Grammer and proper smelling...

Stonewall · September 13, 2007, 01:13:08 AM

I am not a spelling bee champion and my writing skills leave something to be desired, but I thought I'd start something where people can put their pet peeves so we can all learn.

Today, I read a post where someone mis-used the word "lose".

Loose: The chain on my bike is loose.

Lose: Did you win or lose?

It's fiscal year, not physical year.

It's a median that separates highways, not a medium.

I'm done here, thank you.

SDF_Specialist · September 13, 2007, 01:18:10 AM

Thank you for your spallin lessin ser. I preshiate 'em lessins that thee mor sesined folks give

Yeah, it drives me nuts too. But that's an uphill battle that is fought at 90 degrees.

bosshawk · September 13, 2007, 01:43:26 AM

One of my pet peeves. Unfortunately, our schools and our parents do not emphasize either speaking, writing or spelling correctly. When I was in high school, you had to pass a spelling test in order to graduate: now, you simply have to put in four years inorder to graduate. I happened to minor in English in college, primary emphasis on composition, partly because I had to write so many papers and you got docked for bad spelling, grammar and punctuation. Fortunately, spelling and writing have always come easy for me and it stood me in good stead through a career as an Army Officer and then in the Federal Government as a civilian.

I think it a truism that speaking and writing are two skills that are mandatory in most professions.

Ford73Diesel · September 13, 2007, 01:49:13 AM

A Lot

"Well" and "good" are commonly misused.

Eclipse · September 13, 2007, 01:57:52 AM

One suggestion - use Firefox. It has an integrated spellcheck that works anywhere you type - builds a custom dictionary just like word does and underlines words it thinks are wrong. Saves me all the time.

mikeylikey · September 13, 2007, 02:27:51 AM

Pet Peeve.......... THIS-------> :clap: What the crap is up with that? I know it's no ones fault, but COME ON! lets get rid of it all-together if it doesn't show up!

A.Member · September 13, 2007, 03:08:01 AM

Their, there, they're

To, too, two

I'm also not a bug fan of using single letters or numbers to replace words (or is it werdz?)
Example: Wear u goin 2 dawg?

Perhaps that example is indictive of a much larger problem.

♠SARKID♠ · September 13, 2007, 03:27:00 AM

My pet peeve: HAM. RADIO. OPERATORS.

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SOME OF THEM TAKE SO LONG TO TRANSMIT! IVE HEARD A HAM TAKE 130 SECONDS TO GET 6 SECONDS WORTH OF USEFUL INFORMATION ACROSS!!!

[/vent]

Sadly, next week, I start taking classes to become one of them....#$% my insatiable appetite for ratings and licenses... $:-\$

(No offense to HAMs, its just what I hear on the local repeaters)

floridacyclist · September 13, 2007, 04:48:23 AM

A big part of our Emergency Communications Training is how to say what you need as briefly as possible without losing any of the message to lack of clarity or poor conditions.

I still have a few textbooks left over from Comm Camp...let me know if you want one.

AI4KK

jimmydeanno · September 13, 2007, 12:18:05 PM

Don't forget than and then. I had to explain to my brother-in-law that the word "than" is comparative. It is used when comparing two things.

That house is bigger than that one.

"Then" is sequential.

We went to the movies, then, we went to his house.

Yep, he's a junior in High School.

Walkman · September 13, 2007, 12:33:08 PM

Quote from: Eclipse on September 13, 2007, 01:57:52 AM
One suggestion - use Firefox. It has an integrated spellcheck that works anywhere you type - builds a custom dictionary just like word does and underlines words it thinks are wrong. Saves me all the time.

LOVE that feature. I'm a good speller, but a lousy typist.

I haven't seen it as bad here as on some other boards I've visited. There was an archery forum I used to visit and it there were a number of frequent posters that never used periods. Every sentence was separated by "..."

Drove me nuts.

Stonewall · September 13, 2007, 12:48:30 PM

Here's another one I just saw someone use on military.com.

It is "per se" not "per say".

Per se (sometimes misspelled "per say" or "persay") is:

A Latin phrase used in English arguments for "by itself".

Pylon · September 13, 2007, 12:50:07 PM

The The Impotence of Proofreading

JC004 · September 13, 2007, 12:53:09 PM

Quote from: Eclipse on September 13, 2007, 01:57:52 AM
One suggestion - use Firefox. It has an integrated spellcheck that works anywhere you type - builds a custom dictionary just like word does and underlines words it thinks are wrong. Saves me all the time.

davedove · September 13, 2007, 01:03:58 PM

Some people just don't realize that poor spelling and grammar make you seem both uneducated and unprofessional. They will say that as long as the message gets through, then that is sufficient. However, they also don't realize that it takes longer for the message to get through. I have seen messages that are written so poorly that I have to read through them multiple times to get the message. Sometimes I don't get the whole message even after multiple readings.

Now, I'm not perfect and I make mistakes, but I do try to be aware of how I write.

You can blame the internet and text-messaging for the abbreviated words and number substitutions. It's all part of the new subculture and I accept that. It may even one day become accepted in the language. After all, languages do evolve over time. But for now, there is an accepted way to do things in the professional world. If we're going to do it, do it right.

SDF_Specialist · September 13, 2007, 01:22:11 PM

Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on September 13, 2007, 03:27:00 AM
My pet peeve: HAM. RADIO. OPERATORS.

AAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
SOME OF THEM TAKE SO LONG TO TRANSMIT! IVE HEARD A HAM TAKE 130 SECONDS TO GET 6 SECONDS WORTH OF USEFUL INFORMATION ACROSS!!!

[/vent]

Sadly, next week, I start taking classes to become one of them....#$% my insatiable appetite for ratings and licenses... $:-\$

(No offense to HAMs, its just what I hear on the local repeaters)

You were doing good there for a while. You were giving me hope that cadets are interesting in the program. Then you make a statement against hams. Just gotta remember CPPT

♠SARKID♠ · September 13, 2007, 01:27:01 PM

But I'm right, am I not?!?

Pylon · September 13, 2007, 01:30:29 PM

Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on September 13, 2007, 01:27:01 PM
But I'm right, am I not?!?

Radio communications in general are not everyone's strong suit. I think we've heard Ham radio operators, CAP radio operators, heck - even police and EMS on radios, who take three times longer than necessary to convey a message.

SDF_Specialist · September 13, 2007, 01:32:50 PM

Quote from: Pylon on September 13, 2007, 01:30:29 PM
Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on September 13, 2007, 01:27:01 PM
But I'm right, am I not?!?

Radio communications in general are not everyone's strong suit. I think we've heard Ham radio operators, CAP radio operators, heck - even police and EMS on radios, who take three times longer than necessary to convey a message.

You know, in addition to my HAM and CAP communications, I am a scanner. I heard a police officer giving out some information the other day about an accident that I don't think should have been broadcasted over the radio. SARKID, if you think HAM radio is bad, come around where I live. You can't tell the difference.

JohnKachenmeister · September 13, 2007, 04:32:37 PM

My favorite punctuation story:

Stalin was about to ship a political prisoner to the Gulag, but at the last minute, his lawyer appealed to Stalin for mercy. Stalin was not known as a merciful fellow, and directed that his clerk type up a terse note to the attorney:

"Pardon impossible, to be sent to Siberia."

The clerk, however, made a slight mistake, which was not caught by Stalin when he signed it:

"Pardon, impossible to be sent to Siberia."

The lawyer took the signed note to the prison, and the dissident was released.

One comma, a 180-degree change in meaning!

♠SARKID♠ · September 13, 2007, 05:10:33 PM

I dont think HAM is bad, I love it! I'm going to be one very soon, its just that people need to figure out what they are going to say before keying the mic. Its just like leaving a message on someone's answering machine. Figure it out before you speak.

Also, I have an additional pet peeve: People who turn into the wrong lane at intersections.

Hoser · September 13, 2007, 05:38:18 PM

The improper use of apostrophes drives me crazy. They are for possessives not plurals. They are also used in contractions such as "He isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer." I agree with who ever it was who stated that poor grammar and spelling implies ignorance and lack of professionalism.

That is my opinion, I could be wrong
Hoser

jimmydeanno · September 13, 2007, 05:44:01 PM

Quote from: Hoser on September 13, 2007, 05:38:18 PM
The improper use of apostrophes drives me crazy. They are for possessives not plurals. They are also used in contractions such as "He isn't the sharpest knife in the drawer." I agree with who ever it was who stated that poor grammar and spelling implies ignorance and lack of professionalism.

That is my opinion, I could be wrong
Hoser

Tell that to the people who invented "its" and "it's..."

"Its" is the possesive, "Its ribbons," "Its hair was really long."

SDF_Specialist · September 13, 2007, 08:17:23 PM

Quote from: ♠SARKID♠ on September 13, 2007, 05:10:33 PM
I dont think HAM is bad, I love it! I'm going to be one very soon, its just that people need to figure out what they are going to say before keying the mic. Its just like leaving a message on someone's answering machine. Figure it out before you speak.

Also, I have an additional pet peeve: People who turn into the wrong lane at intersections.

Well the purpose if HAM radio is to talk for a long time!! It's just like phone, only you can't swear.

I hear ya on the intersections. It would help to follow the signs!