Proof and spellcheck

[Ole Anderson]

I have a dilemma in posting this. On one hand I find it interesting and sometimes entertaining reading the many posts from folks from all sorts of backgrounds and with many levels of grammar, spelling and keyboard abilities. On the other hand I am thinking, come on guys, at least read your own post before hitting the "Submit New Thread" key. Or maybe run a quick spell check. Maybe because my own spelling and typing is so bad I wouldn't think of posting something without going through those 2 steps. Although sometimes I am in such a hurry to submit a reply that rule gets forgotten and I have to go back and edit it, sometimes several times. Grammar, well I can't do much about that, I spent years as an engineer, not a writer. Rarely does my post not get changed and gross spelling/keyboard errors get caught, often after I hit the "Submit" key. Heck, just typing this post I have already gone back at least 10 (make that 12, no 15) times to correct something.

Then I am thinking, maybe some folks just don't know how to run spellcheck or they haven't found the "Edit" button after they go back and read their own post. It took me a long time to find the very obvious (spell)Check button on my Google toolbar. Then I often think that many folks may be good or even great woodworkers, but lack the formal training or chops that allows some (myself certainly not included) to eloquently present their ideas to others.

Guess I am rambling here, just getting it off my chest after reading a recent great example of forgetting to proof and spellcheck. (Just spell checking this post I found dilemma, grammar and eloquently needed correcting, whoda thunk...)

[Jamie Buxton]

Yeah, I see that stuff too. But why does it matter? Can you read what they're writing and understand it?

[Ted Calver]

Ole...a good number of us don't care about spelling and grammar as much as we care about getting the idea across. Some very intelligent and prosperous folks on this site can't spell worth a darn, but I understand them just fine. I would never suggest they spell check their work. They might stop posting and that would be a terrible loss.

[Mike Henderson]

Spelling and grammar help communications - they're something we all share, and because of that, we have a better chance to get our point across clearly with the minimum number of people misunderstanding. While many people can read through incorrect spelling and grammar, it tends to increase errors in understanding.

I remember someone who would post without using punctuation or capital letters. While it was possible to understand what was being said (I think) it put an excessive burden on the reader - it was difficult to read.

Using the general rules of spelling, grammar, punctuation and capitalization is being polite to the reader (so as not to excessively burden the reader to understand the message) and helps to get your point across with the minimum of misunderstanding.

Mike

[Larry Frank]

The answer to the question is that sometimes I can not figure out what they mean. Although, it is really funny to read some of the comments with words that are spelled wrong.

I guess that it does not matter to some people and allow their poor spelling and grammar to represent them. For some of us, our careers depended on being able to communicate properly and accurately.

This thread will get probably get a lot responses about who cares about those things as they are not important to the poster. It appears that the world of blogs, forums, email, text messages, tweets, etc are full of people who enjoy bad spelling and grammar. It will be interesting to see when some of the young folks get a job and have to communicate properly and then wonder what the big deal is about spelling and grammar. They will find out that in the business world it makes a big deal and makes a difference when it comes to the paycheck.

[Lee Schierer]

I'm not sure what is wrong with the Google interface you are using, but Firefox automatically checks spelling and puts a red line under any misspelling. All I need to do is look for red lines in my post before I hit the submit button. That doesn't mean I don't have to correct 12 or 15 errors in a post.:D

I like reading the posts where they spell a word correctly but it is the wrong word foe what they are actually trying to say. However, my spelling and grammar aren't perfect so I chose not to throw stones or planks.

[Jason Roehl]

I'm not sure what is wrong with the Google interface you are using, but Firefox automatically checks spelling and puts a red line under any misspelling. All I need to do is look for red lines in my post before I hit the submit button. That doesn't mean I don't have to correct 12 or 15 errors in a post.:D

I like reading the posts where they spell a word correctly but it is the wrong word foe what they are actually trying to say. However, my spelling and grammar aren't perfect so I chose not to throw stones or planks.

Oh, the irony. :D

I'm on a Ford truck forum. Let me tell you--this forum is LIGHT YEARS ahead of that one. There are posts that are so bad that they are truly illegible. I totally ignore those. Then there are some that are borderline, and if I'm feeling generous, I plod my way through one once in a while, but it is a tremendous chore, and I consider myself pretty good at cipherin' the intended meaning. Often both of those categories of posts will catch some flak from others due to their reading difficulty, and quickly spiral downward. Sometimes even someone honestly trying to help will cause the illiterate poster to go off on a rant when they simply ask for some clarification.

[Mike Henderson]

I though he put "foe" in to demonstrate what he was saying. I though it was a good touch. I hope it was intentional.

Mike

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have IEspell loaded but often forget to use it. Grammar? I try to do my best but am sure I often fail.

[Ole Anderson]

I would like to think that for a lot of folks who post here getting their thoughts on the screen correctly the first time comes naturally. A lot of that is related to typing skills. Some of you have them, a lot of us don't. Some care how what they say looks on the screen, just like they might spend more time sanding out a finish with 400 grit paper or better while others just slap a couple of coats on a project and don't even bother running their hand over it to see how it feels after they are done. I'm just saying if you are going to make a post, there is no excuse to not at least run your hand over the finished product.

That being said, I would never call out an individual or his/her post.

[Sam Murdoch]

I would like to think that for a lot of folks who post here getting their thoughts on the screen correctly the first time comes naturally. A lot of that is related to typing skills. Some of you have them, a lot of us don't. Some care how what they say looks on the screen, just like they might spend more time sanding out a finish with 400 grit paper or better while others just slap a couple of coats on a project and don't even bother running their hand over it to see how it feels after they are done. I'm just saying if you are going to make a post, there is no excuse to not at least run your hand over the finished product.

Well said Ole, as I reply by typing with one or two fingers :). The finished product does matter, be it a table top or a picture frame or a written post.

[Jim O'Dell]

I, too, catch misspellings after I've hit the send button, and go back to correct it afterward. Grammar????, never was my strong point. I type in a "conversationalist" style. My wife just shakes her head. Firefox with the red squiggles under the misspelled word is great for me. Right click it and it gives several options to choose from. Hopefully I choose the right one.:rolleyes: But I do find later that I've not seen the warning, and post the misspelled word anyway and have to correct it. But, hey, life goes on.
No, I try not to correct others misspelled words, or grammar. I may ask for clarification if I don't understand what they are after. Jim.

[Jim Koepke]

After making so many mistakes of my own, it would be arrogant of me to try to correct others.

Though, not many will object to reading a well thought out and carefully crafted post. Writing is a skill like so many others. One has to invest time and patience into learning its nuance and structure. For some, it is may be natural. For others, putting thoughts in writing is the most unnatural thing.

I used to be a drafter, but drawing complete plans for my projects seems a waste of time. (I know another subject all together.)

Often my thought changes mid-paragraph and a rewrite is undertaken and a few of incorrect word tenses or maybe a redundancy or three occurs.

There are many posting here who do not have English as a first language. It may not even be their second language.

We have a communications pipeline that is open to all no matter what level of education they may have achieved.

Though, I do thank one person who used to give me some grief about my spelling since I took it to heart and now am a better speller than he is. So I get to needle him in return.

I would rather communicate with those who are less eloquent in their writing and spelling than with those who are alway dismissive to anyone's knowledge other than their own.

Fortunately we are not burdened with many who wish to make everything an endless fight.

jtk

[John Coloccia]

Are you kidding me? This forum is like having Strunk and White for pen pals compared to the other forums I belong too. I've seen posts on other forums that are, without exaggeration, completely unintelligible.

[Steve Meliza]

If I'm struggling to understand a post I figure they couldn't be bothered to write in a way that can be understood so I can't be bothered to read it.

[Brian Hough]

No problem,can you read this!

Cna yuo raed tihs? if yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid, too.

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulatcly uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae.

The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.



Azanmig hhu? Yaeh, and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt!

Qoestuin -
Can thsi be doen in ohter lnagugues? Snapsih, Fenrch, Iatilan, Gerek, Rissuan. Chenise, Jaapense, Herbew, Aaribc?

[Jim Tabor]

Grammar and spelling? Let me tell you something about the educationally system for many people like me. Age mid sevenths, grew up in rural areas with one room “school houses”, 30-40 kids, one teacher for eight grades and all subjects. In my school, grades 1,3,5,7 were taught during odd years, i.e. 1945, 1947, 1949 and so on. And grades 2,4,6,8, during even years. If you were lucky and started school in an odd year you went through grades in order, if not you started in the 2nd grade then back to the 1st the next year, on to the 4th, back to the 3rd and so on. You get the picture. Gramer and speleng? You must be kidding, most of the kids I knew didn’t get through eight years of that mess. College? that was something for rich city kids.

[Mike Henderson]

Let me just add a comment that all living languages are dynamic entities and are constantly changing. New words appear (sometimes from other languages), the meaning of words change, spelling changes, and occasionally grammar changes. In all cases, the goal should be better communications and understanding. One thing I absolutely hate is someone trying to correct my grammar. How I say something is my choice and I make choices that I think will help the other person better understand me. I may make mistakes but I base that on whether the other person understands me - not on some person telling me there's some grammar rule I'm not following properly.

Just a peeve of mine.

Mike

[Harold Burrell]

Grammar? Really?

I honestly do not know what the big deal is...nor what my grammar has to do at ALL with woodworking.

Now my grampar, on the other hand, he was a woodworker. ;)

[Myk Rian]

Most every browser has a spell checker active whenever you type in a forum.
It takes a pretty lazy person to not right-click on that word with the squigles under it. (just like squigles does. Should be squiggles).

The problem I see, are the kids in this country. NONE of them know how to spell. What are the schools teaching them besides nothing.

[Jim Matthews]

Are you kidding me? This forum is like having Strunk and White for pen pals compared to the other forums I belong too. I've seen posts on other forums that are, without exaggeration, completely unintelligible.

Throw in a couple of Plantagenet throne or Gravity's rainbow and we'll have an obscurathon...
S&W - wow. Haven't heard that in awhile.

[Pat Barry]

This is a great topic for the off off topic forum

[Lee Schierer]

I though he put "foe" in to demonstrate what he was saying. I though it was a good touch. I hope it was intentional.

Mike

Of course it was intentional. :D

[Charlie Velasquez]

. . . grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
The courage to change the things I can,
And the wisdom to know the difference.

[Sam Murdoch]

Throw in a couple of Plantagenet throne or Gravity's rainbow and we'll have an obscurathon...
S&W - wow. Haven't heard that in awhile.


I started twice with great determination to read Gravity's Rainbow and both times gave up after a 1/3rd into it. OMG what a ponderous read. It is memorable as being the only book that has so utterly failed to carry me through. How did you fare with it Jim? Was it worth the effort. :)

[Rod Sheridan]

I like to read well written posts the most, although if someone posted something brilliant I would struggle through it to obtain the contents.

Written material presents an impression of the writer to those reading the material, it's always best to present a good impression.

When I was in college I was one of only two people from engineering in the english composition course. The lecturer on the first day asked how many people were from the sciences, and she then stated that her mission wasn't to make us the next great literary icon, but to teach us to write technical articles in a way that was both technically accurate and not an embarassment to ourselves or our language.

I'm not sure I've lived up to her expectations however she serves as a constant reminder to me to make even technical documents less offensive to language experts.

That said my wife is English, and my Canadianisms apparently aren't the Queen's English..........Regards, Rod.

[Mel Fulks]

The idea of precise spelling of English is mainly a 19th century idea. It was not unusual for someone to spell the same word two different ways on one piece of paper.And for years I thought it was my idea!I'm more bothered by imprecise word use. Network copy writers are a major bad influence .When you watch news of severe storm or earthquake damage you always hear "area has been decimated ",decimated comes from Latin and means a punishment of killing off one tenth. The people of that place would be glad to have only suffered decimation. Yes ,words can be creatively used,but on the news I want to hear the accurate word...devastate. When you are writing something important ,something for the ages ,only the 'dead' Latin language is going to be interpreted accurately.....TASTUM! SOUPO! I have just assured that the scholars of the future will know this post is about cooking.

[Sam Murdoch]

.TASTUM! SOUPO! I have just assured that the scholars of the future will know this post is about cooking.

:D
:D
:D

Phunny :)

[Brian Tymchak]

... This forum is like having Strunk and White for pen pals compared to the other forums I belong too.

Wow... I haven't seen/heard a reference to The Elements of Style since I was in high school ( some 35 years ago..) I wonder if it's still used in schools.

[John Coloccia]

Wow... I haven't seen/heard a reference to The Elements of Style since I was in high school ( some 35 years ago..) I wonder if it's still used in schools.

Having had many e-mail conversations with my younger customers, I seriously doubt it.

[Matt Meiser]

What really kills me lately is auto-correct on the iPad/iPhone. I think way faster than I can type on the virtual keyboard and tend not to see the auto-corrects.

And FYI, in the sentence above there is a "misspelled" word according to Firefox.

[Myk Rian]

What really kills me lately is auto-correct on the iPad/iPhone. I think way faster than I can type on the virtual keyboard and tend not to see the auto-corrects.

And FYI, in the sentence above there is a "misspelled" word according to Firefox.
Meiser ? :)

[Matt Meiser]

iPad. Oddly iPhone is allowed.

[Myk Rian]

I saw that one too. Just add it to the dictionary.

[David Helm]

I used to be an instructor in a technical college's Home Inspection Program. Part of my job was teaching how to write the report. One of the things I had to harp on was the use of language. This is important because: Bad grammar and spelling reflect on the professionalism of the writer/inspector and misuse of the language may cause a misunderstanding of the issues. If one is to be seen as a professional, in whatever their endeavor, the written word is the first and sometimes the most important indicator.

[Bryan Slimp]

I think one of the fundamentals of this forum versus other forums adds to its legitimacy (and clarity of information.)

Your name is attached to your post. Since your (assumed) real identity is tied to your posts I hope people consider the reflection his/her posts can have to the world.

(this post was edited three times for content and once for spelling)(now a fourth time for brevity and once to check on the spelling of brevity)

[Jim Rimmer]

I would never comment on an individual's post but there are a couple of folks here that I just skip over because it's just too hard to figure out what they are trying to say. I often look in the upper right corner of the post to see if they are from a foreign country and, if so, so I give them a break and try to figure out the intent.

As was mentioned in another post, one of my peeves is the misuse of words (that is, the wrong word for what they meant to say or the wrong word altogether). Decimate was the example cited earlier; I often wondered if that bothered anyone else. My pet peeves are snuck (no such word) instead of sneaked. It has been used so much that it is accepted now. The other is hung instead of hanged when referring to an execution. Another that has become acceptable by way of excessive use.

BTW, spell checker stopped on snuck. :D

[Ole Anderson]

I would never comment on an individual's post but there are a couple of folks here that I just skip over because it's just too hard to figure out what they are trying to say. I often look in the upper right corner of the post to see if they are from a foreign country and, if so, so I give them a break and try to figure out the intent.

As was mentioned in another post, one of my peeves is the misuse of words (that is, the wrong word for what they meant to say or the wrong word altogether). Decimate was the example cited earlier; I often wondered if that bothered anyone else. My pet peeves are snuck (no such word) instead of sneaked. It has been used so much that it is accepted now. The other is hung instead of hanged when referring to an execution. Another that has become acceptable by way of excessive use.

BTW, spell checker stopped on snuck. :D

Using the word irregardless, yes it is a word, but not a proper word. (it passes my spellcheck)
Using the phrase "to be honest" (so you usually lie to me?) rather than "speaking frankly"
I don't understand folks that just don't care, even knowing that they just butchered getting a thought written out and not taking the time to correct themselves.

I suppose there is a parallel with folks that text with all sorts of acronyms vs those that insist on taking the time to use proper words when they text. I have to fess up on this one, I don't text much but when I do I might use a few accepted acronyms, for example just returning the letter K to acknowledge a text from a family member that needs no further elaboration. I have enough trouble with a keyboard, using the tiny one on a touch phone really generates a lot of errors.

[Mel Fulks]

Jim,thanks for adding a couple more bad words .'Snuck' has sneaked onto the news broadcasts,too. The British know the difference between 'hanged' and 'hung' but in this country ,its gone,

[Pat Barry]

The beauty of language is that its evolving. Old words fade away and new ones emerge. Its all good.......

[Jason Roehl]

Its all good.......

Or bad. You know, "...not 'bad' as in, 'bad', but 'bad' as in, 'good.'"

[Pat Barry]

You get it Jason. Rock on! LOL.

[Bill Cunningham]

Other forums I have been on, have a spellcheck button as well as a edit button.. I always assumed that this forum, being fairly sophisticated, included that function but was never activated in the setup/configuration. Do any of the Mods know if this function is available but not activated?