topic Re: Spellings? in The Round Table

Spellings?

cee-dee — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 09:22:09 GMT

Bad spelling (unless it's obvious it's deliberate for fun) really annoys me. I see it all the time in online news reports and it shows that either the proof-reader hasn't noticed or (more likely) it's not been proof-read at all.

Just this morning I was looking for current instructions on how to disable the touchpad on Windows 10 laptops. The reason for looking for that (for someone who's just got a new laptop) is that the instructions I followed with this laptop are no longer valid due to changes in Windows 10. It's done a different way now.

I found a video and the spellings were absolutely awful (and the instructions were out of date anyway). They were so bad I refrained from commenting because I'd have been absolutely scathing and it would probably have been removed.

I suppose someone will want to know why someone wants to disable the touchpad on a laptop? OK, it's because a mouse is preferred and the touchpad is easy to, well, touch and corrupt what you're doing. Once a mouse is connected you can disable it.

So what's your view on bad spellings? Do you think it doesn't matter any more or do you feel strongly that writings in public should be correct? I know we all make inadvertent errors but surely if you're posting something like instructions or a news report your spelling should be perfect?

Re: Spellings?

margaret*e — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 12:42:27 GMT

Better never go on Facebook then, the amount of bad spellings and the number of people who say loose instead of lose, and defiantly instead of definitely would send you right over the edge.😱🤔😁😁😁

Re: Spellings?

right-then-petal — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 13:14:55 GMT

Re: Spellings?

astrologica — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 14:05:04 GMT

Bad spelling and grammar ...sometimes I have to practically tie my hands down to stop myself being a real pedant!

my favourite baddies are 'off of' and 'would of' and 'could of'. Grrr!😡

Re: Spellings?

023mjc — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:36:54 GMT

How about shud of, and their, there and they're. And so many others that I can't remember them all - not difficult words - stuff the average 7 year old would know. Carnt really gets my goat.

I know an author who says "punctuation is the difference between knowing your s**t, and knowing you're s**t.

Re: Spellings?

023mjc — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 15:40:49 GMT

I'm amazed at the large number of people who say their item was relished or resisted. Neither of those are close to relisted and the letters are not near each other on the keyboard, so it can't be fat finger syndrome.

I'm a great believer in relishing what you can't resist.

Re: Spellings?

astrologica — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 16:14:53 GMT

It's actually quite surprising how many spelling mistakes and how much bad grammar you see on the BBC News website. Probably a sign of how dumbed down the BBC has become.

Re: Spellings?

cee-dee — Mon, 29 Apr 2019 18:17:09 GMT

As an interesting (???) exercise, just for fun and for "research purposes" read the whole of each of the following online newspapers:- The Daily Mail, the Mirror, the Express and the Sun. (There, that'll keep you occupied for a while?) Concentrate on the news stories, skip all the garbage about "celebrities".

Just look at the number of spelling mistakes there are, how many words are missing or how many extra, unnecessary words there are.

When you've done that it'll be glaringly obvious that proof reading hardly exists?

Re: Spellings?

june-spoon28 — Tue, 30 Apr 2019 22:28:13 GMT

I don't think my spelling and grammar are brilliant, I try and that is all that matters to me. I certainly don't get annoyed by some one else's mistakes or typo's, what annoys me far more is the people who think their contributions are perfect and think nothing of pointing out to others their mistakes and not caring two hoots that it makes someone look pretty dim.

Re: Spellings?

al**bear — Wed, 01 May 2019 04:57:37 GMT

If a word is spelt wrong by very many People, often enough,

it can be picked up as a new spelling.

I see yous everywhere online and have done for years --

It is now is accepted as a spelling

Re: Spellings?

upthecreekyetagain — Wed, 01 May 2019 17:22:04 GMT

Predictive text has a lot to answer for.

What I find annoying is the use of the wrong word in speech as well as in writing, although real Malapropisms can be amusing.

For example snakes are oft described as being poisonous, they’re not, they are venomous.

Envy and jealousy, lend and borrow, disinterested and uninterested are other examples.

Re: Spellings?

**bustysinclaire** — Thu, 02 May 2019 11:59:30 GMT

Do get some laughs with predictive text.