Thread: Reading Writing Hotline

Originally Posted by V8Ian

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.

Originally Posted by Sparksdisco

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.

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.

Originally Posted by sheerluck

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

Originally Posted by 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.

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.

Originally Posted by V8Ian

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

Damm it!!!!

Originally Posted by dullbird

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'

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.

Originally Posted by Sparksdisco

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

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.