Is grammar important?

MSIC · 05-09-2006, 01:00 PM

I was wondering what people thought about the clarity of some threads and messages that get posted (both here and elsewhere).
Sometimes it's a matter of poor vocabulary, sometimes syntax, sometimes it appears to be pure laziness.

Now, i could be called anally retentive, after all sometimes English isn't people's first language, and sometimes we all just want a quick response without writing a dissertation (and the various examples or evidence base to back it up).

What does it matter? If i post summink and u geddit hoo carez?

dangel · 05-09-2006, 01:04 PM

Life's too short to worry about such things - go spend some time with your loved ones instead

And if you're going to start banging on about grammar then remember to give 'british' a capital letter

(None of this is grammatically correct and me no care)

Steve B · 05-09-2006, 01:06 PM

I find it annoying that office packages auto-upper single I's to save you having to push the shift key. then when you have to type something which doesn't auto-up i's you get loads of small case ones. grrr! if thats not being retentive, I don't know what is!

**directhex** · 05-09-2006, 01:06 PM

i tend to give up on incomprehensible posts - or in extreme cases, point & laugh

if you want to be understood, then be clear & explicit. pretty simple stuff.

p.s. except for capital letters, they're overrated

dangel · 05-09-2006, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by directhex

p.s. except for capital letters, they're overrated

Bluecube · 05-09-2006, 01:10 PM

God, yes! Grammar is really important as is spelling. Hexus isn't too bad for incomprehensible posts due to bad grammar and/ or text speak but there are some forums out there that are unbelievably bad. If you want to be understood then it's important to write correctly otherwise you end up with loads of posts saying "What?" and "Can you clarify this?", etc.

dangel · 05-09-2006, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Bluecube

God, yes! Grammar is really important as is spelling. Hexus isn't too bad for incomprehensible posts due to bad grammar and/ or text speak but there are some forums out there that are unbelievably bad. If you want to be understood then it's important to write correctly otherwise you end up with loads of posts saying "What?" and "Can you clarify this?", etc.

No comma after '"Can you clarify this?"' necessary.

**directhex** · 05-09-2006, 01:14 PM

Originally Posted by Bluecube

God, yes! Grammar is really important as is spelling. Hexus isn't too bad for incomprehensible posts due to bad grammar and/ or text speak but there are some forums out there that are unbelievably bad. If you want to be understood then it's important to write correctly otherwise you end up with loads of posts saying "What?" and "Can you clarify this?", etc.

there's a good reason for that though

on hexus, talk in really bad txt spk, and get banned!

**Lee @ SCAN** · 05-09-2006, 01:17 PM

Don't forget the Internet is open to all people, it's not just the applicants of MENSA that can get online and register for forums such as this. What you have to realise is there will always be people with wide varying degrees of 'cleverness' and mental ability and in some cases people with medical conditions such as dyslexia.

As Steve said, there's more too life than correcting peoples posts on a forum. If the persons using that "txt spk" then yeah fair enough, ask them politely to refrain from it, but to start pointing out every issue would be detrimental to the community feel and I've seen this happen on various other forums in the past.

Don't forget as well that some people might be rushing to get the post up asking for advice while they juggling about 5 other things to do and various people mithering you on MSN like they do, and as such sometimes people slip-up and make mistakes.

mike_w · 05-09-2006, 01:20 PM

Originally Posted by dangel

No comma after '"Can you clarify this?"' necessary.

I thought you always put a comma before etc. since it is part of a list? (Obviously not in that sentence since I wasn't actually using it!)

mart_haj86 · 05-09-2006, 01:22 PM

Originally Posted by Lee @ SCAN

Don't forget the Internet is open to all people, it's not just the applicants of MENSA that can get online and register for forums such as this. What you have to realise is there will always be people with wide varying degrees of 'cleverness' and mental ability and in some cases people with medical conditions such as dyslexia.

As Steve said, there's more too life than correcting peoples posts on a forum. If the persons using that "txt spk" then yeah fair enough, ask them politely to refrain from it, but to start pointing out every issue would be detrimental to the community feel and I've seen this happen on various other forums in the past.

Don't forget as well that some people might be rushing to get the post up asking for advice while they juggling about 5 other things to do and various people mithering you on MSN like they do, and as such sometimes people slip-up and make mistakes.

I agree with most of that Lee, but there are a few people within forums (not just this one!) That I feel really take the biscuit when it comes to grammer and sometimes it seems that you have to be an applicant for MENSA simply to understand what some people are trying to say.

awm · 05-09-2006, 01:22 PM

I have to admit that sometimes I write baddly worded posts (usually at night), but I always try to reread something before posting and use the shift key. Personally it really bothers me when people rite like thy nevr beeen to skool, u know whar i meen? If someone wants to post on hexus they should have the decency to make it easy on others to read. I think many people treat it like IM where slight mistakes can be forgiven in the interest of having a flowing conversation. So, to conclude, thank you, those of you who post logical, gramatically and ortographically correct post. Everybody else read over your posts before hitting "Post Quick Reply".

@MSIC

Your poll only refers to the Brittish system. It is English in general, being an Americain is no excuse for poor grammer (or poor foreign policy but that's a different issue).

dangel · 05-09-2006, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by mike_w

I thought you always put a comma before etc. since it is part of a list? (Obviously not in that sentence since I wasn't actually using it!)

I'm just teasing - but apparently true (if you trust Word's grammar checker).

I make loads of mistakes when posting but it matters not to me. Whilst a 'minimum' of readability is necessary, getting hung up on the finer points of English prose is a pointless waste of grey matter given the context in which it's written. As I said, let's think about more important things

Mike Fishcake · 05-09-2006, 01:33 PM

The little niggly mistakes don't really bother me. The English language is a minefield of contradictory rules, so I don't really blame people that don't understand it all. I don't usually get annoyed with incorrect spellings, unless it's lazy spelling, txt spk and so on. I can just about 'forgive' txt spk on text messages if someone is trying to send me a message in a rush, but on a computer keyboard there's no need for it

UKMuFFiN · 05-09-2006, 01:42 PM

I take it as being good discipline to write correctly. If you don't take care and get lazy, you forget how to write/type properly.

Come to think of it, I think i've forgotten how to write with a pen and paper!

Has any noticed the added presure of posting in this thread?

chuckskull · 05-09-2006, 01:47 PM

j00 cnt tel mah wut 2 du. me speel ish gud, fu nub, i hax u.

Yeah.

View Poll Results: How important is correct spelling, syntax and grammar in threads?
Effective grammar is the base of the british system. Rule Britannia.	35	79.55%
Doesn't matter too much. Language evolves anyway.	4	9.09%
You anally retentive nob.	5	11.36%
Voters: 44. You may not vote on this poll

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