spelling in stories

[andiwant]

i frequent Literotica.com about daily and read stories from about all the categories.
As i read i tend to correct/want to correct spelling in a lot of the stories. I use English UK as i grew up with this.
i'm available to help with this if required.
please submit or contact me on my email as registered.

 

[sr71plt]

Well if you are used to UK spellings and you're reading on a predominantly U.S. system site, I suppose you'll see a lot that you think is mispelled (but isn't).

It probably wouldn't help a writer here to contact you unless they also want their stories in the UK system.

 

[MikeIvy]

Spelling in text or dialog?

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

One of the stickies at the top of this page is entitled The Final List of “do”s and “don’t”s of using a Volunteer Editor.

Item 7 of that list is:
The very last moment before sending something to a VE, DO run a spell check. The editor is a volunteer and does not want to spend precious time finding the words you cannot speel.

So why the question? And why the need for the VE to check the spelling?

 

[andiwant]

spelling and grammar

I'm well aware of spelling differences between american english and english as spoken in the rest of the world. I'm also aware of quite a number of authors that are not english and are submitting their stories on this site.
I'm only offering to help those that need help and don't intend "correcting", eg. color to colour, neighbor to neighbour, ya or yea to yes, etc.
I also do find grammar mistakes that normally come from typing errors rather than ignorance. I make them myself and don't necessarily see this before submitting the piece.
If you need examples I can post this as well. If you don't need help you don't need help and that's okay too.

 

[Smooth_Steve]

i frequent Literotica.com about daily and read stories from about all the categories.
As i read i tend to correct/want to correct spelling in a lot of the stories. I use English UK as i grew up with this.
i'm available to help with this if required.
please submit or contact me on my email as registered.

But there are 6 spelling mistakes in your post, so what help are you going to be?

 

[andiwant]

spelling

Thanks for editing my thread on spelling. Please show the mistakes so that I can fix them.

 

[sr71plt]

I'd be happy to see the spelling mistakes too, as I didn't see any. I did see punctuation, capitalization, and word transposition ("English UK") mistakes, but no spelling mistakes.

You do have an irritating lack of capitalization for a literary site. I wouldn't use you as a proofreader on that alone, as proper working with words doesn't seem to be an interest of yours.

 

[Smooth_Steve]

Capitalisation and punctuation errors are spelling mistakes.

 

[sr71plt]

Capitalisation and punctuation errors are spelling mistakes.

Ummm, no they aren't. They are capitalization and punctuation errors. Capitalization is presentation, not spelling. And punctuation has nothing at all to do with word spelling.

But, regardless. Anyone who doesn't use capitalization isn't taking editing very seriously.

 

[Smooth_Steve]

Ummm, no they aren't. They are capitalization and punctuation errors. Capitalization is presentation, not spelling. And punctuation has nothing at all to do with word spelling.

But, regardless. Anyone who doesn't use capitalization isn't taking editing very seriously.

I think you'll find book publishers class capitalisation and punctuation errors as spelling mistakes.

 

[sr71plt]

I think you'll find book publishers class capitalisation and punctuation errors as spelling mistakes.

Umm, no. I work in book publishing. We don't distinguish errors that way. The cut at errors is AE (author error), HE (house error), and PE (printer's error).

Give it up. You don't know what you're talking about.

 

[DomRick]

Not to pick sides in a dog-fight, but I'm going highjack anyway.

SR71 - I've always enjoyed your stories in style, character development and content. Now I enjoy your wit in a different forum. Well done and, please, keep playing the good game.

You may now return to your regular programming. Be well.

 

[sr71plt]

Not to pick sides in a dog-fight, but I'm going highjack anyway.

SR71 - I've always enjoyed your stories in style, character development and content. Now I enjoy your wit in a different forum. Well done and, please, keep playing the good game.

You may now return to your regular programming. Be well.

Why, thanks, Dad.

 

[ishtat]

I'm well aware of spelling differences between american english and english as spoken in the rest of the world.

The English as written in the rest of the world does not follow British English as slavishly as you imagine. For example if you come to Sydney and buy a newspaper the Sydney Morning Herald will follow British spelling conventions but the Australian will be thoroughly American.

In India until very recently the English language papers were British English in spelling and style, but not modern British English. Until the late nineties at least their newspapers were written in the British English of the very early twentieth century. South African English also tends to have an old fashioned style of expression

The trick is, I think, to be consistent and always write consistently to the convention one knows best though any reasonably literate person should be able to switch spelling conventions and get it 90% right.

More important sometimes is the need to know differences in the meaning or use of words, for examples, an American might say fit where a Brit would use the word fitted, Americans use the words irritate and aggravate rather differently to Brits, and if an American says something is a redundant system he might mean it is a back up wheras a Brit usually means it is of no use and can be discarded.

American conventions are largely contained in the CMS and Websters with the British in "Fowlers Modern English Usage" and the OED. If one uses the latest, that is, Burchfields edition of "Fowlers Modern English Usage" that eliminates most of the contoversy which Fowler delighted in with the 1926 edition of his work.

Although I argued for consistency above and generally follow the British conventions I will admit to always following the American convention for inverted commas for speech. In that respect the American punctuation (not spelling!) is simply superior.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

Much more interesting than the categorisation of errors, which is when all said and done merely a naming convention is the Poll choice.

I find it difficult to decide between the two possible votes. It seems that others have the same problem, since nobody has voted.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

But there are 6 spelling mistakes in your post, so what help are you going to be?

You're a jackass. A person comes forward willing to help and all you can do is heckle. Fuck you very much, you can go away now... scoot!

Pick on me if you desire, call me what you will, but leave the newbies alone.

 

[sr71plt]

I think the essential point is that someone who doesn't use even the most basic rules of writing isn't going to be much of a help as a proofreader or editor.

 

[AsylumSeeker]

I think the essential point is that someone who doesn't use even the most basic rules of writing isn't going to be much of a help as a proofreader or editor.

I agree. Let us also agree that one who arbitrarily condemns another as a "bigot", without cause, is nothing but a "bigot" himself/herself (one neevr knows the sex behind the name).

I don't hate "all" brits, lol.

 

[sr71plt]

I agree. Let us also agree that one who arbitrarily condemns another as a "bigot", without cause, is nothing but a "bigot" himself/herself (one neevr knows the sex behind the name).

I don't hate "all" brits, lol.

Who is to say that one doesn't have cause? Certainly not the one being called a bigot. It would need to be a disinterested party.

 

[colddiesel]

Who is to say that one doesn't have cause? Certainly not the one being called a bigot. It would need to be a disinterested party.

My caps.

Look at that! I have seen the word disinterested three times today on this forum and it's the first time it was the correct word choice.

PS to the other guys. Don't squabble with sr71plt over editing. He's a pro, the rest of us are amateurs. Squabbling with him over just about anything else can be fun and maybe useful but you won't fault him on the technical facts of editing.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

... He's a pro, the rest of us are amateurs. ...

Do you have any evidence for either of those two assertions? Other evidence, that is, than postings on here.

 

[colddiesel]

Do you have any evidence for either of those two assertions? Other evidence, that is, than postings on here.

Yes and it is very simple. If you check any statement made by sr71plt about the technical aspects of editing against the CMS he is always right: always.

If you do the same for other editors here the result is at best variable and all too often terrible.

Now as you are still unconvinced go to one of sr71plt's numerous stories and read it with the CMS close to hand. You will be educated even if the story does not appeal.

sr71plt in my opinion is frequently a right royal pain in the ass, but he is a very good technical editor and by some margin the best around here.

 

[4glory6]

Do you have any evidence for either of those two assertions? Other evidence, that is, than postings on here.

Are you not being a smug ass? You have posted that you have SR on ignore. So how would you know the quality and helpfulness of his postings on editorial techniques? Aren't you just blindly attacking? Perhaps you should take him off ignore and learn from him.

 

[snoopercharmbrights]

... sr71plt ... is a very good technical editor and by some margin the best around here.

I don't dispute that as I have no experience of (his)her editing. I merely asked if you had evidence that (s)he is a professional, and that there are no other professionals on here.

Are you not being a smug ass? You have posted that you have SR on ignore. So how would you know the quality and helpfulness of his postings on editorial techniques? ...

I do have (him)her on ignore, because of (her)his abusiveness primarily, and partly because of the provably false statements (s)he made when (s)he first joined. I have never commented on the quality of (his)her editing, because I know nothing of how (s)he edits, save that (s)he seems to think that CMS is holy writ for the entire world, which is also false.

No, I will not cite chapter and verse on the false statements because I don't want to be dragged in to a pointless "Tis" "Tisn't" argument with (her)him or (his)her surrogates. Others are free to worship as they please.