse and worse. Hell there are people I went to school with and are the same age as me who just don’t try. I hate deciphering these things. Yahoo answers is also bad for this, there was one question I read recently that I could not understand, at all, I even sent it to a friend, and she had no idea either. Whatever happened to spelling lists?


(as a disclaimer, if you see any of these: É è in my posts, it’s because my keyboard is screwed up when I try to type apostrophes and question marks and a couple other punctuation marks.)

[McDreidel09]

Oh sugar, I know what you mean. I'm only 18 and I was in the same boat as you when I was little. I have a few people on my fb, whose statuses are just atrocious. The word 'lose' is becoming misspelled more and more. People write it as 'loose'. My senior year,one girl had a shirt she made and she spelled 'lose' as 'loose'. It was very embarrassing to say the least.

It is pure laziness. It takes a few seconds to run a spell checker or have someone else proofread it. When I become an English teacher, the kids are not going to like me because I will be very critical of spelling and punctuation.

[KellyHabersham]

Unfortunately, my daughter seems to be one of those people......there's been quite a few times when she's sent me a text message which I couldn't understand because her spelling was so bad.

And on a less personal level, it's happened before that I've been chatting with someone online, and had them get very irate with me for asking if they had a learning disability or if English was their first language. (this being when that person's spelling made it difficult to understand what they were typing.)

[HYHYBT]

Eye dun no cuz i kant spel neethir :)

Drive me up the wall (and across the ceiling and back down the other side).

But there is something related that also irks me, though it's punctuation rather than spelling: When I was in school, we were taught that lists containing more than two items and joined by a single conjunction got a comma after each noun, including the one before the conjunction(as in 'mustard, ketchup, onions, and pickles.') Now you almost always see it without the last comma (mustard, ketchup, onions and pickles,) which, besides being contrary to how I was taught, seems wrong logically because it leaves the last two tied together in a way the rest of the list isn't. Is this a change in the correct use of commas, or was I taught wrong, or do people nowadays just hate wasting that extra keystroke or something?

[Greenday]

Is this a change in the correct use of commas, or was I taught wrong, or do people nowadays just hate wasting that extra keystroke or something?

It's a change in the correct usage of commas. We were taught that it is now acceptable to either use it or leave it out.

But besides spelling errors, the things that piss me off the most is when people TYPE LIKE THIS FOR THEIR ENTIRE POSTS or when people TyPe LiKe ThIs BeCaUsE iT sOmEhOw MaKeS iT cOoL. First off, that's even harder to read than caps lock. Second, that takes forever to do. Why do it?

[BlaqueKatt]

Is this a change in the correct use of commas, or was I taught wrong

there is no "correct use" just general guidelines that change o'er time ;)

Nice article here (http://grammar.about.com/od/punctuationandmechanics/a/punctrules.htm) about it. Goes into the history, most people couldn't read and were read to, so punctuation was simply used as "breathing breaks"

[Lace Neil Singer]

Not just spelling, but the following also irk me:

1. Grammar; not just Grandad's wife. I've seen so many people posting on forums and not using capitals, full stops or commas.

2. Holy run on sentence, Batman! This is particularly irritating, when a person just posts a sentence that goes on and on and on and on and on... O_o

3. Stealing the Great Wall Of China. Paragraphs are your friend.

4. "Witch" for "Which"; "There" for "Their"; "Ma/Mah" for "My"; "Your" for "You're"; "It's" for "Its"; "Wit" for "With"; "Jus" for "Just"; "Im" for "I'm".

I'm not really a nitpick, honest. Just that so many people do this, and it just makes their posts unreadable. Also, if I'm reading a post by someone who's posting in this manner, it doesn't make me want to read any further; also, it makes me assume that the person is an imbecile.

[muses_nightmare]

1. Grammar; not just Grandad's wife. I've seen so many people posting on forums and not using capitals, full stops or commas.

2. Holy run on sentence, Batman! This is particularly irritating, when a person just posts a sentence that goes on and on and on and on and on... O_o

3. Stealing the Great Wall Of China. Paragraphs are your friend.

Oh good god, a friend of mine is so incredibly bad for that. Sometimes I actually have to edit her e-mails/messages before I can read them.

She types...like....this...sometimes with periods ..... between her sentences....and always,always,always types huge walls of text. She constantly tells her life story in e-mails. She was even going to do it to a potential landlord who had just asked the most basic information.

When I was in school, we were taught that lists containing more than two items and joined by a single conjunction got a comma after each noun, including the one before the conjunction

I was taught that too, I wasn't aware it had changed. I just thought that people didn't know how to use commas. (though admittedly I've been known to overuse them)

[lordlundar]

(as a disclaimer, if you see any of these: É è in my posts, it’s because my keyboard is screwed up when I try to type apostrophes and question marks and a couple other punctuation marks.)

Check your keyboard setting. Most keyboards you buy are a US style and should show up as "US" in the settings. The problem is sometimes it's get's switched to your regional setting instead, which causes the different characters. (Windows 7 has it on the task bar on the right hand side, XP you have to go into the Control Panel provided you did not select to have it on the task bar.)

[muses_nightmare]

Yeah, it fixed itself. I checked the regional settings and such, and everthing was fine there, so who the heck knows. It happens to my boyfriend's computer too occasionally, usually the only way to fix it is to restart. But thanks :)

[Stormraven]

I've been known to use ellipses in casual 'speech' via IM and the like, myself. For the rest, while I am, or try to be, reasonably tolerant of those who have innate difficulty spelling, it is difficult to remain so. If I get to the point where I'm feeling too intolerant, I get away from the computer for a while.

Online, I have no way of knowing who is being lazy and who is simply incapable of spelling properly, so I try to give everyone the benefit of the doubt.

[jackfaire]

I am so anal about my spelling that when I was watching a show and the character said, "When I find a student that knows the difference between its possessive without an apostrophe and it's with an apostrophe ...." (Dr. Wilder Dawson's Creek Season 5)

After hearing that I had to research it just to make sure I was spelling it right; I know more of a grammar issue but for me they go hand in hand.

[lordlundar]

Yeah, it fixed itself. I checked the regional settings and such, and everthing was fine there, so who the heck knows. It happens to my boyfriend's computer too occasionally, usually the only way to fix it is to restart. But thanks :)

To end the problem permanently, go into Control Panel, region and languages, and select the tab for Keyboards and languages, then press the button for Change Keyboards. The new window that pops up will have a window on the bottom half that lists all the keyboard modes you have enabled (done automatically when you set up your machine. Select the one you don't want and select remove on the right hand side. Continue to do this until you remove all the ones you don't use or want.

[draggar]

You should see the tickets I get.

Now, I'll admit, I'm not the best speller (I love spell checker but I can't use FF at work) but some of it is just beyond belief.

"Computer got wet because the sailing was leaking"

And when I worked in retail:
"Phone freezzez"
"Antannaea is broke"
"Cuttin calls"

The sad part is that these are all from people who speak English as their primary.

[muses_nightmare]

Thanks, I'll check that out and see if it helps!

[Lace Neil Singer]

I find that people who speak English as a second language tend to type it better than native English speakers. Sad, but true.

[jackfaire]

I find that people who speak English as a second language tend to type it better than native English speakers. Sad, but true.

Why is it sad? If English speakers had to learn the language the way non native speakers do they would be more formal in their typing as well.

[Lace Neil Singer]

It's sad cuz you'd expect someone who grew up speaking English as their first language to type English decently.

I wasn't attacking non speakers. :confused:

[jackfaire]

Way to totally miss the point. -.- I shall attempt to explain what I meant.

It's sad cuz you'd expect someone who grew up speaking English as their first language to type English decently.

I wasn't attacking non speakers. Jeez. :rolleyes:

lol neither was I. I was defending native speakers actually. People always say it is sad if I misspell a word that a non native speaker wouldn't have misspelled or if I don't type as well.

The assumption is that I have studied the language in the same way as a non native speaker when I haven't. I know English because of how my parents, peers etc spoke it. If I read more than I learn a more formal form of English and improve my spelling and grammar.

I would not expect someone for whom English is their first language to type it decently. I would expect a non native person to have better skills with the language, regardless of language, than a native speaker.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Ah right. I just thought you were missing the point entirely.

I don't expect native English speakers to type as fluently as non natives do; however, it's not too much to ask that they don't type up their entire posts like so:

helo mah nme iz em i wnt frends lol i luv anme i wnt 2 cht lol

O_o

[jackfaire]

One pet peeve I have is that no one knows the difference between Shaking and Nodding anymore.

Shaking your head means no. Nodding your head means yes.

People either get these backwards or if I type *shaking my head* they want to know if I am "shaking" it no or yes.

[muses_nightmare]

Oh man, I've been noticing the whole head shaking/nodding thing too. It's annoying.

[ladyneeva]

I commented on another forum that I find the text messenger shorthand nearly impossible to read, and was essentially torn a new one. Including one person who smugly told me that texting is taught in school now.

And my sister who told me that her dyslexic daughter's teachers told her not (NOT) to correct spelling mistakes in notes written at home or on the internet, because children need some place to make mistakes without getting corrected. She was also told to remove any spell checking programs, because being constantly "nagged" about her spelling would cause the child to suffer self esteem issues.

Hell, I practically want to marry my spell checker. Makes it so that nobody has to see how often I type thier!

[Lace Neil Singer]

:rolleyes: Yeah, that makes sense. So children should be allowed to spell incorrectly, cuz of course when they get round to writing out CVs and application letters, spelling mistakes will ensure they don't get the job. Yeah, makes sense. One boss I had used to file badly spelt letters and CVs right into the bin. His reasoning was that if they can't be bothered to take a bit of time to make their application perfect, then they won't bother to work hard at the job.

[draggar]

I find that people who speak English as a second language tend to type it better than native English speakers. Sad, but true.

You can normally tell the difference between someone who just doesn't know and someone who is not fluent in English (when it comes to errors etc..).

As for people who speak English as their first language, there are many dialects. The US version of English is different from the UK version of English (color verses colour, check versus cheque, etc..).

Also, I know that in the US people take pride in their different dialects. You have "Hick Speak" (dem dare, dis here, etc), Ebonics / Urban (I'z be goin', where u at), text message / IM (GTG WTF LOL, wer r u?), and "L33t sp34k" (Elite Speak / hacker - h4x0rz, etc..).

The non-native speakers usually learn correct UK or American English and don't learn the above mentioned dialiects until they're here.

[Boozy]

If English speakers had to learn the language the way non native speakers do they would be more formal in their typing as well.

When I started university, I was placed in an advanced French course. All the other students in my class had been in French immersion in school and could speak fluently. They had learned the French language...well, "organically" would be the best way to describe it.

I had attended English schools that taugh French in a formalized way. There was more attention to spelling, grammar, syntax. I couldn't follow much of the university level course, because my aural and spoken French was so poor.

But I continually aced the written and reading tests while my classmates failed them.

So I guess there's something to be said about the strengths and weaknesses of both native and non-native speakers.

[jackfaire]

So I guess there's something to be said about the strengths and weaknesses of both native and non-native speakers.

Exactly my point

[Lace Neil Singer]

Even so, if I see a post typed entirely in chatspeak, I won't bother to try and plough thru it. It might be the most erudite argument ever, but if it's written in chatspeak and textspeak, I won't bother trying to translate it. On a lot of forums I go on, there's actually rules about entire posts in chatspeak; the odd word here and there is fine, but entire posts of it are not allowed.

[jackfaire]

Chat speak and such is a matter of appropriateness.

If your debating you use common English.

Use the right form of text or speech for the venue and topic.

[protege]

One boss I had used to file badly spelt letters and CVs right into the bin. His reasoning was that if they can't be bothered to take a bit of time to make their application perfect, then they won't bother to work hard at the job.

I'm one of those people. If I can't read your resume or application, it goes right in the trash. Sorry, but even though I can translate "idiot" or "AOL-speke," I really don't want to. I have better things to do with my time. I refuse to babysit idiots who can't be bothered. Either do it correctly, or get the hell out of my office ;)

[Amanita]

I remember posting on a message board for poi spinners. Several people wanted to know how to make fireswords- swords with kevlar wicking attached that can be lit on fire. It's not as easy as it sounds, given that certain metals react badly to repeated heating and cooling cycles, and that drilling holes into a piece of metal can create potential stress points. (holes are needed to attach the wicking to the blade).
I also happened to be a member of an online sword forum with a decent community of swordsmiths. So helpfully, I suggested that the poi spinners head over there to ask their questions, such as if a prop like a fire sword could be made from bar stock, or would it need to be forged? What metal would be best, and so on. But I think I scared them off when I said that the sword forum preferred its members to speak in proper english, without text-speak or internet-isms.

[Slytovhand]

4. "Witch" for "Which"; "There" for "Their"; "Ma/Mah" for "My"; "Your" for "You're"; "It's" for "Its"; "Wit" for "With"; "Jus" for "Just"; "Im" for "I'm".

Firstly, to add to the list, I hate the then/than mixup!!! It's a simple one to correct... 'Then' - following (A, then B). 'Than' - comparison (A is bigger than B) ! Simple!

"When I find a student that knows the difference between its possessive without an apostrophe and it's with an apostrophe ...." (Dr. Wilder Dawson's Creek Season 5)

'It' is a pronoun... not a 'simple' noun. So - his, hers, its - no '. Peter's is a personal noun thus '.

It's sad cuz you'd expect someone who grew up speaking English as their first language to type English decently.

"Cuz"???? :p


And on the native vs non-native, as GD indicated... when you learn a langauge 'organically' such as immersion in a culture, you learn a lot of mistakes - similar to when you are brought up in your native. When you are taught, you aren't learning any mistakes or incorrectness.. and hopefully, that incorrectness gets graded out.

And when you are formally learning a language, you actually need to learn the grammar - and get marked on whether you actually know it. So, anytime you formally learn a language, you will also learn more about your own grammar etc. Thus, fluent non-natives are better in this regard than natives. They just won't sound native in conversation (because natives don't use their language 'correctly').

And my sister who told me that her dyslexic daughter's teachers told her not (NOT) to correct spelling mistakes in notes written at home or on the internet, because children need some place to make mistakes without getting corrected. She was also told to remove any spell checking programs, because being constantly "nagged" about her spelling would cause the child to suffer self esteem issues.

Yes, there is a time and place for such times. It improves one's confidence in a given field if they are allowed to just use. As long as the student understands that's what it's for. Dyslexia?? I don't know. But definitely in language acquisition... students just need the space to just..'experiment'. Let them learn when they learn, and use when they use.


I have problems believing that some of my other teachers here keep making the same sort of elementary mistakes... like using a 'z' in a stack of words that obviously need to have an 's' in them.... :D

On a more serious note, that is exactly how language has 'evolved'. Think (or research) about the number of tenses and cases English used to have.. and we don't now... because people became lazy if they were taught (or the errors just weren't corrected).

[Fashion Lad!]

And on a less personal level, it's happened before that I've been chatting with someone online, and had them get very irate with me for asking if they had a learning disability or if English was their first language. (this being when that person's spelling made it difficult to understand what they were typing.)

On a personal level, I'd be pretty pissed if someone asked me whether or not I had a learning disability. But, maybe that's just me and whomever you were talking to. We're sensitive.

I type out my texts completely with punctuation. My grammar isn't perfect. I know that my grammar will never be perfect. I try.

[ladyneeva]

The use of texting shorthand in forum posts just seems really disrespectful to me. Like you don't even respect other people enough to take the slight effort required to at least attempt to spell out the words you are using.

On the misspelling thing... on the one hand, I can understand how the occasional misspelled word will slip by. But when there aren't three correctly spelled words in a 50 word post, there is a problem. Especially since I think all three of the major browsers either have spell checkers or can have them added.

[Lace Neil Singer]

"Cuz"???? :p

Please read ALL my posts. :rolleyes:

the odd word here and there is fine, but entire posts of it are not allowed.

I don't really care if people use odd shortened words; I do it myself, being a lazy typist; even tho I can type correctly, using all my fingers. However, was I submitting an official document, I'd type it properly, without any shortened words at all. However, on forums, as long as the post is readable, then the odd one doesn't matter. So, your point is meaningless, as I have not said, "All shortened words are EBIL." ;)

[gremcint]

I have a friend, smart guy but anti academic. We were working on a business proposal. He had written the start of it and I edited it. So after deleting the extra '.'s from each sentence and going through and making paragraphs instead of there being a new line for each sentence, he reads it over again.

So you do know what he said?

"You know you're supposed to start a new line after each period right?"
:eek:
I dared him to find a single book on his shelf that followed that, he said they were just condensing the information. I managed to convince him but that was 2 months ago and I still have no clue whatsoever where he got that idea.

[jackfaire]

I still have no clue whatsoever where he got that idea.

My guess typing class.

[McDreidel09]

"You know you're supposed to start a new line after each period right?"
:eek:

I remember having to do that for homework assignments...in elementary school when I first learned how to write.

Yeesh.

[MergedLoki]

It's schools, well in combination with texting, facebooking, the internet in general.

Everyone (mostly kids/teens obviously) are using the lil internet shorthands like brb etc. (hell i use them all the time myself :P).

It all depends on context though. If i'm typing a post on the boards here, emailing or texting a friend. I don't really CARE if i make a few typos as long as the message gets across fine.

If I'm writing a formal paper or an email at work to my manager or something then yes i'll write in full sentences, no short forms and i'll make sure spelling is correct.