Miss Spellings

[Allen]

Are all you're spelling mistakes on purpose? I mean, I take great care to not make any but there are a few that slip past here and there. In this forum though there seems to be the same ones done quite often. These include 'teh' instead of 'the' and 'pwns' instead of 'owns' to name but a few.

I know not everybody is a perfect speller and not everybody has a thesaurus to hand but are these 'on-purpose-mistakes'?

And by the way, I'm not saying by any means that I'm a perfect speller. I'm only human after all!

[Elmo]

i think the majority of "teh" and "pwns" "miss spellings" are on purpose.

i know i have said "teh" instead of "the" so many times on purpose i sometimes slip up and say "teh" by accident, but i think the "word" "pwned" is stupid.

[TiG]

Thats probably down to the fact that teh is corrected by word's spelling corrector automatically. If anyone gets fed up with bad spelling i'm afraid its quite sad in this forum.

I think what concerns me more is people who can't write sentences. Its just one jumbled mess or words that can mean any number of different things.

TiG

[Moby-Dick]

<pedantic mode>

Are all you're spelling mistakes on purpose?

no, but some of the grammer ones are

</pedantic>

[Allen]

Oh good, you noticed my 'on purpose' mistake! Well done!

[Moby-Dick]

I try - my spelling is bloody terrible , but they are mostly typos ( esp when I use a black keyboard in a poorly lit room! )

I try not to mis spell unless its a deliberate tongue in cheek moment eg. "Top Seekrit Skule Werk !!! "

[Saracen]

Originally posted by Moby-Dick
<pedantic mode>

<quote was here>

no, but some of the grammer ones are

</pedantic>

OK, I'll fall for it.


You mean grammar I presume?

Wen korecting grammer misteaks, won kneads two bee karefull wiv yore own speling

[aeonf242]

Most typos for me like 'teh' happen because my left hand works quicker than my right......my left one shoots too early, it comes too quickly.

[Allen]

Originally posted by aeonf242
my left one shoots too early, it comes too quickly.

As the actrees said to the bishop...

[Saracen]

Originally posted by Big_Al
Are all you're spelling mistakes on purpose? I mean, I take great care to not make any but there are a few that slip past here and there. In this forum though there seems to be the same ones done quite often. These include 'teh' instead of 'the' and 'pwns' instead of 'owns' to name but a few.

I know not everybody is a perfect speller and not everybody has a thesaurus to hand but are these 'on-purpose-mistakes'?

And by the way, I'm not saying by any means that I'm a perfect speller. I'm only human after all!

If you see a spelling mistake from me, it was not on purpose. My spelling is very good - I just wish I could say the same for my typing.

I don't use "teh" on purpose - EVER. It is, to me, very naff. However, I've still been known to use it by way of a typo. If I see incorrect spelling in my posts, or typo's, I edit them to correct it - even some time later.

I have also been known to make the obvious mistakes - "there" when I mean their/they're, or 'two/to/too' incorrectly used. I do know which applies in which circumstances, so if it's wrong, it's lack of concentration or tiredness, not lack of knowledge and again, when I spot it in my posts, I'll correct it. The same applies to the use of apostrophes.

I like my posts to be right, at least in terms of spelling.


Grammar, however, is a bit different as, in my view, you need to sometimes sacrifice technically correct grammar for the sake of style. A forum is an informal medium (at best ) and so my posts are usually in a style more aptly described as "conversational" than "formal" - and I adapt grammar accordingly.

I write professionally. By that, I mean I get paid for it. If I'm writing for a lifestyle or PC magazine, I do not use the same writing style that I would for the Times or the Telegraph. When I'm given an initial commission by a publication, I first read examples of that publication to determine what I think the expected standard, and style are, and I then confirm that by asking the editor if that target style is what he/she expects. Editors of computer magazines, for instance, have defined their style as "conversational" when I have asked that question in the past. One told me "pitch the article as if you were having a quiet conversation with an acquaintance, over a beer, in your local pub. Don't be condescending or patronising, but don't be formal either. Aim for 'conversational' and 'easily readable' as the target style".

So my style for a magazine would typically be as above. My style here is a little less formal than even that, and yet my style for the Telegraph is a little (but not too much) more formal than that. It also depends somewhat on context. A political commentary for a publication would be a bit less conversational than a technical piece about computers, and a game review even less so.

One final thing - I correct my own mistakes because it pleases me to do so, not because of what others think. Some people on forums, when this issue has been discussed previously, have said they don't bother much in avoiding mistakes in the first place, and certainly don't bother to correct them. Fair enough - whatever suits you. I imply no criticism of people that adopt that attitude on a forum when I say I prefer my posts to be correct. I do what suits me - but don't expect other to feel they need to do likewise.

[Sair33]

Originally Posted by Saracen

My spelling is very good - I just wish I could say the same for my typing.

I'd say that's the reason in most cases!! If I have time to check the post once it goes in, I always have to edit IF I notice I made a spelling mistake etc cos it winds ME up (as Saracen said... it's not what other people may think) ...although at work when I might type a hurried reply then rush off to do what I am SUPPOSED to be doing with my time, I don't even notice

[Lee]

My spelling is normally pretty accurate - Crumbs - I hope so I am studying for a degree in English!

Normally spelling mistakes just tend to be a key slip or rushed typing.

[Ravens Nest]

My spelling is pretty good, but i think why should it matter as long as you can understand what the other people are trying to say, i enjoy the conversations but try to ignore the spelling.

I left school quite a while ago, and continually got critised for making mistakes in english, so i feel now that we all should relax and not worry about such small things as how people spell, whether they consciously know they are spelling incorrectly or not.

There are more important things to think about than this.

[Allen]

True, but the main thing I was asking was about the 'on-purpose' spelling mistakes as I wonder sometimes whether they have a different meaning... I didn't mean to get at anyone's lack of spelling abilities just making sure I'm not missing out on something.

[Stringent]

Well I am sure we could all nitpick at everyones spelling now and then. I know teh gets on my nerves, I can understand those who do it accidently, but its those people that do it on purpose which annoy me. Goes back to school kiddies, always read something before you submit it

*Looks to see if there are any mistakes in what I just wrote*

[floppybootstomp]

I like to spell correctly, when I know how. But that's just me, as Saracen pointed out, just to keep myself happy.

I will, however, read a post and ignore obvious spelling mistakes, just concentrate on the content, that's all that matters, really, cos not everybody can spell OK, which is fair enough.

Deliberate spelling mistakes though, get right up me 'ooter. AOL script kiddie talk cheeses me off chronic - like, get a life, you're surely older than 14?

I surely am suffering from a chronic case of non-coolness but, whatever, that just be me

And as for grammar, well, I try my best, but I probably make a million mistakes per week