And I don't know what you teach, but this isn't English school, jack.

(Inward sigh.) I had many operations before I joined TER. In fact, I've been operating since 1972.

Re: You're just making an excuse....

Neither does superiority, so give it a rest will you?

It's more about your ability to COMMUNICATE in writing. First off, for all you know, the majority of the readers of your posts might not understand their meaning, and just move on giving no feedback. In fact, for all you know, the majority may think you're a blithering idiot and don't even try to finsih reading your posts once they come across an error that confuse the meaning of your sentence.

Before you think I'm insulting you, just relax. I am not. I am sure you communicate just fine verbally. But keep in mind when you do, you have the advantage of voice inflection, facial expression, and so on, which actually have a major bearing on the other person's comprehension. (I don't remember the exact figure, but I'm thinking that's like 85% or something.

With all that being said, EDUCATED people (I'm talking high school- if they paid attention) who read frequently and comprehend proper writing well, are often more likely to NOT comprehend what you write. Why is that, if they're so smart?
'Cus they know, and immediate recognize the CORRECT meaning of words, correct spelling, and correct contractions, etc. and when you make CERTAIN errors it confuses the meaning or even makes it meaningless giberish to the reader. If you don't care if your readers get your point, you're WASTING your time and thiers.

Get the picture? In other words, you are in essence creating a word puzzle that they must WORK AT to understand correctly. Who the fuck wnats to do that???

With that being said, let me give you some insight. First off, you are not being ripped to shreds by people with a superiority complex. There a many posters make mistakes that a professor would rip a new asshole into a graduate student for making, but no one even NOTICES, let alone call the OP out on. Second off the errors you make that cause problems for some are not uncommon and are easy to fix. DO NOT CONSIDER YOURSELF STUPID OR UNEDUCATED BECAUSE YOU MAKE JUST A COUPLE OF THESE COMMON ERRORS. Bro,  it's actually not that big of a deal to make a couple of corrections and improve big time. OK?

I hope you continue to take time to read this, 'cuz I'm on your side and I'm tryin' to help ANYONE who runs into this.

Simply put, the English language is fucked up-- it's complex, confusing, even contradictory; said to be the hardest language to learn. You are, as most of us, an expert at it already. It's basic errors with contractions, homophones, homonyms, homographs, and hetronyms, that throws a wrench into things, especially when you write.

Forget about the grammar terminology, you already know what these confusing thing are. For example, what do these sentences or phrases mean?

 John was able to get a bass.

 How is the reign in Spain?

 Your dead mother.

 How is the rain in Spain?

 You're dead mother.

 
First one:  Unless you heard me SAY that sentence, you don't know if I'm asking about the fish or the instrument.

Second one: If you heard me say that, you would probably think I was asking about the weather and not the King of Spain's political ability. reading it, if you think I may have used the wrong word (and you can't be sure) you may incorrectly thing weather.


Third one: You read and 'know' I'm referring to your parent. Right? not so fast!...

Fourth one: Totally clear when you read it.

Last one: I'm threatening you, right?  No fuckin' telling.

So in reading the, the reader must already know something about John, or Spain, or the topic I'm refering to, or my intent, or my propensity for threats, or my ability to write.

Those were simplistic examples, but demonstrate problems in the English language, which are only made worse by writing mistakes, even simple ones.

The problem with ANYONE'S writing is that, even if you know the rlesif you rushed, or sloppy, or don't proof read your writing or are just mentally lazy about expressing yourself, you risk writing misleading word or gibberish. Makes sense right?

As for me, I'm always rushed, a bit sloppy, I ramble, can't type (stare at the keys not the screen) and on boards like this, I don't proof or edit like I should. Often I read my message after posting it and think 'Doh!' when I see little error that my change the meaning of what I wrote.

On top of all that standard stuff, we have another problem with the new abbreviate language commonly used in SMS. Which unless you're using while texting back and forth with someone you KNOW WELL is just fucking irritating, if not plain stupid. No one with a fully developed prefrontal cortex want to see...

"u wood half an point"

Misunderstanding and flames caused by shit like that on a disscussion board is your own fuckin' fault. For once I'm 100% in agreement with little phil.

Lastly, take a little contructive critism, will you? Let me hold up our very own scoed as a prime example.

Ok, I'm setting him down, he's too big. But i digress. His first posts were critisized and hard to read and understand, which they were. Just one big, long block on often unpuncuated run on sentences. Basically read like rambling word vomit. (I hated them, could NEVER finish reading one!)

He responded, as only scoed can, and "admitted" he was ill-equiped to write well, apologizing profusely in a disturbingly over-the-top self-deprecating way, which beat all other critics to the punch and left them silent.

A response to him was posted, with a small bit of advice to simply hit that enter key when his thought was complete and make a few paragraphs so the rest of us could comprehend what he wrote.

Sure enough, he took the advice. Shortly after that something else became apparent about scoed. He actually writes well. He is totally equiped, no matter what he said, to communicate clearly. (I now ENJOY reading his posts. 'Cuz I CAN read read them. LOL! Kudos scoed!)


Here's the truth:

#1 We all undertand exactly what we mean when what we write. (Most of us, anyway.) And it's our human nature to think everyone else does, too. BUT THEY DON'T!


#1 People don't like to read things that aren't [a] easy to read, [b] quick and to the point (unlike this post), and [c]ccompletely clear to them.

Do you care if people understand you? Get your real point?

If not, tell me to fuck off and go back to being content in cluelessness, and defensive about constructive criticism, whereby your posts make you look like a dumbass, when you clearly are not.

If you care, get your contractions right, better yet DO NOT USE THEM. Type "you are" is that is what you mean, and learn when to use "your." Don't confuse there with their. And if anyone points out an error, fucking pay attention and correct it once and for all. You can do that, can't you? **


HH

** Unless I overestimated you and you really are a dumbass, in which case...

Sorry, my bad.

Well.  No grammatical or syntactical errors in THAT message!

Quad, my friend, that was a typo

your continued obsession over this past post of mine, is, ahem, unhealthy to say the least------------

"Your early post wer difficult to read.."
Now youve dun it!  im rilly loosing my patients now!

Thanks, I am trying.

But I still have a long ways to go. In the post above for example has several errors in it.

For example:

"I am just sharing my point of view on I approach similar criticism." Should have read, "I am just sharing my point of view on how I approach similar criticism."

"I have put up an  random example of how hard to read my early posts where to read." Should have read, "I have put up a random example of how hard it was to read my early posts."

My biggest issue is when I reread my post I often read what I meant to say automatically instead of whats written if I just got done writing it. Anther major issue I am having is that I constantly have to dumb down my posts do to my total inability to spell. Thank God for the spell checker in Chrome and on my Droid else I couldn't post at all.

But I am still working on my writing. It is a slow process going from rarely having written a thing in ones life to becoming a competent communicator using the written language.

Thanks for the props, I needed it. I am trying to grow in my written communication skills. It is one of the many weakness I am addressing. Thanks.


scoed

Should not there be a pro noun to start that sentence?

I did not check my post carefully enough and wrote "weekness" when I should have written "weakness."  I just smacked myself on the wrist.

but the point is well taken.

On the other hand, there is a word "vail".  It means a gratuity, or tip, so the spell check wins again.

The word "vail" is used correctly as it is a variant of "veil". A bit dated but correct. See link below.