bad english, so called americanisms and bad spelling

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Woody Alan":2zfybbnm said:
It drives me crazy, to the point where I either snap "take, TAKE!" back or just ignore her until she says it right.

...and you're still alive to tell this tale?

Alan

Big grin, Alan. I have to assume he's not yet 30 and has very little to do, since most of us have adulted (heh, heh) by then and are way too busy to do anything but note others' mistakes. OTOH, perhaps he's the best advertisement for not marrying the first bimbo he comes across.

Pam
 
WiZeR":3cl0acj5 said:
If my missus wants me to take something up stairs she will say "Can you bring that upstairs." It drives me crazy, to the point where I either snap "take, TAKE!" back or just ignore her until she says it right.

I think this is probably why I have so much trouble learning a foreign language....I can't speak my own properly

What is wrong with asking for something to be brought* upstairs? ie which grammar rules have been broken

Andy

*edit bought to brought :oops:
 
nothing wrong with it, as long as she's upstairs asking you to bring it up, not downstairs which I think was the point.

a) can the mods move this into general chat please.

b) 'should of' is a pet hate, but it's interesting in that it contracted from "should have" to "should've" But then uncontracted to a different word, English, fascinating language.
Would I find "aint" just as grating if I'd been around 200 or however many years ago...
 
The point is that this is a woodworking forum. As long as you can understand what is trying to be said, it shouldn't matter how it is written.

I was brought up to think that correcting people was very bad manners. In my book it is much worse than using incorrect grammer.
 
patl":30ko9ycy said:
Would I find "aint" just as grating if I'd been around 200 or however many years ago...
Thū wolde habban mast likligr. :D
 
patl":10f44cmu said:
nothing wrong with it, as long as she's upstairs asking you to bring it up, not downstairs which I think was the point.

Exactomundo :whistle:
 
WiZeR":1053j34k said:
...But when people use words they really don't understand ...

Okay, that makes me mad too. I have a friend who uses the word "akward" at least two times per sentence. Whether or not the situation is really akward or not. I almost want to ask him if he knows what the word "akward" means.
 
Slim,

The point is that this is a woodworking forum. As long as you can understand what is trying to be said, it shouldn't matter how it is written.

I was brought up to think that correcting people was very bad manners. In my book it is much worse than using incorrect grammer.

Exactly. =D> =D> =D>

How do you think someone like Pete feels

Pete

Hi,

I'm with Lord Nibbo on this one. And as some one who is dyslexic and has real trouble spelling even simple words, to see people pontificating about how much better they are at english than me is a slap in the face. If you where critiquing a piece of woodwork would you have the same attitude?


Pete

SF

Sorry, Pete, but I don't think there is any "pontificating" going on here.
OK, this thread is probably not in the right place but part of the point of it is that language is not used correctly on a lot of occasions.
I was merely saying what I find annoying - nothing more. I don't want to change the world.

SF

There are members from all over the world, do you expect them all to speak perfect English?

Cheers

Mike
 
it means american cowboys with their yups and yeps in plain language one is saying in short **are you up** and the others is replying **yes I am
 
I have read the original post and all the subsequent responses and especially the posts that subscribe to the upbraiding and condemnation of those who would seek to point out or even cast observation on, the perceived shortcomings of others in regard to the spoken or written language......
If a person is brought up to respect and cherish the proper use and intrinsic value of language, and finds it irksome or even a barrier to good communication when simple good use of language is not apparent or even thought worthy of effort to aspire to, then upon pointing this out is in turn chastised by someone whose values lay in the allowance of another the prerogative to remain illiterate ?

What possible use or good purpose is there in not aspiring to the better use of language and correspondingly, what good is served by defending ignorance to the point of the dereliction of a language that is the only truly world class tool we have?



Have you noticed? since libraries ceased insisting upon silence, the reading and writing skills of the populace, especially the young, have waned dramatically. The issues are inexorably linked..

I have worked for years with two friends, one a joiner and one a builder that both have dyslexia and they have no hesitation is asking for help with reading and writing of bills and letters, instructions and so on and I have no hesitation in helping them. These friends help me in other ways with what skills they have that better mine. So a balance of sorts is achieved, but if we each failed to either acknowledge our own shortcomings or gently point out those of our friends we would all be the worse for it I am sure.

However if a customer asks me to provide them with a chest of draws, and expects me to "understand" am I to provide them with a trunk of knickers?
How long before the guesswork brought about by this acceptance of "dumbing down" starts to cost too dearly?

And I agree, this thread would be better hosted in the general chat forum.
 
Sorry Sreetpips, you used too many long words there. I didn't understand a word of it. :roll:
 
No it doesn't. The fact is, that this is not the place to pick people up on their shortcomings in regard to the spoken or written language, as you put it. Nor is it the place to over embellish your words in order to appear superior.

People visit this forum in order to seek and divulge information with regards to woodworking, They do not come here for an English lesson, nor to have their shortcomings pointed out by a bunch of pedants. It is down right rude to do so.
 
Sorry Sreetpips, you used too many long words there. I didn't understand a word of it.

Well I did understand it perfectly, as it was well written and properly punctuated with, as far as I noticed, no spelling mistakes. I also applaud the sentiments contained in it.

I for one am heartily fed up of trying to work out what some posters are trying to say because they are too lazy to add a capital letter, full stop or appropriately placed comma occasionally. Written communication requires careful construction, good spelling and correct punctuation in order to be effective, as we have nothing else from which to construe the intended meaning of the writer. We cannot see each other's faces or gestures nor hear the tone of another's voice when we converse in writing, so it becomes more important, not less, to express ourselves clearly. Emoticons are helpful to a degree, but they are are poor substitute indeed for the nuances of meaning it is possible to express with a decent vocabulary, a basic understanding of sentence construction, and a modicum of common sense.

To suggest that because people come to this forum for help with woodworking the standard of literacy is of no consequence is patently ridiculous. If I want an answer to a question I am far more likely to meet with success if my question can be understood. Likewise if I answer a question for another member there is little point in doing so if it cannot be understood by that member. In both cases understanding is invariably enhanced with correct use of language.

If it is suggested to other members that as the standard of their English rises so will the calibre of the information they obtain, it doesn't make anyone "superior" or otherwise, any more than informing someone they'll get a better result with a handplane if the iron is sharp.

Mind you, when it comes to understanding I have to confess to being defeated by one thing: why this thread is on its 3rd page and is still in the handtool section. :?

Edit:
Whoops, egg on face time. I took so long to post this it got moved while I wasn't looking.
 
I divvent knarr wot arl the fuss is aboot, i can unnerstan ivverything yer aarl tarking aboot. Just live and let live ware the lingo's conserned. :wink:
 
Hi Mark,

I never suggested that the use of good English wasn't important. All I am saying is that this forum is not the place to point out people's incorrect use of language, and that it is inappropriate and rude to do so. That is all.
 
kevin":52fd3z3m said:
I divvent knarr wot arl the fuss is aboot, i can unnerstan ivverything yer aarl tarking aboot. Just live and let live ware the lingo's conserned. :wink:

"Drop the vernacular please."
"That's not a vernacular it's a doiby!"
"Drop the vernacular!"

Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk :lol: Ah the nuances of The Three Stooges :)
 
From time to time we all make spelling mistakes and incorporate grammatical errors into our writing. I can spot faults in even the most high-minded contributions to this thread, although that's not surprising because I've been trained to do so. No doubt my posts on other threads contain errors and there may even be some in this post; it's Sod's Law :roll: :) .

Like it or not, we have all been educated to different standards. We come from different walks of life and have different inclinations and different aptitudes Some people write well, some don't; that's inevitable on any forum with a large membership. Occasionally we simply have to be tolerant and recognise this means that we all have different strengths and weaknesses.So long as people are trying to communicate in a helpful and pleasant manner to the best of their ability, I don't worry about the formalities of writing. Every now and then we seem to get new members who appear to be quite accomplished woodworkers but who write in a slovenly fashion. Strangely, their style of writing changes with each post and often their errors are inconsistent :lol: . I usually ignore these posts because I suspect them of being written by disaffected members who have opened a duplicate membership and are 'trolling' the forum to cause disruption. It's gratifying to note that most other genuine contributors to this forum seem to latch on to these sad people quite quickly. They usually vanish after a little while.

Gill
 
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