Reading Writing Hotline

[ramblingboy42]

I am writing this because I am appalled at the standard of literacy displayed in this forum . It is of genuine concern to me that sometimes I simply cannot understand what it is that a poster is trying to say, due to bad spelling, incorrect grammar and misuse of words. I am in no way trying to be critical to those who cannot read , write or spell correctly, but rather suggesting that there is a simple remedy available through the Reading, Writing Hotline. You have all seen the ads on TV.....1300655506 , sung as one three double 0 six triple five 0 six..... In some cases it may be that the poster just doesn't care to check what they've written or if it makes sense . Anyway there is an answer. I am applying to be a literacy volunteer with this organisation to help those with problems.....please do not misconstrue this as a personal attack on anyone here but rather my genuine concern to help anyone with literacy problems. Dennis

[Vern]

dunno wot ya on a bout:p

[ramblingboy42]

that's just slang...its readable and makes sense.

[vnx205]

I accept that some people have difficulty with spelling and grammar.

What I find hard to accept is the way some people write several lines without breaking the text into paragraphs. Sometimes they don't even break it into sentences.

Paragraphs and sentences are not just some arbitrary rule imposed by grammarians. They make it easier to read and understand the text.

I believe that if someone wants to write something on a forum, the onus is on them to make at least a token effort to make it easy to read.

[manic]

Wat u on a bat old mAN DUN u no spellin az moved on sins da old daze of gramerrin Is quika na so move wiv da timez speedi tapa talk whoop woop lol ... ifmc.

[Andrew D]

Blame the parents

There a children going through schools as we speak that can't read. Little chance they can write something comprehensible.

In fact I wouldn't be surpirsed if there's parents on here that take no interest in (or appear to) their children's schooling.

Regards
Andrew

[numpty]

Ron was the spelling and grammar nazi on here for years, but gave it up as a waste of time.

[p38arover]

In fact I wouldn't be surpirsed if there's parents on here that take no interest in (or appear to) their children's schooling.

Regards
Andrew

Surprised

There's (there is - singular) - parents is plural, so it is incorrect. One should say "there are".

"or appear to" is, I believe, incorrectly placed within the sentence.

See also Muphry's Law - Muphry's law - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muphry's_law)

:angel:

[sheerluck]

Ron was the spelling and grammar nazi on here for years, but gave it up as a waste of time.

I wouldn't be so sure......:angel:

[p38arover]

Ron was the spelling and grammar nazi on here for years, but gave it up as a waste of time.

I find the term "nazi" extremely offensive. :mad:

Last week, whilst staying in the City, I visited the Sydney Jewish Museum and did a tour which included a talk by a Holocaust survivor, Lotte Weiss Willkommen auf der Startseite (http://www.lotteweiss.com/index.php/en/home.html)

One couldn't failed to be moved by her description of treatment by the Nazis. I certainly had tears in my eyes.

[sheerluck]

My own personal view is that the way you present yourself in written form is important. Being able to appear coherent in writing, without reliance on spell checkers and the grammar help on Word will mean that people will deal with you as if you possess some intelligence rather than as a primary school dropout.

I accept that there are varying levels of education, and varying levels of importance placed by parents on the education of their children.

However, there is little excuse for laziness or pandering to the moods of the current generation. For example, the word 'what'. Frequently abbreviated to 'wot'. Would it really have killed you to type one extra letter?

The other one that annoys me is the reasoning that "spelling and grammar have moved on". No they haven't. Those words are still spelt the same way, and designed to be inserted into sentences in the same order, with the same rules on tenses applied as they have for many a year.

[1976_michelle]

Mine will improve when I replace my desktop computer and can stop using this stupid eepc that is about the size of a small book , with a track pad right where my hands need to rest for typing and keys smaller than the tips of my fingers...
i may even try to use capital letters again... occasionally..

[p38arover]

I look at it this way. I can spell but I can't weld (very well). I can't do a lot of things that others can do.

So I don't rubbish them for their inability to spell - but I sometime try to chide them in a humorous way that will make them remember the correct spelling. Often I will partially correct spelling in posts - not every instance of the wrongly spelled word.

Why?

Because if they do a search for the post in the future and I've corrected all the spelling, there is every chance they won't get a hit as they have used their incorrect spelling as a search term. By correcting some spelling, those who can spell will also be able to find it.

However, I do get annoyed at text speak, etc. For example, using "@" instead of "at". One still has to press two keys to type @ - why not spell it.

Spell check is available for any internet browser (if not already built in). Use it.

Another oddity which I don't understand is the placing of a space before a full stop or comma, then following immediately with the next word, e.g.,

"I saw a big ,beautiful butterfly .I photographed it."

Surely people read enough to see that's wrong!

VNX noted a bad habit exhibited by many - no paragraph spacing. Their sentences go on and on with no punctuation. Of course, we have the opposite extreme where writers interpose commas willy-nilly throughout the text as they know the sentence has to be punctuated - somewhere.

[V8Ian]

What I find quite puzzling is that I had 10 years education, normal standard for the time. Not many years before that, eight was the norm. For at least a decade twelve has been predominant with tertiary common yet, my generation and older appear to have a better grip on spelling, punctuation and grammar. Basic arithmetic falls into the same basket. What do students do at school (apart from throw sandwiches :mad:) these days? Is it a failing of the teachers or the syllabus? Do educators want to make school a 'pleasant experience' rather than an educational one?

[vnx205]

What do students do at school (apart from throw sandwiches :mad:) these days?

One of the things that contributes to the problem is that society expects schools to do many of the things that parents or grandparents used to do.

How often do you see someone suggesting that something should be added to the curriculum? Some people think that budgeting, ethics, risk assessment, driver education, drug education, sex education, responsible gambling, and a whole host of other things should be taught by schools.

The curriculum is already crowded. Do those people who advocate that schools pick up the things being neglected by parents also have a suggestion about how much time should be taken away from learning literacy and numeracy to make the time available?

[V8Ian]

Schools' "core business" is numeracy and literacy. Social development is simply a by-product of the environment in which children are educated. None of the other faff should be allowed to encroach upon the primary purpose.

[vnx205]

Schools' "core business" is numeracy and literacy. Social development is simply a by-product of the environment in which children are educated. None of the other faff should be allowed to encroach upon the primary purpose.

In an ideal world, perhaps schools could concentrate on core business, but they are not in a position to ignore the demands of society.

[ugu80]

I accept that some people have difficulty with spelling and grammar.

What I find hard to accept is the way some people write several lines without breaking the text into paragraphs. Sometimes they don't even break it into sentences.

Paragraphs and sentences are not just some arbitrary rule imposed by grammarians. They make it easier to read and understand the text.

I believe that if someone wants to write something on a forum, the onus is on them to make at least a token effort to make it easy to read.

Let us be thankful James Joyce or William Faulkner aren't on this forum.

[ramblingboy42]

maybe this oncoming generation have reversed roles. Ancient man , before languages were "invented" used crude images, gesticulations, guttural sounds, wall paintings and hieroglyphics to communicate. Look around....the youth use strange words and phrases. gesticulate crazily on their Iphones and galaxies and send strange texts and images to each other.A new culture may be arising.

[Hall]

If every one else saw numbers and letters the way I do then I would not have any issues. Just letting you all know that it is not always a education thing. :) For me it`s mainly numbers I have trouble processing. If I`m a bit on the tired side and not on the ball words get a bit hard to handle as well. So I love spell check. Wish they has sentence check as well, would save a lot of time retyping.
Cheers Hall

[Disco Muppet]

However, there is little excuse for laziness or pandering to the moods of the current generation. For example, the word 'what'. Frequently abbreviated to 'wot'. Would it really have killed you to type one extra letter?


U wot m8? Fite me IRL 1v1 i smash yoo.*
:tease:
I'm guilty of a few grammatical slip ups, mainly Americanising words due to the predictive text on my iPod.


*Translation
Dear Sir. I take great umbrage at your statement. I wish to engage in fisticuffs with you immediately. I do declare that I am a superior fighter and pre-emptively declare myself the winner.

[Sparksdisco]

My own personal view is that the way you present yourself in written form is important. Being able to appear coherent in writing, without reliance on spell checkers and the grammar help on Word will mean that people will deal with you as if you possess some intelligence rather than as a primary school dropout.



I find that very offensive and insulting.

You would be very surprised if you looked into who can not express themselves in written form very well.

My personal view is people who look down on others because they are not as good as you have a lot more to hide than spelling mistakes.

[V8Ian]

One of the things that contributes to the problem is that society expects schools to do many of the things that parents or grandparents used to do.

How often do you see someone suggesting that something should be added to the curriculum? Some people think that budgeting, ethics, risk assessment, driver education, drug education, sex education, responsible gambling, and a whole host of other things should be taught by schools.

The curriculum is already crowded. Do those people who advocate that schools pick up the things being neglected by parents also have a suggestion about how much time should be taken away from learning literacy and numeracy to make the time available?
So the kids whose parents do the right thing are being robbed of an education?
Schools need to do what schools are supposed to do; teach the three Rs.
Imagine a vehicle manufacturer stopping production to hold hands with customers and teach them how to drive, check the oil, change a wheel etc., etc.. They would be out of business pretty smartly/

[V8Ian]

I find that very offensive and insulting.

You would be very surprised if you looked into who can not express themselves in written form very well.

My personal view is people who look down on others because they are not as good as you have a lot more to hide than spelling mistakes.
I don't see it as looking down Sparks, it is more a measure of pride. Consider if you were reading job applications, would you be underwhelmed by an applicant who couldn't be bothered to take the time to follow the (English) rules? Similarly, in your trade, there are standards. Would you prefer to work alongside or after a person who can make it work but look messy or someone who takes pride in the neatness of the final, functional task?
I don't have a problem with spell or grammar checks (except for the Americanization of them), I constantly use spell check or look up spelling on an on-line dictionary.

[Sparksdisco]

I am writing this because I am appalled at the standard of literacy displayed in this forum . It is of genuine concern to me that sometimes I simply cannot understand what it is that a poster is trying to say, due to bad spelling, incorrect grammar and misuse of words. I am in no way trying to be critical to those who cannot read , write or spell correctly, but rather suggesting that there is a simple remedy available through the Reading, Writing Hotline. You have all seen the ads on TV.....1300655506 , sung as one three double 0 six triple five 0 six..... In some cases it may be that the poster just doesn't care to check what they've written or if it makes sense . Anyway there is an answer. I am applying to be a literacy volunteer with this organisation to help those with problems.....please do not misconstrue this as a personal attack on anyone here but rather my genuine concern to help anyone with literacy problems. Dennis


I have difficulty with spelling also with writing with a pencil or pen. I have had some help with this in the past and they have told me I am slightly dyslexic and have trouble with ending words correctly.

The trouble with writing with a pen or pencil is because i'm left handed and push to hard and i smudge everything.

99% of the time I know i am spelling the word incorrectly but do not know how to spell it correctly. This annoys the crap out of my wife as I am forever asking her how to spell something.

I think 99% of people can understand what i am saying and most people that comment about it have nothing better to do in there lives than to correct my spelling.

I'm a sparky not a English teacher. And it get's on my nerves when people belittle me on my spelling. I don't belittle people because they can't read a electrical drawing

[vnx205]

Schools need to do what schools are supposed to do; teach the three Rs.


Ideally, yes.

There are arguments in favour of schools covering some other things.

For example, let us suppose that some of the information about sex education in Personal Development classes sinks in and the number of teenage pregnancies is reduced.

If so, would it please you that there are fewer unmarried mothers claiming welfare and fewer kids brought up in less than idea circumstances growing up to join the criminal classes?

I am not suggesting that all children of unmarried mothers turn to crime, but the evidence does suggest that social disadvantage is a factor in encouraging criminal activity.

If the drug education classes reduce the number of drug dependent teenagers breaking into your home, would you consider that to be worthwhile?

If the driver education classes (NOT driver training) reduces the chances of some risk-taking P plater wiping out your family, would you think that was a good thing?

I am assuming an ideal outcome, but then you are being idealistic too. :)

[dullbird]

I am one of those people.

I have bad spelling and grammar. My punctuation has a lot to be desired also, as I'm sure many of you have witnessed in my trip reports and in general posting.

I'm not proud of it. I purchased a grammar book to try and help me understand but I still make many mistakes. I would not consider myself lazy, (although I can be a little lazy sometimes with capitalisation) I would consider myself to be lacking in understanding. I still to this day get my "i" and my "e" the wrong way round even if I consciously think about, I will often spell receipt as reciept. I also can't remember what words must not be used to start a sentence.

I will often read back through something I have written and change the spelling of a word because, when I type, the wrong one seems to comes out automatically. For example there and their.

I want to be better but I find it very very hard, I don't know why I find it hard but I do. As an adult I'm embarrassed by it.
I have learnt a few things by having Ron correct words in my posts which is good, however there came a point where it was getting pointed out so often that I was losing my confidence to write anything at all, and coming here to join in the community was not a pleasant experience.

There is a fine line between helping someone and making someone feel really really stupid in front of a wide audience, which is belittling.

This is by no means a dig at Ron as he hasn't done it to me in a long time (although he will probably pick at this now)and he has actually helped me, but I guess I just want to point out that when some of you get on your soap box about things like this it does make some of us feel really bad, and I don't think we should be described as lazy and drop outs etc, just because what comes easy to you (perhaps because you had better schooling) does not necessarily come easy to some of us.

[Sparksdisco]

I don't see it as looking down Sparks, it is more a measure of pride. Consider if you were reading job applications, would you be underwhelmed by an applicant who couldn't be bothered to take the time to follow the (English) rules? Similarly, in your trade, there are standards. Would you prefer to work alongside or after a person who can make it work but look messy or someone who takes pride in the neatness of the final, functional task?
I don't have a problem with spell or grammar checks (except for the Americanization of them), I constantly use spell check or look up spelling on an on-line dictionary.

Actually Ian if someones job application had legitimate spelling mistakes not text speak it would have no impact on the applicant.

And I would rather someone who understands the rules and can apply them to get the job done not the one who makes it look good but is not functional.

After all this is the real world and no one pays money for neatness anymore it's how cheep it can be done.

[V8Ian]

I have difficulty with spelling also with writing with a pencil or pen. I have had some help with this in the past and they have told me I am slightly dyslexic and have trouble with ending words correctly.

The trouble with writing with a pen or pencil is because i'm left handed and push to hard and i smudge everything.

99% of the time I know i am spelling the word incorrectly but do not know how to spell it correctly. This annoys the crap out of my wife as I am forever asking her how to spell something.

I think 99% of people can understand what i am saying and most people that comment about it have nothing better to do in there lives than to correct my spelling.

I'm a sparky not a English teacher. And it get's on my nerves when people belittle me on my spelling. I don't belittle people because they can't read a electrical drawingSparks, I think you're missing the point. I have read dozens of your posts and even PMs. I have noticed the odd error but I have never been unable to understand you. Some people use no punctuation or capitalization in long posts, that become all but impossible to interpret. Your writings have never fallen into that category. Spelling and grammatical errors per say don't bother me (glass houses), it's more the laziness that some people display in not bothering to edit themselves and making their point clearly.

[vnx205]

I am one of those people.



I have to assume that by "one of those people", you mean someone who makes an effort to make it easy for people to read your posts.

For the benefit of those who didn't notice and especially for the benefit of those who can't find the "Enter" or "Carriage Return" key on their keyboard, perhaps I could draw attention to a couple features of your last post.


The sentences are concise and clear. (Except for the last one where you ramble on about Ron's part in your education.) :D

Each time you start a new point, you start a new paragraph. That makes it easy to follow your line of thought.


A lot of others could follow your example. Neither of those two things requires an in-depth understanding of grammar. They do make what you have written easy to read and understand.

[V8Ian]

I am one of those people.

I have bad spelling and grammar. My punctuation has a lot to be desired also, as I'm sure many of you have witnessed in my trip reports and in general posting.

I'm not proud of it. I purchased a grammar book to try and help me understand but I still make many mistakes. I would not consider myself lazy, (although I can be a little lazy sometimes with capitalisation) I would consider myself to be lacking in understanding. I still to this day get my "i" and my "e" the wrong way round even if I consciously think about, I will often spell receipt as reciept. I also can't remember what words must not be used to start a sentence.

I will often read back through something I have written and change the spelling of a word because, when I type, the wrong one seems to comes out automatically. For example there and their.

I want to be better but I find it very very hard, I don't know why I find it hard but I do. As an adult I'm embarrassed by it.
I have learnt a few things by having Ron correct words in my posts which is good, however there came a point where it was getting pointed out so often that I was losing my confidence to write anything at all, and coming here to join in the community was not a pleasant experience.

There is a fine line between helping someone and making someone feel really really stupid in front of a wide audience, which is belittling.

This is by no means a dig at Ron as he hasn't done it to me in a long time (although he will probably pick at this now)and he has actually helped me, but I guess I just want to point out that when some of you get on your soap box about things like this it does make some of us feel really bad, and I don't think we should be described as lazy and drop outs etc, just because what comes easy to you (perhaps because you had better schooling) does not necessarily come easy to some of us.Lou there may be errors in your post but I didn't notice any because it was punctuated and easy to read and understand.

on the otherhand if one waffles on and on with no puntuacio adn ppor speling by the way hows yuore horses things are different are your fences all good are you happy with the zero turn mower is this hard to follow cause its damn hatd to type
:D:D:D

I have more trouble spelling on a keyboard than with handwriting, does anyone else find that?

[dullbird]

Lou there may be errors in your post but I didn't notice any because it was punctuated and easy to read and understand.

on the otherhand if one waffles on and on with no puntuacio adn ppor speling by the way hows yuore horses things are different are your fences all good are you happy with the zero turn mower is this hard to follow cause its damn hatd to type
:D:D:D

I have more trouble spelling on a keyboard than with handwriting, does anyone else find that?

Yeah but it took me an hour and a half to write it:D

[vnx205]

Yeah but it took me an hour and a half to write it:D

Maybe so, but at least it didn't take an hour and a half for people to read it and work out what you were trying to say.:D:D:D

[V8Ian]

Yeah but it took me an hour and a half to write it:D

[bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf] I feel your pain.

[manic]

This is a land rover forum....
important = effective communication
not important = how you do it

[dullbird]

[bigrolf][bigrolf][bigrolf] I feel your pain.

It actually took me ten minutes by the time I went over and over and over it before hitting submit.

However I'm sure it is still riddled with errors.

The thread wasn't started about endless sentences though, it was about spelling, grammar and the miss use of words. All of which I do.

[V8Ian]

It's the endless sentances that make me go to another post. :mad:

[sheerluck]

I find that very offensive and insulting.

You would be very surprised if you looked into who can not express themselves in written form very well.

My personal view is people who look down on others because they are not as good as you have a lot more to hide than spelling mistakes.

Sparks, you have misinterpreted what I have written, and if you have inferred that I look down on people who cannot spell then I apologise as this is not the reality.

Outside of work, people's ability to spell (or not) has no bearing on what I think of them. I will judge them on them being them, and not any one individual part. I don't care if someone has been to Uni, what school they went to, what qualifications they have.

However, in my professional life, it is a different matter. The area and industry that I work in has a need to be extraordinarily precise. Accuracy and literacy are an absolutely necessary.

Presentations and documentation must be prepared with absolute precision, errant punctuation or spelling could lead to compromised 'patient safety' as it is euphemistically described.

So would I discard a job application that is full of spelling or grammatical errors? Probably. Not definitely, but they would very much be at a disadvantage.

[sheerluck]

U wot m8? Fite me IRL 1v1 i smash yoo.*
:tease:
I'm guilty of a few grammatical slip ups, mainly Americanising words due to the predictive text on my iPod.


*Translation
Dear Sir. I take great umbrage at your statement. I wish to engage in fisticuffs with you immediately. I do declare that I am a superior fighter and pre-emptively declare myself the winner.

Yes, I'm a dinosaur. I'd have taken one look at your first line and ignored it.

However, I'm quite happy to take the **** when I see you slip up :p

[p38arover]

The trouble with writing with a pen or pencil is because i'm left handed and push to hard and i smudge everything.

99% of the time I know i am spelling the word incorrectly but do not know how to spell it correctly. This annoys the crap out of my wife as I am forever asking her how to spell something.


You can buy left-handed pens. I'm right-handed but found I could write left-handed with a LH Pen. I tried one at Lefty's in San Fran.

Left Handed Writing Tools (http://www.leftyslefthanded.com/Left_Handed_Writing_Tools_s/24.htm)

Also, you can buy a dictionary for bad spellers. The problem with a conventional dictionary is you need to have a good idea how to spell the word.

An on-line version is here: Aspell Spell Helper (http://suggest.aspell.net/index.php/advance)

If you use Internet Explorer, install ieSpell.

[p38arover]

Sparks, I think you're missing the point. I have read dozens of your posts and even PMs. I have noticed the odd error but I have never been unable to understand you.

Exactly.

Sparks, you should have seen some of the stuff I had to read and rewrite (without changing the writer's style) when I was the LROC editor. :eek:

[Sparksdisco]

Sparks, I think you're missing the point. I have read dozens of your posts and even PMs. I have noticed the odd error but I have never been unable to understand you. Some people use no punctuation or capitalization in long posts, that become all but impossible to interpret. Your writings have never fallen into that category. Spelling and grammatical errors per say don't bother me (glass houses), it's more the laziness that some people display in not bothering to edit themselves and making their point clearly.

Sorry Ian, it get's to me sometimes, the perceived rudeness that bad spellers cop

you have never made me feel uncomfortable and neither has P38, just some other people.

[V8Ian]

Sorry Ian, it get's to me sometimes, the perceived rudeness that bad spellers cop

you have never made me feel uncomfortable and neither has P38, just some other people.
I don't care if you can spell or not, I'll still be your friend. :p

[V8Ian]

Many years ago I wrote a 4x4 training manual for the SES, then devised a course from the manual, aimed at complete novices. It was an immense challenge to document every piece of most basic knowledge in an understandable manner. Had my spelling and grammar been anything but perfect, I would have lost all credibility as an author. When one does an instructors course there is an entire module on presentation.

[Sparksdisco]

Sparks, you have misinterpreted what I have written, and if you have inferred that I look down on people who cannot spell then I apologise as this is not the reality.

Outside of work, people's ability to spell (or not) has no bearing on what I think of them. I will judge them on them being them, and not any one individual part. I don't care if someone has been to Uni, what school they went to, what qualifications they have.

However, in my professional life, it is a different matter. The area and industry that I work in has a need to be extraordinarily precise. Accuracy and literacy are an absolutely necessary.

Presentations and documentation must be prepared with absolute precision, errant punctuation or spelling could lead to compromised 'patient safety' as it is euphemistically described.

So would I discard a job application that is full of spelling or grammatical errors? Probably. Not definitely, but they would very much be at a disadvantage.



Now i'm just stirring the pot, but even when you spell and and use correct grammar people misunderstand you :angel:

[sheerluck]

Many years ago I wrote a 4x4 training manual for the SES, then devised a course from the manual, aimed at complete novices. It was an immense challenge to document every piece of most basic knowledge in an understandable manner. Had my spelling and grammar been anything but perfect, I would have lost all credibility as an author. When one does an instructors course there is an entire module on presentation.

Ian, in a professional context, that is very much where I am expected to be and where i expect those who work for me to be.

I always get my peers or one of my team members to proof read my documents and presentations. But then I'm generally presenting to some very senior members of the organisation.

[Sparksdisco]

I don't care if you can spell or not, I'll still be your friend. :p


Damm it!!!!
:D:D:D:D:D

[p38arover]

I still to this day get my "i" and my "e" the wrong way round even if I consciously think about, I will often spell receipt as reciept. I also can't remember what words must not be used to start a sentence.

There is a rule for the "i" and "e" (i before e except after c) but, like many rules, there are exceptions which doesn't help, e.g., seize, caffeine, etc.

See AUE: Exceptions to the rule 'I before E except after C' (http://alt-usage-english.org/I_before_E.html)

Except in more formal documents, don't worry about starting a sentence with the wrong word, e.g., "but" and "and". Generally, the forum writing is more conversational than formal.

[sheerluck]

Now i'm just stirring the pot, but even when you spell and and use correct grammar people misunderstand you :angel:

That's because English is such a wonderful language without "personalising" it. Two people can read the same sentence and take two different meanings - precise and yet so imprecise at the same time.

[Sparksdisco]

You can buy left-handed pens. I'm right-handed but found I could write left-handed with a LH Pen. I tried one at Lefty's in San Fran.

Left Handed Writing Tools (http://www.leftyslefthanded.com/Left_Handed_Writing_Tools_s/24.htm)





That might be just the thing i'm after it might even make my spelling better as i can see what I am doing now!!!

Why where these not available when i was a kid it might of made me a spelling and writing ninja!!

[p38arover]

Now i'm just stirring the pot, but even when you spell and and use correct grammar people misunderstand you :angel:

Like tonight's news - "Prince Phillip spent his 92nd birthday in hospital."

Poor Phil, fancy having spent every one of his birthdays in hospital!

That's not too bad but I have heard some absolutely shocking examples in news reports.

[sheerluck]

Like tonight's news - "Prince Phillip spent his 92nd birthday in hospital."

Poor Phil, fancy having spent every one of his birthdays in hospital!

That's not too bad but I have heard some absolutely shocking examples in news reports.

It's got to the stage where I read through some of the news reports (News International sites are by far the worst) and cringe.

[wrinklearthur]

I have difficulty with spelling also with writing with a pencil or pen. I have had some help with this in the past and they have told me I am slightly dyslexic and have trouble with ending words correctly.

The trouble with writing with a pen or pencil is because i'm left handed and push to hard and i smudge everything.

99% of the time I know i am spelling the word incorrectly but do not know how to spell it correctly. This annoys the crap out of my wife as I am forever asking her how to spell something.

I think 99% of people can understand what i am saying and most people that comment about it have nothing better to do in there lives than to correct my spelling.

I'm a sparky not a English teacher. And it get's on my nerves when people belittle me on my spelling. I don't belittle people because they can't read a electrical drawing

I tend to avoid long drawn out dialogue, keep my sentences brief and check my spelling.

Where did I go wrong, is it my excessive use of point form style of writing?

Like Dullbird, I can get left behind in the cut and thrust of the conversation, as I am also painfully slow at placing my thoughts into print.
.

[V8Ian]

Ian, in a professional context, that is very much where I am expected to be and where i expect those who work for me to be.

I always get my peers or one of my team members to proof read my documents and presentations. But then I'm generally presenting to some very senior members of the organisation.
I used my two school aged daughters as proof readers, mainly to make sure they fully understood my information. They were in the same demography as my target audience. Child labour?:D

[sheerluck]

I used my two school aged daughters as proof readers, mainly to make sure they fully understood my information. They were in the same demography as my target audience. Child labour?:D

That's what kids are for!

[Disco Muppet]

Yes, I'm a dinosaur. I'd have taken one look at your first line and ignored it.

However, I'm quite happy to take the **** when I see you slip up :p

I'm just stirring mate :p
And you won't see me slip up.
You'll see me slip over, but not up :p

[V8Ian]

Goodnight. ;)

[wrinklearthur]

Goodnight.

Concise, tells the complete story with a minimal word count.

.