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BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
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Subject: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: DMcG Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:04 AM I don't care in the least about mistakes in spelling in blogs, fora, personal emails, texts and the like. But what does irritate is when a big organisation can't make the effort (or is unwilling to spend a few pence to check). In the past hour I have come across two. Firstly a supermarket in which the labels above the aisles had spelling errors and secondly one of the biggest UK banks web pages, which proudly refers to an 'Insurar' (to be fair, the last may be a CSS error where they haven't checked text is all displayed, but to my mind that shows a similar lack of care). How widespread is the irritation at such things? Has anyone every gone to the customer services of a supermarket and complained about spellings? (I was tempted, but not enough to queue!) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: DMcG Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:06 AM 'Ever', not 'every'. And don't forget I said unofficial posts etc don't worry me :) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Ed T Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:08 AM :) ;) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:28 AM I don't see anything, worng. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Phil Cooper Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:31 AM Yes, obvious errors and the misuse of quotation marks and apostrophes. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Alan Whittle Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:37 AM Just the sort of way society has gone. Cameron thinks Elgar wrote Rule Britannia. Milliband wouldn't know any better. A sort of dumbing up process of society. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Alan Whittle Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:38 AM On the other hand, they can all text - I can't. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Ed T Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:39 AM Should one leave the Chinese "off the hook", in product directions? Why not, as pirating, contamination, environmental issues and frequent inferior products seem to fall below the radar. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bobert Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:48 AM Yeah, I' don't much care if people on the inter-net don't spell correctly either but what really bugs me is when called journalists can't even write simple sentences that contain both a subject and a predicate... Now that burns my buns... B~ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: DMcG Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:49 AM The nearest I've ever got to complaining officially about spelling was when I was sharing a table with the hotel manager where I was (don't ask why - it's not important). There was a card room in the place called 'Crichton' on the door, but 'Chrichton' on the directions next to the lifts, and I mentioned this to him. The next day I met him again and he said at the daily staff meeting he had asked people how it was spelt to draw attention to the error(after checking I was right, of course!) But I've no idea if either set of notices was ever changed ... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Jim Carroll Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:57 AM Geneology rather than Genealogy drives me ******* loopy Jim Carroll |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Jack Campin Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:58 AM Both "Crichton" and "Chrichton" (and "Crighton", and "Creighton") occur in Scottish sources as far back as the 16th century. The leading branch of the family (owners of the castle near Gorebridge) didn't make their minds up about how to spell it until the 19th century. I'd guess that for centuries no Crytoune or Critton bothered with using a consistent spelling when signing their name. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: John P Date: 29 Sep 12 - 09:00 AM It's even worse when it happens at school, like this one or this. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: John P Date: 29 Sep 12 - 09:23 AM The local YMCA has a wheelchair accessible door with a big sign that says "Wheelchair Enterance". I used to have a gas stove that lit when you turned the dial to "Lite". It pains me to think how many designers, executives, salesmen, administrative assistants, and technicians must have seen that before they started manufacturing them. It almost has to have been done on purpose, which pains me even more. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Jack the Sailor Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:07 AM In the US and Canada when hotels have multiple conference rooms they name the rooms along a similar theme, eg, Washington Rm , Jefferson rm, or Quebec rm, Ontario rm etc. I was thinking how much fun it would be for a hotel to name its rooms thusly. Crytoune, Critton, Crichton and Chrichton It would be a laugh riot! like living in a Monty Python sketch! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:09 AM Ways of spelling the author of Hamlet recorded during his lifetime: Table 1. Non-literary references (1564-1616): Outside In Total London London ----- ------- ------ Shakespeare 71 8 63 Shakespere 27 25 2 Shakespear 16 16 0 Shakspeare 13 9 4 Shackspeare 12 11 1 Shakspere 8 7 1 Shackespeare 7 7 0 Shackspere 6 5 1 Shackespere 5 5 0 Shaxspere 3 3 0 Shexpere 2 2 0 Shakspe~ 2 0 2 Shaxpere 1 1 0 Shagspere 1 1 0 Shaksper 1 1 0 Shaxpeare 1 1 0 Shaxper 1 1 0 Shake-speare 1 0 1 Shakespe 1 0 1 Shakp 1 0 1 Table 2. Literary references (1593-1616): Hand- Total Printed written ----- ------- ------- Shakespeare 119 107 12 Shake-speare 21 21 0 Shakspeare 10 5 5 Shaxberd 4 0 4 Shakespere 4 1 3 Shakespear 3 1 2 Shak-speare 2 2 0 Shakspear 2 0 2 Shakspere 1 0 1 Shaksper 1 0 1 Schaksp. 1 0 1 Shakespheare 1 1 0 Shakespe 1 0 1 Shakspe 1 0 1 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Jim Carroll Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:27 AM Not so much grumpy-making, but rather - highly amusing. Acknowledgements at the bottom of a well-known poster depicting a group of national literary giants reads "with greatful thanks to...." A village known in the past as being rather rowdy appeared in a pamphlet (presumably thanks to Spellcheck) as Quietly instead of Quilty. And locally; a road sign reading "Slow through village" was adapted with a few deft dabs of a paint brush to - "Low rough village" Jim Carroll |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Uncle_DaveO Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:31 AM The Shakespeare (etc., ad nauseam) spellings are quite understandable*, in the 16th, 17th, and maybe 18th centuries, for at least two reasons: 1. English orthography had not yet been systematized (nor even systematised!); and 2. The divine William, the celebrated owner of that family name spelled it a number of different ways. *"To understand all is to forgive all." Dave Oesterreich |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Dave MacKenzie Date: 29 Sep 12 - 10:42 AM I've got a ticket for a lecture by David Crystal in the Chester Literature Festival tied in with his latest book about the history of English spelling. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: JohnInKansas Date: 29 Sep 12 - 11:21 AM "when hotels have multiple conference rooms they name the rooms ..." The Massachusetts Courthouse named each courtroom with the name of a county, so there was considerable comment about the rooms that displayed signs - in sequence: Men -- Middlesex -- Women John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bainbo Date: 29 Sep 12 - 11:27 AM Me! I complained! I know misspellings are now traditional among greengrocers, but I was moved to comment when I saw one in the fruit and veg section of our local Asda (UK supermarket chain owned by Wal-Mart). Hanging from the ceiling was a properly printed board, with photographs, and in the corporate typeface, boasting about how many "cauliflour florets" made up one of your five a day*. Like DMcG, I didn't fancy queuing at customer services, so I emailed. After a couple of phone calls from ther customer relations people - who didn't understand what the mistake was and had to have it explained - the sign was taken down and, I noted wilth a small feeling of satisfaction, replaced with a properly-spelled one. *Five A Day - a British Government healthy eating campaign designed to get us eating more fruit and veg. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,DrWord Date: 29 Sep 12 - 11:36 AM Agree with DMcG, especially proofing by corporations. I can abide the spelling-challenged, and smile the spell-check substitutions. My goat is got when print journalists fuck up. In recent weeks heard a CBC [Canadian Broadcasting Corp] TV reporter uttering the word "pundint" and saw "pundant" in print a few days later. Even a crude spellchecker sees these! Of course the its|it's issue will never go away, although most ten-year-olds grasp the distinction. We could, of course, follow GBS's lead and simply toss the apostrophe. Dave MacK : have fun at the Crystal lecture! Be interested in hearing a bit about it. When is the LitFest? I could troll around BS threads if you'd consider refreshing with a few highlights. I've nearly worn out my Crystal's Encyc of Lang. He should be a treat! cheers dennis & thanx 2 all 4 yr inputs! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 29 Sep 12 - 12:44 PM Floret has one meaning to the florist and botanist, another in the grocery. 1. A tiny, reduced flower, grasses, composite plants such as the daisy. 2. A cluster of flower buds, cauliflower, broccoli, made up of many florets. How many floorettes in a hed of cullyflour or brockolli? Lottes! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 29 Sep 12 - 03:37 PM Near where I live there's a signpost saying "Bovinger", with a road turning off. A little way on there's another saying "Bobingworth", with another road turning off. Both roads off go to the same village. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: gnu Date: 29 Sep 12 - 03:55 PM The Real Atlantic Superstore (a Lowblaws company) in Atlantic Canada often spells "Product of Chile" (or China or South Africa or...) as "Product of Canada" (or USA). And, when I say "often", I mean a LOT. That REALLY pisses me off because people with impaired vision can read the price sign above the product but can't read the tiny label on the product. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 29 Sep 12 - 04:24 PM Gnu, I have gotten into the habit of reading labels, but some products packaged in Canada are not of Canadian origin. They technically are product of Canada. This is especially true of shrimp, etc. I avoid them because I am afraid of their pesticide use. Not a spelling error, but certainly misleading. Also, nuts seldom labeled. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Don Firth Date: 29 Sep 12 - 04:54 PM Was it Mark Twain who said, "Anyone who can't think of more than one way to spell a word is lacking in imagination?" There are many theories about the origin of the expression "okay," claiming it's Native American or African or any one of a dozen other derivations, but the one I like says that it started with an American president who couldn't spell for beans. He'd read something that was handed to him for his approval, and if he did approve it, he would mark it "OK," short for "Oll Korekt" (All Correct). An English writer named Lynn Truss has a pretty funny book out entitled "Eats, Shoots, and Leaves" about the deplorable use of punctuation in both the UK and the US, giving all kinds of wild examples. One of the funnier parts of the book is that it contains a number of unintended punctuation errors!! Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 29 Sep 12 - 05:33 PM Well, Spain's underwater, 10 people so far are dead...The UK has been flooded out in Northern England, York's a mess, people can't afford insurance for their homes, are buggered, worn out, washed out, literally....and have nowhere to turn to.... But hey, don't let that put us off focussing on what's REALLY important, right? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: gnu Date: 29 Sep 12 - 05:38 PM Q... by law, the packaging "must" indicate the country of origin... TO an extent. Sobeys grocery has an "accepted" policy. If it says Product of ******* on the front of the label, there it is. If it says, anywhere on the label, Packaged By or Prepared for, it comes from the US or Canada. If it says, anywhere on the label, Product of Canada or USA, there it is. BTW... I have been waiting for Habitant green chow to come on sale. It did yesterday. Habitant Chow is now a product of USA? SOB! But it's better than the last bottle of Graves Chow I bought made in NS.... FAR better. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Don Firth Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:14 PM What do you want us all to do, Lizzie? Break out our towels and household sponges and come dashing to the rescue? Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Gurney Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:31 PM A large ad. in our local paper has a photograph of a baby Orang-Utan with the caption 'Help stop her becoming extinct!' Must be the only one left, eh. (OK, not a spelling error.) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: gnu Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:31 PM Lizzie, take it easy, lass. You'll be fine if you take it easy. Just point me to your thread on the floods and how to help your cause. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: JennieG Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:48 PM Did you know it is possible to have a chest of draws, rather than drawers? Or that, according to many quilting blogs, some people make quilts with outer boarders on them.....mine have outer borders. Cheers JennieG |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: gnu Date: 29 Sep 12 - 06:55 PM Do the boarders pay high rent? I mean, if you got quilts it must be a high scale board and brakefast. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 29 Sep 12 - 07:56 PM Draws referring to those box-like things one finds in a chest of drawers shows up in advs on the internet, so its use is not rare. Draw has many shades of meaning, including to pull, pull out, remove, etc., but I found no quotes (several pages in the OED, I may have missed something) using draw for drawer. (When was draw for a small gully or valley first used?) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: melodeonboy Date: 29 Sep 12 - 08:21 PM For some time, The ASDA store in Chatham (Kent) has had a section labelled "Stationary". This has been pointed out to them, but it appears that no one gives a toss! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,giovanni Date: 30 Sep 12 - 02:57 AM An estate agent bidding to sell a property for me handed me a brochure which told me of their "PROFFESIONAL SERVICE" in huge letters. If there's one word you absolutely shouldn't get wrong.....! g |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: DMcG Date: 30 Sep 12 - 04:44 AM Lizzie: of course you are right about the floods being important. No-one denies that here, as far as I am aware. But in other contexts you have strongly expressed yourself about the quality of education. The government - of all shades - has stressed the importance of literacy. So how does daily exposure to evidence that big companies, journalists and so on do not seem to care help that? And it goes further than that, because it says something to the child about what their teachers claim to be important and what the world regards as important. There are different timescales for things being important. The floods are important in the here-and-now, and in the mid term for things like building flood defences. Literacy is important long term. The one does not deny the other. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Eliza Date: 30 Sep 12 - 05:31 AM I have two confessions to make. 1) I read the Daily Mail (I'm cowering under the table as I type.) 2) I actually sit there and correct all the spelling mistakes with a red Biro. This is due to a lifetime as a primary teacher. I have Red Pen Syndrome. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Pete Jennings Date: 30 Sep 12 - 07:40 AM Is there room under the table for one more, Eliza?(!). I hate bad spelling in graffiti so much I've signed a partition about it... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 Sep 12 - 08:17 AM The best instances are those in which the pompous trip up. We had a senior English teacher at one school I taught at who was fond of putting notices on the staff room notice board which were written in unnecessarily-lofty tones. One of her favourite words was "liaise," which she always spelled "liase." At another school, one of my colleagues (Mr W, who had better remain nameless!) was indignant to find that someone had scrawled "W..... is a bastard" on the wall outside his room, but misspelling his name, missing out a letter. He promptly found a matching pen and inserted the missing letter. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 30 Sep 12 - 09:19 AM "My goat is got when print journalists fuck up." Now that's an example of something that irritates me. Surely a person who can spell 'journalist' knows better words than 'fuck up' to convey the idea of 'making an error.' It's supposed to sound tough, but basically it's just being lazy. Also, I'm tired of hearing 'shit' and 'ass' used to convey any old kind of disapproval. And 'kick-butt.' What is it supposed to mean, actually? These are the crutches once limited to dull people with no vocabulary. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 30 Sep 12 - 10:10 AM "Geneology rather than Genealogy drives me ******* loopy" I lose it with the misuse of its and it's. Years ago I saw on a teacher's classroom door a poster for a children's book the title of which was 'A Ferret in it's Garden' (not exact, but close). I asked the teacher if there was something wrong with that and s/he replied "No. Ferret is spelled correctly." The solution as to how to avoid the error would put many proofreaders out of work, so I won't post it here. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Eliza Date: 30 Sep 12 - 10:17 AM One little girl (I remember her name to this day, it was Angela, aged 7) wrote out her wish-list for Father Christmas. She wanted 'a pair of tits'. I often wondered if she received them. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 30 Sep 12 - 10:35 AM LOL. By the way, Eliza, I think you had a birthday two days back. Happy Birthday to you. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: mayomick Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:17 AM Not a spelling mistake, but what used to drive me bonkers was the loudspeaker announcements you had to listen to while waiting for the Staten Island Ferry a few years ago .Everybody was very serious in the aftermath of 9/11 , of course , but for me it didn't help to hear the incessant automated announcements about the canine dog patrol at the ferry terminal : "The canine dog patrol is here for your protection …." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:23 AM gnu, it's called 'Support Chief Raoni'...it has over 23,000 people on it and over 10,000 'talking about it'.... Just so's you know, Brazil announced just the other day that they're going to be building a further 23 dams in the Rainforest shortly (over 60 planned in total)..that's on top of Belo Monte, of course, the third largest dam on the planet, being built *illegaly/ilegally/orevenillegally* by the corrupt government of Dilma Rousseff.... But hey, never mind, for when they've dammed the last river and cut down the last tree we can all sit around debating whether the guy with the Chainsaw yelled out "Fuck it's the last tree!" "Fuck it, its' the last tree" or "For FUKS SAYKE WHAT HAVE I DUN??!!!" Sigh............ And here, just for the perusal of you all, red pens at the ready, is a translation from the desperate appeal by the 13 Fishermen who have been holding back the ferries taking equipment to blooy Belo Monte! From Amazon Watch: Letter from the 13 fishermen "We, 13 fishermen reunited on the Isle of Cotia, speak here of our resistance in defense of rights for all of us. We seek to once again urgently ask our fellow fishermen to unite with us and be present in person to give support in the struggle for their rights, as we have thus been fighting. Through the love of God, we call to everyone so that they come to meet us and join us. For the love of their children and grandchildren, that they resist in defense of their right to fish, before it is too late and the Xingu no longer has fish. We anxiously await your arrival to join with us, with the strength, the courage and the faith of everyone, to finally be able to act to guarantee that we are heard by Norte Energia, by the Belo Monte Construction Consortium and by the Presidency of Brazil. We call also to the indigenous peoples throughout the region to unite with us in this important struggle. And to all those affected who are able to come to the Isle of Cotia, we ask that you come as quickly as possible. And that all of us stand together at this time. We thank all those who have supported us and those who will support us in this cause, for all of us." The 13 fishermen. Altamira, September 28, 2012<<<<< |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:24 AM bloody, not blooy, although blooy is quite a nice word... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:31 AM My translation of the above, which came through in Portuguese, and has been translated via Amazon Watch. I translated it via Google Translate (now THAT is something to complain about!) "We, the 13 fishermen gathered on the island of Cotia, speak here of our strong desire to defend the rights of us all. We pray earnestly for our fishermen friends to join us and give us support in the fight for their rights, just as we are fighting for ours. For the love of God, we call on everyone to come and meet with us and join us. For the sake of your children and grandchildren, you must react and defend the fishing rights for them, before it is too late and the Xingu has no more fish left. We look forward to the arrival of many of you so that together, with the strength, courage and faith of us all we can finally act to ensure that we are heard by Norte Energia, the consortium that is building Belo Monte, and the President of Brazil. We also ask Indians from across the region to join us in this important fight. And to all those affected who can head to the Isle of Cotia, please come ASAP, so that can all be together right now. All of us thank everyone who is supporting us already and those who will come to help support us in this cause. We need you." http://amazonwatch.org/news/2012/0920-fishermen-paralyze-construction-of-the-belo-monte-dam MANY links here to the shocking story of The Belo Monte Dam, the REAL 'Avatar' in The Amazon Rainforest- and what you can do to help stop it: https://www.facebook.com/notes/support-chief-raoni/what-did-you-do-once-you-knew/403021629735575 And here is the Faceboook page, together with photo of the 13 Fishermen..... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:38 AM And yes, that is Mr. Tom Ghent in the 'comments' section....Perhaps a few more of you should hop on board the 'Bring Down Dilma Rousseff Express' for this insane woman is going to affect the *entire* world with her 'I Am The Woman Who Built The Rainforest Dams' obsession/obssesion/obssessssssssion.... And as to the comment about me speaking out about Education, yes I have, and I do and I will CONTINUE to do so until school TEACHES our children to Love Mother Earth FAR MORE than they love English Grammar, for whilst everyone is busy crossing out with red pens and expleting over punctuation mistakes, The Corporate Bastards are, quite literally, Bringing Down The World! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:45 AM Surely a person who can spell 'journalist' knows better words than 'fuck up' to convey the idea of 'making an error.' It's supposed to sound tough, but basically it's just being lazy. Also, I'm tired of hearing 'shit' and 'ass' used to convey any old kind of disapproval. And 'kick-butt.' What is it supposed to mean, actually? These are the crutches once limited to dull people with no vocabulary. I couldn't agree more. People who write this bollocks really annoy me too. :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: John P Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:46 AM Lizzie, you are committing a serious logical fallacy by implying that people who are interested in one thing are not also interested in another. And you are exhibiting a personality flaw by assuming that whatever is most important to you ought to be most important to others. It makes it difficult to take you seriously. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: mayomick Date: 30 Sep 12 - 11:53 AM Lizzie : I ordered coffee, not tea Waiter : The corporate elite is about to launch the third world war and all you have to do is grumble about what sort of beverage you get served with. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 30 Sep 12 - 12:19 PM Spelling errers? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 Sep 12 - 01:42 PM It's a bit of a laugh when someone posts to tell me that I've "mispelled" something. Has happened to me several times on other forums. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Don Firth Date: 30 Sep 12 - 02:26 PM Steve, I've noticed that oftentimes when you're butting heads over some disagreement on a forum and you make a good point (irrefutable), the person you're butting heads with attacks your spelling or your grammar. That's not a refutation, but it's all he's got. Don Firth |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,DrWord Date: 30 Sep 12 - 02:58 PM well. excuse me. i've lurked around MudCat for a long ole while now. I think most of my posts have been thoughtful and considerate. Now I seem to have time to go to the threads with the BS prefix, which I have rarely done since they became separable. Seems my lexical choices raised some hackles...but to this old Canuck, the BS forum is waaaaaaay [sic] more like sitting around in a bar, where one can express things freely. For those who found the mangled grammar and the f-bomb offensive, I apologize. For those who assumed that my ability to spell journalist AND use the f-bomb indicate laziness: OK But i can still spot a typo at a hundred yards, and btw, in the context "fuck up" is PRECISELY equal to " the idea of 'making an error.' " Says so in the Canadian Oxford Dictionary. Threads with the prefix BS, I had assumed, apparently wrongly, have a somewhat less formal atmosphere. So, in closing, I'd just like to say to leeneia {These are the crutches once limited to dull people with no vocabulary.} and Steve {People who write this bollocks really annoy me too} sorry I irritated and annoyed. & Eliza, I have Red Pen Syndrome too. I send all my Member of Parliament's packages of propaganda back with spelling and grammar errors highlighted. thanks for the thread DMcG Dennis Wood |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 Sep 12 - 03:41 PM You got me wrong, Doc. My sentiments in posting that were not at all as you interpreted them. And that would be [sic]. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,DrWord Date: 30 Sep 12 - 03:59 PM "I couldn't agree more. People who write this bollocks really annoy me too." [sic] What then, were your sentiments? You said you were really annoyed, I apologized to you and the poster with whom you agreed. and yes, I do know how to html ~ just didn't want any spelling police pulling me over. as ever Dennis |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Lizzie Cornish 1 Date: 30 Sep 12 - 05:31 PM mayomick: GOOD for your waiter! john p: Sorry, but we are seriously fecking up the planet right now and trust me, it won't hurt if people spoll uncorrectly! This doesn't make me 'flawed', it merely makes me possianate! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 Sep 12 - 05:56 PM Flippin' 'eck, Doc, my post was a jovial and sympathetic wink at leeneia. Here we go. Us Brits having to explain our sense of humour again... Tsk. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,DrWord Date: 30 Sep 12 - 07:21 PM Fair enough, Steve. When a Brit is being jovial s|he uses words like bollocks. Here's a sympathetic wink from a Canuck ~ I hugely enjoy the British sense of humour. [ Funny--this spellcheck just flagged humour! ] Lizzie Cornish 1 ~ you are absolutely correct. I'm going to quit this timewasting BS and do some serious research. Errors of punctuation are clearly of no significance when compared to the serious[...] fecking up [of]the planet. And this is not a wink of sympathy--I sincerely couldn't agree more. In fact, Lizzie, I think we should tie up the thread. Cheers all, dennis |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 Sep 12 - 07:30 PM Fair enough, Steve. When a Brit is being jovial s|he uses words like bollocks. And when an Aussie greets a dear friend he says "Hey, g'day, you old bastard!" and, when sympathising over a friend who's alighted on hard times he says "Hey, I wonder how the poor bastard's gettin' on..." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 30 Sep 12 - 07:45 PM And as to the comment about me speaking out about Education, yes I have, and I do and I will CONTINUE to do so until school TEACHES our children to Love Mother Earth FAR MORE than they love English Grammar Schools can do both. And it isn't a competition between English grammar and Mother Earth. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 30 Sep 12 - 08:11 PM I read an article once written by a psychologist who pointed out that some people tend to think mostly in pictures, and others think mostly in words. Interestingly, picture people and word people tend not to get along. They don't communicate well, and each type thinks the other type is stupid. Pinpointing and explaining the difference can help this situation. Anyhow, I'm a picture person. If somebody says his guitar is crappy, I imagine soft, stinky brown material struck between the strings. This is really offensive when I'm eating or supposed to be in a pleasant situation such as a family party. And it's just lazy. He doesn't want to bother to use his brain and determine that the guitar doesn't stay in tune, is too big for him, rings too much or has too much yellow in the varnish. I was gonna explain what happens when somebody is called an asshole, but I guess I won't. Again, it takes a little brain to say something accurate. Is the a-hole a liar, a bully, lazy, a thief, a deadbeat, a con man, a fake leveller? Use real language and give the listener a truly helpful heads-up. It is true, however, that I wish people would stop using "alright" for "all right" and "most" when they mean "almost," (As in "Most everybody thinks spelling is important.") |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Doug Chadwick Date: 01 Oct 12 - 04:24 AM …….. until school TEACHES our children to Love Mother Earth FAR MORE than they love English Grammar When graffiti is sprayed painted on the front door of a house by someone who doesn't know the difference between "paediatrician" and "paedophile" ….. …. or when a person's livelihood can be threatened because others are confused by the word "niggardly" …. then I would put English grammar right up there with Mother Earth. DC |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: DMcG Date: 01 Oct 12 - 04:33 AM I couldn't agree more, DC. And while no doubt there are those who think such people are so much the problem that can't be part of the solution, it is hard to think of how anyone can ever become a chemist without being alert to the difference between alkene and alkane, or a art historian who confuses Monet and Manet, or a lawyer who doesn't understand that the precise definition of every word in a law matters. Precision and accuracy does matter, and it matters more the more advanced the level of study of any subject is. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Lizzie Cornish Date: 01 Oct 12 - 05:03 AM Dr. Word, if you need to do RESEARCH, then you may as well just carry on expleting over expletives, for the time for research is well and truly behind us. This is due to the biggest ever Ice Melt in history which has taken even the Pedantic Scientists by surprise, causing them to start running in circles almost. No, no need for research, but PLENTY of reason to stop twittering on about full stops and half stops, and spread the word instead, for whilst you agonize over commas the human species of the world is in a coma from which it urgently need to be awoken! And now, back to trivia................ |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 01 Oct 12 - 06:29 AM It is true, however, that I wish people would stop using "alright" for "all right" Alas, this is one of those fights we're losing: many "authorities" (don't you love that?) now accept "alright" on the grounds that words such as "already" came about in the same way. Having said that, there can't be much doubt that "alright" is still written mostly by people who are falling down a bit on their use of English rather than by evangelical modernisers. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Don(Wyziwyg)T Date: 01 Oct 12 - 08:45 AM Lizzie, why don't you start your own thread about whatever is important to you. You'll get a lot more attention that way than by fouling up threads about other subjects and chiding grown men like a demented schoolteacher of the Victorian Era. Don T. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST Date: 01 Oct 12 - 10:49 AM Some years ago, out with my 5 year old daughter, we passed some graffiti: 'FUK OFF' "Daddy you'd think they would learn to spell properly before the wrote on walls". "Er, um, well, yes" |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 01 Oct 12 - 01:02 PM "Most for almost." This argument was lost years ago, with major dictionaries accepting the usage. Comment in Webster's Collegiate: "Although considered by some to be unaceptable in all cases, "most" is often used to mean "almost" in both spoken and, to a lesser extent, written English to modify the adjectives all, every and any; the pronouns all, everyone, everybody, everything, anyone, anything and anybody; and the adverbs ererywhere, anywhere and always. Other uses of this sense are dialectal." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 01 Oct 12 - 01:04 PM ererywhere? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 01 Oct 12 - 01:16 PM Alright: 1887 Comment in Webster's Collegiate: "The one word spelling "alright" appeared some 75 years after "all right" itself reappeared after a 400-year absence. Since the early 20th century some critics have insisted "alright" is wrong, but it has its defenders and its users. It is less frequent than "all right" but remains in common use esp. in journalistic and business publications. It is quite common in fictional dialogue and is used occas. in other writing (the first two years in medical school were "alright"- Gertrude Stein)." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Jack the Sailor Date: 01 Oct 12 - 01:28 PM in an alternate reality 'FUK OFF' "Daddy that is not the way you spell in the Mudcat.com". "Er, um, well, yes" |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 01 Oct 12 - 03:27 PM ...a story: I used to be a graduate teaching assistant (Philosophy) in one of those BIG classes in college,,(300+ students)...in order to expose them to a bit of what Philosophers did, we'd occasionally have visiting lecturers and offer extra credit points to students who'd attend and turn in a 1-2 page synosis of the lecture. So..one day Prof. Roderick Chisholm was to speak. The subject revolved about Epistemology, and used Hericlitus' statement that "you can't step into the same river twice" as a theme...and a few days later I had about 100 little papers to grade,(about ½ of the submissions). Here is a partial list of the Philosophers that my students told me that Prof. Chilson, Chissum, Chisom, Chisum, Chilsome...etc..referred to: ...Heraclitus, Ariolitus, Ariclides, Hericlides, Hericlydes, Periclitus, Pericles, Heroclitus, Heroclytus, Hera clites, Hariclidus, Heraklitos, Heraqitus, Hericlatus, Haricletes, Arclydas, Hericlytis, Haroclydas, Ericlidis, Airalidus, Erraclitus (I like that one!), Caraclitus, Peraclutus, Aeroclides, Procritic, St. Colitions, and....Aristotle!(spelled perfectly, and totally wrong!) Professor Chisholm's name was freely available on flyers, and Hericlitus was in their textbook...they simply didn't LOOK!..and they didn't listen, and they guessed with no idea of what they were aiming for. Yep...some of those kids may well have had real problems, but many just did not care, and at that time I was not well equipped to teach 'caring'. Seems as though it is still a tricky thing to instill. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST Date: 01 Oct 12 - 04:53 PM You were there Jack!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 01 Oct 12 - 05:40 PM What, me worry? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Nigel Parsons Date: 02 Oct 12 - 05:37 AM With regards the varying views of 'alright' and 'all right', I consider them both valid. However, I don't view them as interchangeable. For me the following definitions occur: All right: Fully correct, correct in every detail. "Did you pass that exam?" "Yes, I got it all right (100%)" Alright: Acceptable "Did you get full marks on that exam?" "No, but I did alright." Alright!: That's amazing "I passed my driving test, I can take you to that gig." "Alright!" Just my view, |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 02 Oct 12 - 06:33 AM Well, you may consider therm not interchangeable, but I never use "alright" in any circumstances (unless I'm writing to someone about the TV programme It'll Be Alright On The Night). By saying that they're not interchangeable you're telling me that my use of "all right" for everything may be incorrect in some circumstances. You may think that it's all right to say that to me but I don't. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Nigel Parsons Date: 02 Oct 12 - 07:05 AM By saying that they're not interchangeable you're telling me that my use of "all right" for everything may be incorrect in some circumstances. No, I quite clearly stated that I don't consider them to be interchangeable. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Oct 12 - 09:09 AM I use both sides of the "alright/all right" coin when I trade in English. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Mr Happy Date: 02 Oct 12 - 10:28 AM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siMFORx8uO8 |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Dr. Quelch Date: 02 Oct 12 - 11:07 AM Class, Not only am I appalled at examples of fundamental spelling errors to be found on this forum, certain contributors seem to have not an inkling of the use of capitals, proper nouns, full stops and commas, sentence construction and paragraphs. Now I have no wish to castigate these individuals since it could be the result of lax instruction on the part of their teachers, not bringing to the students attention the errors of their ways. It may be that those charged with teaching our youngsters are not best fitted to the post since their own knowledge of written English leaves much to be desired. Is it possible there is a school of thought in some of our educational establishments that considers punctuation and spelling irrelevant? Do they justify this by asserting that "texting" is the way forward? On the other hand the student also must be held to account as well as the family showing interest in his or her progress. We are still surrounded by excellent examples of the written word in books, newspapers and magazines and they are all at our disposal, free, gratis and for nothing. Surely if we can read then we can see how it`s done and learn by example. So let us help those, where we can, with our little knowledge by tactfully advising them of their mistakes and of how to correct them. Their futures and fortunes could enhanced by an ability to understand and communicate when they are subject to the maelstrom of adult life and it`s attendant problems. And remember the school motto. "COULD DO BETTER" Dr.Quelch. (VD&Scar., BSA& Clips) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,DrWord Date: 02 Oct 12 - 11:13 AM the maelstrom of adult life and it`s attendant problems. Could do better, DrQ. DrW |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Oct 12 - 11:20 AM Touché. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,DrWord Date: 02 Oct 12 - 11:23 AM lol {apparently that's spelled incorrectly} cheers triple niner |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Oct 12 - 11:25 AM In the spirit of the good Dr Quelch's post, "it's" has two and ONLY two uses in English. It is a contraction for it is or it has. That's it, that's all. LOL and back atcha, Dr Word. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Dr. Quelch Date: 02 Oct 12 - 11:42 AM Ouch!, Yaroo! I`ve just administered six of the best |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Oct 12 - 11:56 AM Dr Q: I like a guy/gal who can dish it out and take it with a sense of humour. Good on yer! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 02 Oct 12 - 12:00 PM ALRIGHT ALREADY!! |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,999 Date: 02 Oct 12 - 12:06 PM LOL, Mr Q. Good thing there's no Mr P posting, else we'd be minding our Ps and Qs. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bugsy Date: 02 Oct 12 - 08:20 PM I'm a little afraid to post to this thread as I feel that once I start there will be no stopping me. That said, here's 3 items that I found amusing. 1. On Australias Biggest Loser, a contestant stated, "I just can't believe it. I trained harder than ever and ate all the right foods and still put on 3 kilos.... it just doesn't EQUIVELATE." 2. Another Contestant. "When we went into our last training session, I knew this would be the training session to end all training sessions." 3. I was following a car the other day and noticed a bumper sticker that read, "HONK IF YOUR IRISH". When I got home, I posted this on face book with the comment, "My Irish what?" No one seemed to get it. I've since explained this to several people of differing ages and the general feedback I get is "Who cares. You know what it means don't you?" The problem is I know what it's SUPPOSED to Mean butI don't know what it MEANS. Cheers Bugsy |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 02 Oct 12 - 08:40 PM not bringing to the students attention the errors of their ways. Touché feelé, Dr Quelch. I'll let you off the extraneous full stop after "Dr" this time, as, for all I know, you may be one o' them thar yanks. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 02 Oct 12 - 09:26 PM Dr no stop? Obviously from the old side of the water. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Dr. Quelch Date: 03 Oct 12 - 06:25 AM Dear Steve Shaw, I am most grateful for your observations but would point out that an apostophe after" students" is not necessary since it refers to a plural group and ends in "s". It may be modern convention to add it but the above form is still valid. if antiquated.(See The Oxford Companion to the English Language, Page 75) The same applies to the addition of the full stop to titles such as Dr., Mr. and Mrs. It may be increasingly omitted by writers of today but, nevertheless, it must still be regarded as valid. (See The O.C.to the E.L., Page 793) Now, where was I? Ah yes! "Come in Bunter. I wish to discuss your dreadful prep." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 03 Oct 12 - 07:09 AM "...not bringing to the students' attention" does indeed require the apostrophe. "Students'" here is the possessive case. Omitting the apostrophe betrays nothing less than a tendency towards the illiterate. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,kendall Date: 03 Oct 12 - 07:16 AM People who think they know it all really annoy we who do. Lizzie, why do we have to choose between floods or grammar? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 03 Oct 12 - 07:31 AM People who think they know it all really annoy we who do. Shouldn't that be "us what do?" :-) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: mayomick Date: 03 Oct 12 - 09:25 AM I remember one good teacher played this one on our class . Teacher : Which is the correct form to use:"do not" or "don't"? Would somebody in the class please put it into a simple sentence? For instance "I do not like chocolate" , or "I don't like chocolate?" Pupil : I do not like chocolate Teacher: Alright, you ain't fucking get any. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: John P Date: 03 Oct 12 - 09:59 AM A slightly tangential anecdote: A poetry instructor warns his students against torturing syntax in order to fit it into a rhythm and rhyme scheme, "up with which I will not put". |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 03 Oct 12 - 10:15 AM That is usually attributed to Winston Churchill...but... *shrug*... a good story eventually gets attributed to many people. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 03 Oct 12 - 10:21 AM Ah-HA! Google knows all! (It didn't a few years ago when I first tried to chase down that "up with which" story. lookee here |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 03 Oct 12 - 10:26 AM And in the linked article, there is a link to an earlier story which makes almost exactly my point about famous people in its intro. http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/~myl/languagelog/archives/001715.html |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: JohnInKansas Date: 03 Oct 12 - 04:25 PM A report on a recent Republican whinge about some Homeland Security operations (begun by Bush & continued under Obama - maybe(?)) includes the statement: The report said the retention of these reports also appears to contradict Homeland Security's own guidelines, which state that once a determination is made that a document should not be retained, "The U.S person identifying information is to be destroyed immediately." [Boldface for the apparent subject of the sentence added.] I guess I ain't gonna tell 'em nuthin, if that's their attitude. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Lighter Date: 03 Oct 12 - 04:51 PM Many years ago I had an English-instructor friend whose office on the campus of a large university bore a sign saying, "SPELL IT RIGHT OR GO TO HELL." It didn't help any. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 04 Oct 12 - 10:07 AM I'm not surprised it didn't help. Sometimes we make mistakes because our fingers are typing faster than our brains are thinking. For example, I have a friend named Iris, and my fingers will often type Irish for her name. I try to catch it but sometimes fail. Some people's brains simply are not attuned to spelling. They need sympathy and guidance, not cuss words. ======= As for the 'authorities' who say things like "Most is the same as almost now because so many careless people use it that way", I have one thing to say. Go through the book by that professor, columnist or pundit and see if he makes the mistake himself. You will find he doesn't. Neither does he split infinitives or write dangling modifiers, even though he writes that it is legit to do so. That's because he wants his own stuff to be considered high-quality, literate writing so he can keep his job. I consider that two-faced. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,Lighter Date: 04 Oct 12 - 02:05 PM Typing too fast wasn't the problem. The problem was not not learning how to spell in high school. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 04 Oct 12 - 05:19 PM If you don't get 'basic' spelling by 5th or 6th grade, it's very hard to fill in the techniques later. There's always room for improvement though. My problem here is not being a touch typist. I have to look at my fingers....and I spell out words in my head as I type, and I do it mentally faster than my fingers, which results in typing the next lttre (see?) before the needed one. That's why I depend on a program that 'beeps' when it questions my spelling. People 'set' their learning systems differently.... some are visual, some auditory. A combination of those can make learning to spell easier. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 04 Oct 12 - 07:31 PM Hi, Bill. I know what you mean. I often see typos that occurred because they typist was thinking about a letter a few spaces ahead. For example, "The loqo is unique." The typist was intrigued by the q to come, so accidentally put a q in 'logo.' |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 04 Oct 12 - 08:32 PM I type with two fingers and I couldn't do it at all until I got a computer in 2002. All you have to do is proofread what you've typed. I hate making mistakes. I spend far more time checking what I've done than I do typing it in the first place. Sometimes I need to check my grammar and punctuation, but spellcheckers are alien to me. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 04 Oct 12 - 10:59 PM "spellcheckers are alien to me." Hmm? Why? One saves my butt every day. It checks AS I type, as I use 2 fingers also. http://tinyspell.numerit.com/ You tell it which dictionary to use (as in UK or US...etc.) and it beeps and YOU click a btter (arrghh..."click*)better word that it suggests..or not. It changes the word instantly. If I am typing anything long, I can put a 'box' right above this area so I don't even have to look at the tray. Best thing since sliced bread! (unless you like to slice your own bread) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bugsy Date: 05 Oct 12 - 01:18 AM My spell checker keeps telling me that 'Colour' is the incorrect spelling for 'Colour' and that 'Color' is the correct spelling for 'Colour'. It doesn't matter if I select UK or US English, it still tells me the same. Now I'm going to sulk in the corner. Cheers Bugsy |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 05 Oct 12 - 05:18 AM I don't need a spelchekker. That's what I ment. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: GUEST,leeneia Date: 05 Oct 12 - 09:09 AM Thanks for the chuckle, Steve. I have found that if I check something too soon, I don't find my errors. Apparently my brain is primed to see what it expects to see. After an hour, I see the errors. I don't believe mere posts are worth the wait. A letter to a doctor or a bank, yes... |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 05 Oct 12 - 11:30 AM well... MY spell checker tells me that 'colour' is NOT correct. I sulk in the corner over other things.... like the absence of a logic checker. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: JohnInKansas Date: 05 Oct 12 - 01:40 PM In my word processor (MS Word) both spelling and grammar can be checked "on the fly" as you type. While I do use the spell check occasionally for words about which I suffer from "temporary uncertainty" I find that usually the "grammar check" is simply wrong, so I ignore its suggestions or just turn it off most of the time. Fortunately there is the additional feature called "autoreplace" and since it executes after the spelling and grammar checks it can be easily used to override errors in the prior functions. An automated feature to detect "caps lock errors" automatically changes upper case characters to lower case unless they follow a period (full stop) and space. This makes it impossible to type a number of "corporate names" that mix upper and lower case in the same "word." You can, however, put the correct typography into the autoreplace as "always replace" [whatever the spell check wants] with [what you really want] so that it will be automatically changed back after the checkers have changed it to wrong. In the case of color vs colour, if you put "always replace color with colour" into the automatically replace as you type function, you should never see the "spellchecker's" incorrect correction again. (If your word processor includes the necessary smarts.) The effective use of these functions is significantly more difficult in newer versions of Word (2007 and later) but that's just because Microsoft is adhering to its new motto "Only Idiots will buy our stuff" and have dutifully removed or hidden/obscured anything that someone who isn't an idiot might use. You can work around some of it. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Steve Shaw Date: 05 Oct 12 - 02:12 PM Caps Lock is the most useless key in the world. The first thing I do to any new keyboard is disable the damn thing. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 05 Oct 12 - 02:55 PM Spell check is for idiots, but it is easy to remove. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 05 Oct 12 - 06:20 PM As those who know me might guess, I have a pet program to control CAPSLOCK also. FirstCap It does almost anything you want with the key... if you haven't already removed it... *grin* |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: JohnInKansas Date: 05 Oct 12 - 07:26 PM Once again, Bill D asserts his belief that it's better to have a separate program for each little trick than to learn to use what's built into ONE PROGRAM that can do them all. I will admit that RTFM is a foreign term to many. Unfortunately, since the most recent incarnations of Word (and Office programs in general) I can no longer recommend RTFM as a solution for his problems, as there is no "FM"to which one can apply the "RT" instruction. Just as Adobe must accept complete blame for the existence of Apple (early Macs implemented vector graphics that were extensively used in Adobe programs while "Windowish" programs didn't) Adobe has degenerated into being the primary source of malware vulnerabilities in all computers, while Microsoft has destroyed their flagships and turned them into toys useful only in kiddie pools in the backyard. Power to ya Bill D. (But you can still easily turn off the CapsLoc "correction" in Word, which turns it off in all Office programs, if you learned how to do it before they emasculated the program and removed all the useful Help.) John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bert Date: 06 Oct 12 - 01:16 AM Soon after I left school (at 15) I was unhappy with my spelling. I made a list of the twenty words that gave me the most trouble, and took the effort to learn them. It worked like a charm. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: JohnInKansas Date: 06 Oct 12 - 03:10 AM Back in the mid 40s or early 50s the Readers Digest ran occasional short "inserts" on words people have trouble spelling, and they encouraged people to send in their candidates for publication. I still remember the contributor (most likely a pharmacist?) who complained I just cannot teach my secretary to spell bishydroxycoumarine ... [with a list of a dozen others of similar kind, at least some of which are probably spelled differently by now]. It still amazes me that such a simple word would stick so firmly in the mind of a 7 or 8 year old kid half a century later. Maybe it qualifies for "earworm" status? John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Doug Chadwick Date: 06 Oct 12 - 03:14 AM I will admit that RTFM is a foreign term to many. RTFM ? |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Doug Chadwick Date: 06 Oct 12 - 03:17 AM It's OK. I have worked it out now DC |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: DMcG Date: 06 Oct 12 - 03:46 AM As another example of the things I objected to in my opening post, Avis Car Hire's website has just invited me to check car "availabilty". |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 06 Oct 12 - 04:44 PM Ah, John... I almost NEVER use Word. My wife has the 2000 version, but I find it's like killing flies with a shotgun for the little word processing/editing I do.... and all those silly little tricks that are not a basic part of editing seem to me to 'usually' work better in a program designed especially for a single task or related tasks...and many 'little tricks' are automated and don't require me to "turn on & off" some setting....hence my CapSloCk behaves itself 98% of the time. (I vaguely remember that one can do email & newsgroups in a browser, also.... but....) Because I use only very basic editing of text and HTML, I have several 'easier' editors, from a VERY basic sort to save simple text, to one that will do 94.318% of what Word will do. ... and after reading your comments about how MS has mucked up Word the last few iterations, I feel sorta smug... (You... ummm.. don't wanta know how many media players, image viewers, and file managers I have.. ☺) |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: JohnInKansas Date: 06 Oct 12 - 08:00 PM Bill - Because of contract requirements back when we used to work for a living, it was necessary for us to use Office programs, since the printers and other associated people insisted that everything they also read, edited, or printed had to be in Word. (But sometimes exported as !PS files.) With the older versions, there were actually good help files, and it wasn't too hard to do some rather complex things, and trivial to do anything simple, once you found the instructions. Since Office 2007, there have been NO HELP FILES in the program, and any search in Help gets nothing but the recommendation that you consult the "social networking support pages." For one fairly trivial problem I found "a few hundred" pages of queries about the problem. Detailed examination of a few more than 80 separate pages found lots of "answers" - ALL 100% WRONG and a good dozen that would destroy your computer if you tried to use them. There was NO COMMENT in any of them that could be reasonably interpreted as indicating interest by Microsoft. VERY NEARLY all the old methods still work, if you remember the keyboard shortcuts to get to them, but there's no way for anyone new to the program to learn how to do much of anything that a third grader wouldn't know instinctively how to do without help. Even though I'm no longer "locked into" Word, I still find it convenient to use it even when I want a simple plain text file (most often for a .bat to do something) since the most available other option is Notepad, which has limited file size capabilities and poor search and replace. The "official" limits for Word aren't all that great, but I've found that many of them can be ignored. (I have a couple of single .doc files that won't fit on a CD so I have to put them on DVDs if I want to mail one of them somewhere.) Since I've only got about 8 TB of hard drives handy for operating, archives, backup, and storage, for 3 computers, space for adding "trivially convenient" accessory programs is a little limited. (Of course I've got a handful of smaller HDs, 500GB and smaller, but they're only good for temporary stuff.) Just on my main C:\ drive, omitting programs, in my documents folder a "DIR *.* /s >files.txt" writes a 1700 page text file list of the files in that folder. Unfortunately(?) hardly any of the data I have would be of interest to anyone else, so I've left instructions that my hard drives be buried "with honors" when I'm gone. I care less about what's done with my bones. John |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Bill D Date: 06 Oct 12 - 10:19 PM Yep.. I remember that you spent years locked into MS products... you learned a good lot of the tricks, but I don't envy you. (And you DO seem to have personal requirements that are not exactly average... I have maybe 15,000 song files, and I can still fii them all on one external drive!) Ah well, "Different drives for different lives" |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: HuwG Date: 07 Oct 12 - 03:54 PM I recently had to send a form to the DVLA (Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority, in Britain). The luddites there forced me to download and print a seven-page PDF file, fill it in with black ink and post it to them. Why it is infeasible to fill it in and submit it online, I don't know, but that's by the by. One section said correctly, "GP's name". Adjacent to it was another section, which said "Consultants name". Did anyone proof-read this form before making it available for download? In my parents' day, public bodies were notorious for picking up minor solecisms in forms submitted to them, and sending them back to the person or organisation who had sent it and demand that they correct it before it could be accepted e.g. "Please insert a comma between the first and second items in the list of articles to which this form applies". I am very tempted indeed to send my form to the DVLA unsigned and undated, with a covering note requesting them to insert the necessary apostrophe before I am prepared to submit it. Unfortunately, they could claim that by doing so, I am failing to notify them of a medical condition as required by law, and fine me £1,000, so they rather have the initiative. |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Q (Frank Staplin) Date: 07 Oct 12 - 10:20 PM From an actual detention slip issued by the teacher: "Student threw sandwhich across class screaming *yolo." *you only live once From several slips shown on www.shawconnect.ca Shawconnect is a Calgary cable provider. They also make mistakes- The heading on a news item about an actress reads "Taylor Swift is never not shocked at everything." |
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Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors From: Dave MacKenzie Date: 18 Oct 12 - 07:10 PM Just to update. I went to David Crystal's lecture last night, and it lived up to my expectations, though he apologized for having to also talk about the History of English in 100 words and the Chester Miracle Plays. Crystal is always an entertaining lecturer and makes no apologies for not adding anything to what's already in the book. If he's talking in next year's Chester Literature Festival, I'll be back. |
