Spelling and grammar

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

It's a UK bike, thus does not have tires fitted.

What if they were imported from the US?

[SoulKiss]

Originally Posted by Kinvig

What if they were imported from the US?

UK Customs and Excise would sort it out for you, delay it for a week and then charge you 25% of the cost of the SV for their troubles.

Oh and your mate in the states sticking a "Happy Birthday" sticker on the tank and writing gift on the Customs Form will probably not make much difference...

[yorkie_chris]

Originally Posted by barwel1992

Now YC i didn't say i wouldn't try did i, so stop getting all defensive and read it carefully, i sead i wouldn't go out of my way, meaning I'm not going to make sure its perfect But i will use spell checker IF i can and will make sure it makes sense to the best of my abilities.


i don't want you to take this the wrong way YC but do you understand where I'm coming from?

Making sure it is intelligible to the best of your abilities is what any reasonable person would consider making an effort for the benefit of all. If you're doing that, problem solved.

Originally Posted by BanannaMan

And at least one .org'er knows why.

I am pants.
That is all.

Because you're a Yank?

[Bri w]

I'd happily sit down over a pint with anyone and have a conversation, either face to face or via this virtual world. I couldn't give a monkey's toss about your spelling or your grammer, just glad of the company and the chat/banter. Let's face it, it's more about the content than the ';*/,.\... and is the;'~'# in the right place.

That said, if someone feels the need to be fussy, then so be it. I'm not going to lose sleep over that either.

Eat, drink and be merry... and live life to the full.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by Sid Squid

But it does matter.

Anyway I'll quote myself from one of the stickies at the top of T&T:



My overall feeling on the subject: It's my responsibility to make myself understood, it is incumbent upon me to make what I write easily understandable, if you don't understand me then it is my failing.
Know what? I think the reverse is true too.
We have a wonderful language, it's one of the main things that separates us from grunting animals, it can have nuance and finesse, it can be succinct or even plain terse, or it can be verbose and floral, it can be gloriously communicative, or it can be vandalised and stunted.
Which would you choose? What would actually want for yours?

PS. I suffer from lysdexia* too - it's a sorry, sorry excuse for not trying.

* Did you see what I did there? Ain't language fun!

PPS I screw it up only too often myself, mea culpa!
My defence: Making a mistake is oh-so-different from not caring.

I think Sid makes an excellent point here, one which has been largely ignored by the 'spelling and grammar don't count' camp. To make yourself understood, use of good English is important. Sid's point about it being up to the poster to make their post intelligible is spot on IMO.

I have been guilty in the past of picking people up on their use of English and do not regret it. If people are not aware of their failure to communicate clearly, how will they manage to improve? I have sympathy for those with dyslexia, my son has it, but I have never allowed him to use it as an excuse for not writing clearly. Just take a little more time to write something that makes sense.

Good for you! - some people are very rude indeed - I would never pick up on someones spelling or grammar because you can never rule out that they may have dyslexia and besides that it's petty and picky! My OH is dyslexic and even when he is doing his paperwork and asks me how to spell easy words ie clean or door) I always help him.

I'm lucky - English and Literature is my forté but I still make spelling and grammar mistakes sometimes! I'm dyscalculic and wouldn't be happy if anyone took the pee out of me for that (I'll bet your better at maths than I could ever hope to be!!)

Regardless of dyslexia; reading and writing is a skill, not an ability.

Regular reading and a concerted effort at correct grammar and spelling is the only way to ever improve.

Frickin' read FTW

[ophic]

not everyone suffers from the same type or severity of dyslexia. DP uses a lot of numbered lists - this is a great way of making things clear. Likewise, Barwel separates his sentences into new lines or paragraphs - this also makes his posts clear.

We all skip words occasionally when excited or distracted. Most of us won't even notice we're doing it, as its right in our head. I don't think this has anything to do with dyslexia.

I can figure out most txt speak, l33tspeak is a lot worse, but even if you work out what the words are meant to be, you usually get scuppered by the lack of punctuation. Punctuation is more important than right/write or your/you're/yore or their/there/they're imho. It doesn't have to be correct punctuation either - a new line can be just as effective as a full stop in separating sentences - and yes I know I should use semicolons not dashes

Good English is important in certain critical areas only, usually where there would be ambiguity otherwise. If the meaning is clear, its not essential.

I've not read all the posts ... and certainly wouldn't pick on someone for being dyslexic, or not being great at grammar or language SO LONG AS THEY TRY ...

The OP on here seems like a jolly nice chap ... and all I would ask is that he tries his hardest, to make each item he writes as correct as possible !!!

Not for me .... or the other posters on here ........ but for himself, and his future careers, etc ....

cheers for the replies

it seems like the general consensus is as long as it makes sense and is not a jumble of words and i at least try to make it as easy to understand as it can be

now i don't intend to use spell check for the more laid back answered or banter on the forum but i will make the best effort to use spell check on posts that need them EG explaining how to do something or informative posts like this.

and when/ if you meet me in person you wouldent even know im dyslexic