Paragraphs please

[Baker]

What annoys me as a Australian English speaking person v Americans spelling. No wonder America still uses imperial measurement


accessorise
accessorised
accessorises
accessorising
acclimatisation
.
.
.

".....a Australian...".....that is as far as I got!!!!

 

[Diesel Duck]

.......... In my opinion it's poor form to correct other people's spelling and grammar in a forum. In some cases the correction will be wrong or at least debatable. In many others the "grammar cop" will make a different grammatical "error" in his or her post.

Richard

So far I haven't seen where people are correcting others, at least I know that I haven't. What I'm seeing is a few people who are bored attempting to have some fun.

Note: FWIW, my earlier post (post #51) was in the form of a question and not a correction. Just Sayin'

 

[BruceK]

Loran was based on hyperbolas.

Like Sophia Loren? Oh no, there is a spelling difference....
As a Latin derivation, would that be more correctly "hyperbolae"?

 

[BruceK]

".....a Australian...".....that is as far as I got!!!!

"An Australian", I think.
Think ourselves fortunate we communicate in written forms of English. Imagine the difficulties of accented spoken words from residents of USA, NZ, Aust, Canada, England, Scotland, Ireland... and the internal variations within countries.
We seem to muddle through most of the time. In professional life I was taught you may correct an error, but not correct someone`s style of expression just because you prefer your own.

 

[Britannia]

So far I haven't seen where people are correcting others, at least I know that I haven't. What I'm seeing is a few people who are bored attempting to have some fun.

Note: FWIW, my earlier post (post #51) was in the form of a question and not a correction. Just Sayin'

That's good. FWIW, I didn't say anyone was correcting other posters, only that to do so would be poor form. Just Sayin'

 

[hmason]

I often see "a lot" spelled as "alot" a lot. Could we please spell "a lot" correctly a lot more?

 

[Baker]

" In professional life I was taught you may correct an error, but not correct someone`s style of expression just because you prefer your own.

I tidy little line I walk in my profession. There are operational rules....and then there are "techniques".

 

[FlyWright]

...The the pronoun "who" came along later. ...

You lost me at "The the pronoun..."

I tidy little line I walk in my profession. There are operational rules....and then there are "techniques".

It's the 'techniques' that'll keep you alive while trying to comply with the Federal Aviation Recommendations!

 

[Britannia]

You lost me at "The the pronoun..."
...

And I did preview my post! Sigh. That's why people employ proof readers!

Richard

 

[Diesel Duck]

That's good. FWIW, I didn't say anyone was correcting other posters, only that to do so would be poor form. Just Sayin'

FWIW, I didn't say you were saying anyone was correcting other posters. I simply highlighted the fact that I hadn't seen anyone correcting others and that I hadn't. Just Sayin'

With the hopes of letting this thread die a quiet death know, for a variety of reasons, that I agree it would be in poor form to correct someone's grammar and spelling in a public forum, the least of which is that I'm certainly not qualified to do so... A grammarian I'm not, far from it to be honest.

 

[Peter B]

Calm down its not real life its a internet forum. And a international one at that and don't forget English isn't everyone first language


Pardon me for starting a sentence with And

Don't concern yourself about that Gaston - I often start a sentence with 'and', it's ok now...customary use sort of thing...

Seriously, the spelling and typo mistakes are neither here nor there, but the paragraphing, and not over-quoting huge passages of irrelevant text, are more for just the ease of reading posts and a simple practical issue really.

Cheers,

 

[BruceK]

Years back we had someone grammatically blessed, posing as Professor Afferbeck Lauder (say it aloud), writing books describing Australian English as spoken as "Strine".
There is clearly room for a "Pedants Corner" on the Forum but with any luck, DD`s wish for the thread to wither on the vine will be granted.

 

[BandB]

Wifey B:
D
F
D
C
A+
C
F
A
D
D
D
A
F
A+
F
A+
C
D
A+
D
C

I got tired after grading one page of posts.

I was trying to imagine what a forum of all English majors would be like. Oh, like me....hehe. Well, not like me? I'm an English major but hardly fit the stereotype I think.

Must really be a lot of bored people if paragraphs is the topic of the day.

I notice all the other things being referred to in this thread but, frankly my dears, don't give a damn. We have different backgrounds, different levels of education, different levels of even giving a flying f... about grammar. If I read a forum as an English major or a teacher, I'd totally freak.

I find the misuse of the language, the selection of the wrong word, the different styles of writing even sometimes annoying but then I remember what's important. Do I understand what the poster was trying to convey? Language is a form of communication first and foremost.

I'm only interested in misplaced modifiers or slips of the tongue if they turn out to be humorous, with a preference for dirty too. Grammarians have always impressed me somewhat as a group more interested in proving their intellectual or educational superiority than in life itself. A few years ago, I read one of the most moving papers by a sixth grader that expressed such intense emotion and insight and her teacher had given her an F because of spelling mistakes. Yes, her teacher who missed the entire point and was too blind to see the obvious dyslexia coupled by the creativity and brilliance many dyslexics have.

Now, I only care if I can figure out what the person means and, if not, if they leave me more confused than normal, then their post may bother me a bit. I would just toss out one thing to look out for that has far more impact on the forum population. That is when you're responding to something or arguing to someone, but don't give the foggiest clue as to who or which post it is. A brief quote or name or anything might be a little nice. Otherwise you get 5 people upset with your response to them and the intended target doesn't even notice.

P.S. I do laugh that almost every post in this thread talking about a previous one also has a grammatical mistake in it. I'm sure mine does too, but I have better things to worry about. Time to play on another island.....bye bye.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Ms. BB. Whaaaa...????? I only got a D? C'mon teach. I thought long and hard about that one and it WAS a request, after all...

 

[Bacchus]

Write whatever you want. But if you want people to read it, and think about what you said, it's best to make some effort at clarity.

That reminds me. Some posts are too long, no matter how well "paragraphed".

For me, this reinforces all the reasons not to be an online grammar cop. The truth is that grammar is a very complex subject where there are many blurred lines between style and correctness.
Richard

My $0.02 - Clarity & Brevity MUCH more important to me than grammatically correct

Good practices w/ quoting can also add or detract from an otherwise worthwhile post (IMHOO)

I can think of at least one TF'er ( to remain unnamed - and you can't goad me into divulging who I'm thinking about) that I'm sure is grammatically correct but are consistently TOO LONG!
I tend to ignore (worst case) or scan (best case) as soon as I see their posts

 

[Nomad Willy]

Don't concern yourself about that Gaston - I often start a sentence with 'and', it's ok now...customary use sort of thing...

Seriously, the spelling and typo mistakes are neither here nor there, but the paragraphing, and not over-quoting huge passages of irrelevant text, are more for just the ease of reading posts and a simple practical issue really.

Cheers,

This is worth repeating.
At least someone has still got their eye on the ball.
Reality spoken here.

 

[BandB]

Greetings,
Ms. BB. Whaaaa...????? I only got a D? C'mon teach. I thought long and hard about that one and it WAS a request, after all...

Wifey B: You got an A+, RTF. Third from the bottom, post #18. Now, I did allow myself to be unduly influenced by your charm, humor, and content as "Greetings. Er....um....close?" did not deserve that grammar grade on it's own. Guess you're teacher's pet.

 

[ABfish]

I find the writing on this forum to be very good, to the point of being intimidating to us non-English major types.

I frequent some boating forums where text-speak runs random- no caps, no commas, no paragraphs, etc. We're miles away from there. But I've got to agree with an earlier poster who "tunes out" huge blocks of text with no breaks.

Reading a page of text with no breaks is like eating a 5 lbs. block of cheddar cheese without a knife. It might be tasty, but I'm not willing to put in the work.

 

[FF]

Some folks are reading the opinions on a 7ft TV screen,

some on a hand held phone.

Spacing does make a difference.

 

[kraftee]

I just read the entire thread and found several posters improperly separated variations of "proofreading" into two words. Now, maybe you English majors out there can help me decide if that is ironic or just funny.

 

[BandB]

I just read the entire thread and found several posters improperly separated variations of "proofreading" into two words. Now, maybe you English majors out there can help me decide if that is ironic or just funny.

Wifey B: Ironic. Now what may make it funny is if they are typing or speaking into a smartphone or pad and it's being corrected into two words. I've come across many instances where smartphones didn't have certain words that were combinations of others in their spell check. I like it when my phone turns something I innocently say into something obscene. Definitely have to read before sending.

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Re: Post #77. I can't cownt neither.

 

[Diesel Duck]

Greetings,
Re: Post #77. I can't cownt neither.

Yes, you can count RT!

I count 21 grades given out by our lovely teacher Wifey B and only 20 post on the first page of this silly thread. With that being said, do we count up from the bottom or down from the top and it it's down from the top which of the 21 grades do we need to eliminate? What say you Wifey B?

Either way, I received a C or an F, both of which I can handle especially since I'm far from an English major and even when I do proofread my comments prior to hitting the submit button I almost always miss something.

 

[dhmeissner]

How to write good:

Avoid cliche's like the plague.

 

[gaston]

wel wot av i lent from tis post is som ppl av 2 much time on der hans and post just 2 cee dere onn riting

 

[BandB]

Yes, you can count RT!

I count 21 grades given out by our lovely teacher Wifey B and only 20 post on the first page of this silly thread. With that being said, do we count up from the bottom or down from the top and it it's down from the top which of the 21 grades do we need to eliminate? What say you Wifey B?

Either way, I received a C or an F, both of which I can handle especially since I'm far from an English major and even when I do proofread my comments prior to hitting the submit button I almost always miss something.

Wifey B: H... if I know....hehe. I just knew RTF's. I had places to go and things to do and lunch at Foxy's and dinner at Sidney's Peace and Love.

This is a boating forum. I'm only a teacher in the classroom. Well, not only a teacher there, but only an English Teacher there.

 

[ranger58sb]

I can't read one long run-on paragraph. I'd like to, but I just can't make sense of it.

I usually can't either. The lines all start to run together, I can't keep track of which line I just read, goes downhill from there.

Example (really, no kidding, not at all meant to criticize the originator) is the first post in "interior spaces..."

Something about boats in Seattle. My eyes blur.

Might be easier reading a printed page compared to a computer monitor, but I also remember 18th and 19th century British novels (for example)... wherein the first para is about 3 pages long... so I guess not so easy there, either.

-Chris

 

[Dawdler]

I believe the problem started when we changed "Grammar School" to "Elementary School."

 

[Diesel Duck]

7h15 m3554g3
53rv35 7o pr0v3
how our m1nd5 c4n
d0 4m4z1ng 7h1ng5!
1mpr3551v3 7h1ng5!
1n 7h3 b3g1nn1ng
17 wa5 h4rd bu7
n0w, 0n 7h15 lin3
y0ur m1nd 1s
r34d1ng 17
4u70m471c4lly
w17h 0u7 3v3n
7h1nk1ng 4b0u7 17,
b3 proud! Only
c3r741n p30pl3 c4n
r3ad 7h15.

 

[dimer2]

Yay, I can be proud!