How important is spelling and punctuation to you?

[newbury]

I realize this is a world wide forum and many members do not have English as their native language.
However, for the "run of the mill" TBN'er I think that most of us have made it at least partially thru high school and I know we ALL have computers.

Yet frequently I read posts with atrocious spelling and/or no punctuation. Usually one can "read around" poor spelling but sometimes misspelled words can totally change the meaning. On my system if I misspell a word spell check underlines it in red. And I see a lot of red.

Poor punctuation, to me, is worse. Often if I see a post with 10 or more lines and no periods or carriage returns I'll ignore the post until someone else cleans it up.

Recently I had an instance (not on TBN) where I was "flamed", the poster put it all in one big block and misspelled frequently, but not consistently. Then after I replied, showing I had not done what he thought I had done and used his own misspellings in quotes, he took offense in a reply. Then afterwards he PM'd me that after he reread my original post he realized he had misinterpreted it and was wrong, but he couldn't spell and it was too late, "can't teach an old dog new tricks".

Are we doing wrong when we attempt to get posters to spell and use punctuation?

For those who don't think so:

I realize this is a world wide forum and many mebers do not have English as their native language however, for the "run of the mill" TBN'er I think that most of us have made it at least partially thru high school and I know we ALL have computers yet freqently I read posts with atrocous spelling and/or no puntuation. Usually one can "read around" poor spelling but sometimes mispelled words can totally change the meaning on my system if I mispell a word spellheck underlines it in red poor and I see a lot of red punctation, to me, is worse often if I see a post with 10 or more lines and no periods or cariage returns I'll ignore the post until someone else cleans it up recently I had an intance (not on TBN) where I was "flamed", the poster put it all in one big block and mispelled freqently, but not consistently then after I replied, showing I had not done what he thought I had done and used his own mispellings in quotes, he took ofense in a reply then afterwards he PM'd me that after he reread my original post he realized he had misinterpreted it and was wrong but he couldn't spell and it was too late "can't teach an old dog new tricks are we doing wrong when we attempt to get posters to spell and use punctuation?

 

[Looking4new]

I am not what some people would call a 'grammar nazi', but having said that.....The very best we can do is lead by example and hope that the poor spellers 'get it'.
Punctuation, in my mind is just plain laziness.

 

[dave1949]

I sure appreciate it when folks take the time to make their posts easy to read and correct spelling errors. I don't wade through most of the run-on forever posts that look like your example. If the poster's intent is to communicate with such writing they are falling short.

It seems smart phone posts are difficult to edit with ease, that accounts for some of the challenges.

 

[check]

Hay, u guyz, gust beecuz i kant spel sew gud yew dont hav to pik on meee!,,.

 

[JDgreen227]

Hay, u guyz, gust beecuz i kant spel sew gud yew dont hav to pik on meee!,,.

Whatchu tring two teluz....? :laughing:

Actually, as one of the major chit-chatters here on TBN, I am more concerned about proper spelling than correcting sloppy punctuation. I never use a tablet or smartphone for TBN because I find them incredibly frustrating to use when trying to correct an error in one of my posts.

 

[Looking4new]

Hay, u guyz, gust beecuz i kant spel sew gud yew dont hav to pik on meee!,,.

I'm not picking on you directly, but all poor spellers, who don't know what punctuation and spell check are all about.

How is the weather down there in the 'big smoke'? (Toronna)

 

[oosik]

I'm not going to go ballistic if there are some spelling errors or punctuation problems. HOWEVER, that being said - if the post is anything like newbury's example - I will bypass it. I only have vision in one eye and attempting to track the lines in that example are nearly impossible for me.

Likewise - when somebody is looking for info or advise or trying to get their point across, it would sure be nice if they took the time to ensure that the critical words are correctly spelled.

I can't count the number of times I've tried to help provide an answer but have no idea what the OP is talking about because the critical descriptive word(s) are misspelled.

 

[boblibido]

We all make mistakes. Some make more than others. Maybe we can forgive those who just don't know, or maybe we should correct the errors. I don't know the answer.

Regardless, if I have to try too hard to decipher a message, I generally stop reading it.

 

[GaryLock]

I feel that I try to convey my thoughts across with the same level of presence that I do in life by choosing wording that shows I am educated on a matter. Having correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation is something that I obviously strive for, but sometimes make a mistake, or use the famously overused 'comma' to break an idea, and better explain myself in words, not face-to-face and using hand expressions. (Or have a run-on sentence like I purposely just did.) I've been in life situations spanning from Army Infantry to Engineering, and now I am an Oncology Nurse. I know that the way I present myself in a situation is what makes a big difference to my audience. Would I ever correct the grammar of my patients or old clients? No. Why would I embarrass someone in a public forum and point out their flaws? I think it is pompous to do so, and I think of what a pompous azz someone is whenever I see it done out here in forum-land.

 

[s219]

I agree on the line spacing and punctuation, plus using capital letters to lead off sentences is good. I can forgive minor spelling problems. But when I see someone rattle on in all lower case with no sentence structure, I picture a lazy mumbling idiot. Even though they could be an intelligent, perfectly understandable person, and it may have been right in their head when they started typing, any logic is lost. I don't work to hard to convert it back to understandable conversation, and will move on.

Sometimes it seems like the people coming here for help with a mechanical/operation problem are the worst, and that is a heck of a way to make a first post asking for help. When I ask for help, I try to make it as clear as I can.

Ironically, my spelling has gotten worse with the darn autocorrect that takes over in most browsers now. Usually it replaces words I mean to type with something else (especially complex words). If I don't catch it, it's garbage. I have to spend more time reviewing and correcting my posts than before.