Spelling.

[phoenix1224]

I know that I'm not the best speller in the world, but I've been noticing that more and more people seem to be unable to spell certain words. So, I've decided to start a list...


Orgasm... NOT orgasim, orgasism, organism, ect.

Masturbate... NOT masterbate.

Bestiality... NOT beastiality.


Sorry... I just had to get that off my chest...

But, feel free to add your own spelling pet peeves.

 

[Mary Hall]

It does annoy me when very simple words like advice can`t be spelled properly. If ya don`t know the spelling, look it up. It`s not that hard finding a dictionary.

 

[bisexplicit]

My favorite one was when someone said something about "masterbaition." Hilarous.

 

[EJFan]

just keep in mind that some posters here do not have english as their primary language. of course, some are just plain dumb... but we need to allow for our ESL members.

*dons strategically placed maple leaf in honor of bi's relocation*

 

[silverwhisper]

IMX, spelling errors are not made by non-native english speakers/writers. they tend (again, IMX) to use incorrect grammar or periodically odd word choice, but not generally spelling.

i freely acknowledge i tend not to think well of people who pronounce nuclear as knew-kyoo-lur, or worse spell it nucular.

ed

 

[EJFan]

i freely acknowledge i tend not to think well of people who pronounce nuclear as knew-kyoo-lur, or worse spell it nucular.

FWIW, eisenhower started the whole "nucular" thing.

 

[silverwhisper]

i wasn't trying to make a political comment, believe it or not. i hated it since long before bush was running for office.

ed

 

[Guest]

 

[silverwhisper]

scalywag: heh...perhaps they're typing l337?

ed

 

[Guest]

 

[Guest]

 

[Lynxie]

scalywag: heh...perhaps they're typing l337?

ed

l337, ftw!

Seriously, how difficult is it to run spellcheck if you can't spell correctly in the first place? Call me an elitist, but I don't think very highly of people who don't take the time to proofread their posts. A typo here and there is no big deal, but when you regularly spell words incorrectly you just make yourself look idiotic (excluding ESL posters, of course - they can be forgiven).

It amazes me how many people can't handle these simple words:

your / you're
their / they're / there
its / it's

They're such basic words, yet so many people still f- 'em up. Misuse of contractions is another pet peeve of mine.

 

[Guest]

 

[silverwhisper]

sorry: i was talking about this.

ed

 

[Guest]

 

[Pyro Paul]

i frequently misspell every word i type out. but thats why i blame public schooling damnit!

Curse you Public school! Curse you To hell i say!

 

[SweetErika]

I found these links to be fun and informative, especially the mispronounced words. It drives me nuts when people mix up idioms/sayings, like "take it with a grain assault" or "for all intensive purposes." Yes, I know they're difficult to hear correctly, but when you stop and think about it, does assaulting grain really make sense?
100 Most Often Misspelled Words
100 Most Misprounounced Words

 

[Guest]

 

[EJFan]

It drives me nuts when people mix up idioms/sayings, like "take it with a grain assault" or "for all intensive purposes."

this drives me ape shit too. one friend of mine does it habitually and i just want to kick him in the eye when i read it.

 

[Guest]

 

[Eilan]

i frequently misspell every word i type out. but thats why i blame public schooling damnit!

At some point, don't you think you have to take responsibility for this? Perhaps your parents should share some of the blame for not giving enough of a shit about your education. Yeah, there ARE some lousy teachers out there, but regardless of what a lot of people like to think, teaching isn't just the responsibility of the teacher, and public schools weren't intended to be glorified day-care centers. Education begins, and should continue, at home.

I'm also one of those elitists. Poor spelling and grammar bother me to no end. I'm more than understanding when it comes to people for whom English isn't their second language. I've also spent enough time working with students with learning disabilities (despite my complete lack of training in this regard) to recognize when someone might have a disability. And, of course, who hasn't made the occasional typo?

I spent several years teaching developmental/remedial/bonehead reading and writing courses to college students, most of whom didn't believe that they needed effective communications skills to go out in the real world and make money. I can't speak for what's being taught in schools right now (except for grades K-2), but a lot of my former students didn't seem to have mastered elements of spelling and grammar that I was taught in the fourth grade.

I've heard people on Lit say, "But it's just a porn board. Who cares?" and they're more than entitled to that opinion. I'm not trying to make anyone else care. The reality, however, is that a lot of people out there do care about "trivial" shit like spelling and grammar. When we post on message boards, others form opinions of us based on the words that appear beside our names. Writing ability (or lack thereof) is a part of that. Like it or not, that's the reality. Maybe it's shallow, but is it really any more shallow than preferring a certain hair color or body type?

Feel free to flame me.

 

[silverwhisper]

further what eilan said: the only tool we have to communicate on a discussion forum is text. despite my penchant for stage directions and the like, if a person can't be bothered to communicate clearly, why should i take the time to try to interpret--and possibly interpret incorrectly--what was said?

i'm also an elitist that way. go, former english major! :>

ed

 

[His_pita]

I usually type most my post in Word so I’m sure of the spelling. However, one should be careful doing that too. I did a thread not long ago titled Tubal Litigation instead of Tubal Ligation. In those situations, you just got to laugh with them that make fun of you.


Oh, and I have never heard someone say, "take it with a grain assault" That is just way funny!

 

[Ravin the Poet]

I know I make mistake and I try to correct. But on a message board, I am not to gun how to re-read everything over 100 times. I make my post and I go.


Ravin

 

[Eilan]

Proofreading one's own work can be difficult. I realized this when I was writing lots of papers in college and grad school. I often had to read my papers aloud to catch the little things; reading my work aloud had the added advantage of helping me catch awkward phrases/sentences. I used to encourage my students to do this (among other proofreading techniques), but they just looked at me as if I were crazy.

I still struggle with proofreading. I think it's because I know what I intend to say, and when I read through what I've written, I see that instead of what's actually on the page. I've proofread my Lit posts on several occasions only to hit "Submit Reply" and see a glaring typo as soon as my post comes up. D'oh!

My ex-husband used to work in journalism, and he found writing and proofreading while on a deadline to be rather challenging as well.

Ask anyone who's ever IM'ed with me about how I'm always correcting my typos.