BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors

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.

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.

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.

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,

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Oct 12 - 05:40 PM

What, me worry?

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: GUEST
Date: 01 Oct 12 - 04:53 PM

You were there Jack!!

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.

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"

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)."

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 01 Oct 12 - 01:04 PM

ererywhere?

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."

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"

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.

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.

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................

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.

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

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.")

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.

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..."

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

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.

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!

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

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].

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

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

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.

Subject: RE: BS: Grumpy about Spelling Errors
From: Q (Frank Staplin)
Date: 30 Sep 12 - 12:19 PM

Spelling errers?

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.

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.

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.


:-)

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!

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.....

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...

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<<<<<

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 …."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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.

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

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!

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?)

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.

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