Thread: Proper Grammar/spelling

In my opinion, it's important. If you don't stick to the same spellings and grammar as everyone else, we'd soon have the language fall apart and fall into distinct variations (just like crazy American English). And that's just ugly. Sure, it's not an evident problem now with some silly variations like "u r so gewd", but grammar does convey meaning just as much as the words themselves. That and you just look stupid. Ha-ha!

I saw this thread and agree that people should use proper grammar and spelling. Although, I have been guilty of getting carried away in a long story somtimes and just forgetting the whole of my education.

This thread also reminded me of an interview Ali G did with Andy Rooney. Enjoy

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=NpDyJObCKOY

Some things are more a matter of style, but I do agree that it doesn't matter what medium you're typing in, be it a thesis or some myspace; confusing their/they're/there, or your/you're (all of which are 100% logical) makes you sound like you're a few chips short of a fish dinner.

Some mistakes, I am more fogiving on. Like if you misspell "consistent" by writing "consistant"... yeah, you screwed up, but on some level, that's a failure of the language. But at the same time, if you misspell ridiculous ("rEdiculous"), that's more annoying.

And it's not that I'm a grammar nazi and will call you out for these things. I won't say "you have to correct your grammar or else I won't dignify your post with an answer," but everyone has a "reading voice" and... Well, if you write like a retard, my reading voice will automatically change to make you sound like a retard, which just subconsciously takes away from your credibility.

Example. Seeker writes, "Joy and temperance and repose slam the door on the doctor's nose". - Longfellow

Now if I quote seeker quoting Longfellow I ????

Thankas!

On this forum I always try to use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. I feel that this type of community is one where sharing thoughts and knowledge is key - and so to write using any unclear style is to limit my potential to achieve my goal on this forum. On other forums and chat applications, however, you'll see me use every abbreviation and break every rule in the book. The reason is simple - it saves time, and I'm only trying to communicate, not persuade or envelop people.

I also feel there is a large correlation between maturity and proper grammar when your only tool to communicate is text. I can imagine many teens wouldn't make this assumption which is why the younger generation (I'm not so old myself...) embraces internet slang.

Originally Posted by pokilty

On this forum I always try to use proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc. I feel that this type of community is one where sharing thoughts and knowledge is key - and so to write using any unclear style is to limit my potential to achieve my goal on this forum. On other forums and chat applications, however, you'll see me use every abbreviation and break every rule in the book. The reason is simple - it saves time, and I'm only trying to communicate, not persuade or envelop people.

I also feel there is a large correlation between maturity and proper grammar when your only tool to communicate is text. I can imagine many teens wouldn't make this assumption which is why the younger generation (I'm not so old myself...) embraces internet slang.

I agree.
.
.
Maybe I am in the wrong thread.
I think there is one around where you ask questions.

Example. Seeker writes, "Joy and temperance and repose slam the door on the doctor's nose". - Longfellow

Now if I quote seeker quoting Longfellow I ????

But to answer the original question I type the way I do because that is the way I learned 0_o ~Badly

Originally Posted by pokilty

I also feel there is a large correlation between maturity and proper grammar when your only tool to communicate is text. I can imagine many teens wouldn't make this assumption which is why the younger generation (I'm not so old myself...) embraces internet slang.

Well, then! Haha, I'd like to consider myself a bit of a success story... I'm only fifteen, and I learned how to type entirely on AIM, where quick slang is favorable to slow precision typing. When I started posting on forums, I did start out using my internet slang (lots of lols and generally poor sentence structure).

So, what made me change? Two things. First of all, I cared about what I was saying (it was a political forum). I wanted my ideas to be clear and understandable to avoid them being overlooked or dismissed. Second, every time I read a post by someone using internet slang (ESPECIALLY 'u' and numbers) I find myself using an unnecessarily loud, disjointed and childish reading voice (in my head). I figured that unless I wanted people to see me as... special... in their mind's eye, I had better start shaping up.

I generally have no problem with slang and abbreviations used during real time chats, because they're efficient - there's no denying that. However, when someone has ample time to compose a well-thought out paragraph and instead dashes out near-nonsensical numbers and one-letter abbreviations... it just seems careless to me. If I'm taking the care to make myself clear, it can be insulting to have someone respond in such a manner.

I also find that speaking eloquently online makes you speak eloquently in your head, which in turn makes you speak eloquently in real life. That, in my opinion, is a priceless skill. People will take you seriously despite your age if you can hold your own in an intelligent conversation with adults.