PowerTool
Established Member
Hi there DA - is that the same DA as on Screwfix?
If so,welcome to the forum
If not,welcome to the forum
Andrew
If so,welcome to the forum
If not,welcome to the forum
Andrew
It's not cricket
- Thread starter Steve Maskery
- Start date
Help Support UKworkshop.co.uk:
syntec4
Established Member
Steve...blimey :shock: You have started something now
I find that my spelling and grammar have become much worse since I left school, nearly 20 years ago. I think the main reason is that I depend on spell checkers too much. I think spelling was not a problem for me at school although I struggle with it sometimes now. (You may have noticed I'm sure). I do try to make things at least understandable though.
I suspect though that there are many people on here that could not compose an email/post as well as others, even though they are true masters of there craft. But I would rather them help me out even with the poor spelling than not bother because they don't feel confident. I could certainly use all the help I could get in the woodworking department
I am a member of several other forums that I'm sure would turn you're hair curly. the BMX forum is one of them. ALL of the posts on that board are of the 'txt' shorthand type.
If you cant spell or type that well -keep posting. I'm not offended, I'm sure Steve is not THAT bothered either. :wink:
P.S Steve, i've got some great pills here, I take one after doing battle with the M6/M1 all day, calms me down a treat. You can have one if you like.....
PPS I've just edited again as I found a spelling mistake
I find that my spelling and grammar have become much worse since I left school, nearly 20 years ago. I think the main reason is that I depend on spell checkers too much. I think spelling was not a problem for me at school although I struggle with it sometimes now. (You may have noticed I'm sure). I do try to make things at least understandable though.
I suspect though that there are many people on here that could not compose an email/post as well as others, even though they are true masters of there craft. But I would rather them help me out even with the poor spelling than not bother because they don't feel confident. I could certainly use all the help I could get in the woodworking department
I am a member of several other forums that I'm sure would turn you're hair curly. the BMX forum is one of them. ALL of the posts on that board are of the 'txt' shorthand type.
If you cant spell or type that well -keep posting. I'm not offended, I'm sure Steve is not THAT bothered either. :wink:
P.S Steve, i've got some great pills here, I take one after doing battle with the M6/M1 all day, calms me down a treat. You can have one if you like.....
PPS I've just edited again as I found a spelling mistake
Steve Maskery
Established Member
syntec4":5f1tney4 said:PPS I've just edited again as I found a spelling mistake
If it's any consolation, I had to edit mine for the same reason (except, of course, mine was only a typo, not a spelling mistake, which is not the same thing at all!
) I can always claim that it was when I wasn't wearing my contact lenses. I'll get me coat.
S
I'm sure the vast majority here can tell when someone is endeavouring to communicate to the best of their abilities, and when someone is being lazy. Poor grammar and punctuation can be be indicative of a slovenly attitude which in turn demonstrates disrespect to other forum members. More often, it's simply a case that the writers true skills are at the workbench rather than the keyboard.
Reading some posts can be rather taxing but my experience here is that most people try their best when drafting posts. There are some traits that Steve and others find particularly irksome. He is as a long-standing contributor to the forum who has politely asked if we can all pay attention to these points; I think it would be disrepectful of us to simply cast his request to one side. None of us are perfect when it comes to our compliance with the conventions of written communications, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't aspire to perfection. Indeed, the mere fact that we seek to improve our woodworking skills through this forum suggests to me that we all have aspirations to self-improvement in at least one respect. It's entirely in keeping with our characters that many of us should also be motivated to self-improvement in other areas, such as writing.
We are all trying to help each other and I feel we're better equipped to do so as a result of it having been pointed out that the means by which we assist each other is written communication. If our communication skills are lacking, then we might be selling ourselves short when we try to discuss aspects of woodwork. From time to time, I think it can be helpful if we remind ourselves of this.
Gill
Reading some posts can be rather taxing but my experience here is that most people try their best when drafting posts. There are some traits that Steve and others find particularly irksome. He is as a long-standing contributor to the forum who has politely asked if we can all pay attention to these points; I think it would be disrepectful of us to simply cast his request to one side. None of us are perfect when it comes to our compliance with the conventions of written communications, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't aspire to perfection. Indeed, the mere fact that we seek to improve our woodworking skills through this forum suggests to me that we all have aspirations to self-improvement in at least one respect. It's entirely in keeping with our characters that many of us should also be motivated to self-improvement in other areas, such as writing.
We are all trying to help each other and I feel we're better equipped to do so as a result of it having been pointed out that the means by which we assist each other is written communication. If our communication skills are lacking, then we might be selling ourselves short when we try to discuss aspects of woodwork. From time to time, I think it can be helpful if we remind ourselves of this.
Gill
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Well folks, that was a bit more lively than I had anticipated!
Now then, what do you think of using dados?
JOKE!
Now then, what do you think of using dados?
JOKE!
syntec4
Established Member
I'm glad you spelt THAT correctly
DomValente
Established Member
Steve Maskery":3sgcwdnw said:
Oh my God, in a former life I was a restaurateur,please tell me you corrected her English after you had eaten.
Yes that is spelt correctly
Dom
DomValente
Established Member
My youngest son is at University taking a PGCE, his intention is to became an English teacher.
Writing a letter when he is in sight has become an absolute no no, as every other word or punctuation mark I use is in the wrong place.
While I can see a need to improve some parts of our language and the way she is written and spoken we must live and let live and accept that not everyone has had the same opportunities.
By the way I am reliably informed(son No.2) that one can now say,"he lighted his cigarette", now that is annoying,well at least to someone of a certain age.
Dom
Writing a letter when he is in sight has become an absolute no no, as every other word or punctuation mark I use is in the wrong place.
While I can see a need to improve some parts of our language and the way she is written and spoken we must live and let live and accept that not everyone has had the same opportunities.
By the way I am reliably informed(son No.2) that one can now say,"he lighted his cigarette", now that is annoying,well at least to someone of a certain age.
Dom
Knot Competent
Established Member
Nobody has yet mentioned another aspect of this, in that many of these messages are typed at the close of the day, when the shoes are kicked off and the relationship resumed with that saucy Belgian minx, Mlle. Stella Artois. I suspect that she is to blame for many a typo, and a couldn't-care-less attitude, particularly on a Friday evening. A telling case for never allowing her in the workshop!
John
John
Alf
Established Member
"He lighted his cigarette"? Oh cripes. :roll: That'll have to change to "he was asked to put his cigarette out or face a £2000 fine" anyway... :lol:
John, you beat me to it. Although I was going to say "when folks are tired after a long day"... Ha hum.
I don't think we need get hung up on where to put the semi-colon (speaking as someone with a scattergun approach to punctuation, I hope not!) but a few capital letters, full stops and question marks are helpful. Maybe a comma, if you're feeling daring? But when it comes down to it, better to post as best you can than not post at all. We can always ask for clarification if necessary.
There's on forum I occasionaly visit where a little note occaisonally popped up at the end of a post: "Edited for SPAG". Spaghetti? No, "Spelling Punctuation And Grammar". Any volunteers for that one...? :twisted:
Cheers, Alf
John, you beat me to it. Although I was going to say "when folks are tired after a long day"... Ha hum.
I don't think we need get hung up on where to put the semi-colon (speaking as someone with a scattergun approach to punctuation, I hope not!) but a few capital letters, full stops and question marks are helpful. Maybe a comma, if you're feeling daring? But when it comes down to it, better to post as best you can than not post at all. We can always ask for clarification if necessary.
There's on forum I occasionaly visit where a little note occaisonally popped up at the end of a post: "Edited for SPAG". Spaghetti? No, "Spelling Punctuation And Grammar". Any volunteers for that one...? :twisted:
Cheers, Alf
Vormulac
Established Member
Alf":3t7qk8ki said:
'Sheer Pugnacity And Gall'?
V.
Argee
Established Member
What an interesting thread this has turned into!
At one stage in my career, I introduced the concept of "distance learning" and was very conscious of not making grammatical mistakes when preparing the material. The writing style was in the first person, "relaxed" and used contractions frequently (i.e., the reader should get the feeling that they were "listening" rather than reading). This is, actually, the style of the majority of forum contributions, so the comparison was immediate for me - it also reminded me how difficult it is to proof-read your own work!
Having once been a fanatic on punctuation, spelling, grammar and syntax, I'm now a little more relaxed about it, but not much. A simple point to remember is that a comma is required where there is a pause for breath (except before the word "and").
Sometimes, it's quite an effort to read some contributions, mainly due to a lack of punctuation - but although it's good manners to post correctly-punctuated text, isn't it as important to treat contributions equally and not be too judgemental about the content?
I feel that this thread has struck a good balance in seeking improvement without being pious - well done!
Ray.
At one stage in my career, I introduced the concept of "distance learning" and was very conscious of not making grammatical mistakes when preparing the material. The writing style was in the first person, "relaxed" and used contractions frequently (i.e., the reader should get the feeling that they were "listening" rather than reading). This is, actually, the style of the majority of forum contributions, so the comparison was immediate for me - it also reminded me how difficult it is to proof-read your own work!
Having once been a fanatic on punctuation, spelling, grammar and syntax, I'm now a little more relaxed about it, but not much. A simple point to remember is that a comma is required where there is a pause for breath (except before the word "and").
Sometimes, it's quite an effort to read some contributions, mainly due to a lack of punctuation - but although it's good manners to post correctly-punctuated text, isn't it as important to treat contributions equally and not be too judgemental about the content?
I feel that this thread has struck a good balance in seeking improvement without being pious - well done!
Ray.
Alf
Established Member
Argee
Established Member
I did say "A simple point ..." so the inclusion of the Oxford comma was hardly appropriate.Alf":3orsv7re said:
Good link, though!Ray.
Alf
Established Member
Well I felt it had to be said. Don't want to be pulled up for legitimate use of Oxford commas should I have a sudden urge to use one. :lol:
mahking51
Established Member
Alf
Are you aware of the exact difference between a comma and a pause?
If not, allow me....
A comma is a pause at the end of a clause whereas a cat has claws at the end of its paws.
I'll get me (my!) coat!
Martin
Are you aware of the exact difference between a comma and a pause?
If not, allow me....
A comma is a pause at the end of a clause whereas a cat has claws at the end of its paws.
I'll get me (my!) coat!
Martin
martyn2
Established Member
mahking51":12s0xte4 said:Alf
Are you aware of the exact difference between a comma and a pause?
If not, allow me....
A comma is a pause at the end of a clause whereas a cat has claws at the end of its paws.
I'll get me (my!) coat!
Martin
:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
martyn
Steve Maskery
Established Member
Actually the use (or possibly abuse) of the Oxford Comma (and I didn't know that that was its name) is something even I am relaxed about, simply because, in a complex sentence, it can aid readability. I often find myself reading a sentence twice, with different mental metre, when I realize that that the word and is joining two parts of the sentence, whereas I was connecting another two. I believe that it is now regarded as correct, in some academic circles, to use a comma immediately before the and, simply because it does make it easier to read. I can't give you a reference for that, I'm afraid.
That reminds me of the sentence which contains five consecutive ands (or should that be and's? Isn't a word plural an exception? I'll have to consult Lynn Truss. Anyway the sentence is in the conversation between the landlord of the local pub and the bloke doing his sign-writing.
"Oi!", says the landlord. "That's not right! You've left too much space between Dog and And and And and Duck!".
I'll just reiterate what I said at the start. This is not about education (goodness knows, that's astronomically over-rated ); even people of very basic education, in any language I've ever tried to learn, know that sentences begin with a Capital Letter and end with one of these. It's not even about grammar or spelling, although, of course, those things matter to me. My point is entirely about readability, and it not being an enormous challenge for me to guess what the poster intended to convey.
Thank you all for your contributions here. The fact that it has grown so much means (I believe) that many people have found it, what shall we say, stimulating.
Cheers
Steve
That reminds me of the sentence which contains five consecutive ands (or should that be and's? Isn't a word plural an exception? I'll have to consult Lynn Truss. Anyway the sentence is in the conversation between the landlord of the local pub and the bloke doing his sign-writing.
"Oi!", says the landlord. "That's not right! You've left too much space between Dog and And and And and Duck!".
I'll just reiterate what I said at the start. This is not about education (goodness knows, that's astronomically over-rated
); even people of very basic education, in any language I've ever tried to learn, know that sentences begin with a Capital Letter and end with one of these. It's not even about grammar or spelling, although, of course, those things matter to me. My point is entirely about readability, and it not being an enormous challenge for me to guess what the poster intended to convey.Thank you all for your contributions here. The fact that it has grown so much means (I believe) that many people have found it, what shall we say, stimulating.
Cheers
Steve
Alf
Established Member
I was the cause of this thread ,a question was asked and i tried to answer it as best i could.
So i deleted it .but the person who i hold as a craftsman ,did not see the need to give any advice on the subject .
lee has posted photos in a step by step break down on how to do it ,a picture tells a thousand word ,but i dont own a camera .
So i tried to explain how i made mine ,at least i tried .
Mr maskery i like your work it is an inspiration to us all on this forume ,but please at least pass on some of your wisdom ie woodwork to the rest of us .
lets put this thread to bed and get on with the more important things in life
frank
So i deleted it .but the person who i hold as a craftsman ,did not see the need to give any advice on the subject .
lee has posted photos in a step by step break down on how to do it ,a picture tells a thousand word ,but i dont own a camera .
So i tried to explain how i made mine ,at least i tried .
Mr maskery i like your work it is an inspiration to us all on this forume ,but please at least pass on some of your wisdom ie woodwork to the rest of us .
lets put this thread to bed and get on with the more important things in life
frank
Similar threads
