Why we appreciate grammar here at Mac Forums!

[judderman62]

i believe they are called periods in the states.

Indeed, but those American folks claim to speak English , so they should do so properly It's a full stop

 

[vansmith]

Aside from all the obvious cases of neglect for proper spelling and grammar, I really wish individuals would cease using multiple commas, periods or exclamation marks in their posts. I don't need to see,,,,,you know,,,,,the multiple punctuation marks in sentences.....It's not that necessary!!!!!! Am I right???????

I'm willing to give people room for error online - this isn't a formal paper. I'm also willing to let it slide if it's obvious that English isn't the first language of the poster. But, if you are from somewhere that uses English as the primary language, there is no excuse for a lack of decent grammar skills.

Some of you may have seen me calling people out on grammar. I think I've even been called "the grammar police" before but grammar isn't just for the reader's sake. Why reinforce bad habits and why neglect all lessons about grammar and spelling just because you go online?

 

[mdfuller]

Agreed.

 

[BlueMac]

i think grammar is very important lol i try my hardest to use it all the time but sometimess it's kinda hard hahahahhahahahahahaah u no wat i mean ppl in my skool use it but i dont like to its so nerdy lol

 

[December]

*Wall*

I...I can't believe I read that whole thing.

I'm guilty of bad grammar on numerous occasions, but I try my best to keep it readable. It doesn't usually bother me when people use "txtspk" though. (I use it myself...but only when IM'ing or texting.). That is, unless they use "your" in place of "you're". Drives me nuts.

 

[vansmith]

I'm guilty of bad grammar on numerous occasions, but I try my best to keep it readable.

There is a difference between trying to be conscious of your spelling and grammar and neglecting to acknowledge any decency by ignoring all spelling and grammar conventions .

 

[MYmacROX]

Although I am first to stand in line to show my appreciation for proper grammar and spelling, punctuation, etc. I thought an online forum was the one place those hard-fast rules didn't apply.

I understand the point someone made about how hard it is to understand the thought a person is trying to convey if their post is unintelligible. And a simple "request" or "suggestion" for everyone to please try and make your posts make sense is quite reasonable.

I just hope any new persons or visitors are not turned off by this particular thread.

In the words of a great 90's grunge/punk/alt. rock band... "Come as you are."

 

[PapaNoHair]

Yes but don't speak!!

 

[vansmith]

Although I am first to stand in line to show my appreciation for proper grammar and spelling, punctuation, etc. I thought an online forum was the one place those hard-fast rules didn't apply.

There is no real excuse to use poor grammar and spelling. There should be no reason to neglect the rules of language online, and I'm not saying this is you, but it's a shame that people think this is the case. What is so special about the Internet that makes atrocious language not only acceptable but expected?

 

[D3v1L80Y]

There is no real excuse to use poor grammar and spelling. There should be no reason to neglect the rules of language online, and I'm not saying this is you, but it's a shame that people think this is the case. What is so special about the Internet that makes atrocious language not only acceptable but expected?

I agree wholeheartedly with every blessed word in this post.
I think I am starting to tear up a bit... it is truly a joy to see that at least some people are rational and give a hoot about using correct grammar and spelling, regardless of where it is presented.

 

[donna_calder]

If you is gonna cook gramma, add a pinch of mixed spice and a hand full of sultanas................ooops wrong gramma drat!

And the correct spelling is grammer!!

Actually the correct spelling is GRAMMAR but then again you could be in a different country and they may spell it different, this is the British way. xx

Same here, I don't like text language, have only sent 1 text in my entire life.

I text all the time and I am quite sad about making sure that I have proper spelling and punctuation because I would be mortified if someone thought that I couldn't spell just because I had abbreviated words just to save myself money on a 10p text!! xx

 

[RavingMac]

. . . I would be mortified if someone thought that I couldn't spell just because I had abbreviated words just to save myself money on a 10p text!! xx

Or that you had replied to a 3 year old post . . . ..

 

[toMACsh]

But thanks. I don't know how I missed it before, but I found it quite entertaining, except for that Pink Floyd post. I joined the same month as the first post, so I could have, should have seen it.

I've been "called on the carpet" for pointing out spelling and grammar mistakes in online forums. I can't say for sure that this happened here, but I wouldn't be surprised to discover it had.

 

[Mike Sprawson]

I view posts in forums as a general use of language. For instance, texting is simply a dialect in written form. And, like spoken language, context is important. I left England in December ‘65 as a 23 year old for Australia. Unlike England, Australia seemingly has only one really noticeable accent.

So, considering my early life experience in the North of England, I’m not put out by grammar/spelling idiosyncrasies in a public forum, for, like regional accents, it’s what gives colour to language. However, if what is being written is expected to be cross-cultural with a long “Shelf-life,” then standard grammar is the way to go.

 

[Dysfunction]

I view posts in forums as a general use of language. For instance, texting is simply a dialect in written form. And, like spoken language, context is important. I left England in December ‘65 as a 23 year old for Australia. Unlike England, Australia seemingly has only one really noticeable accent.

So, considering my early life experience in the North of England, I’m not put out by grammar/spelling idiosyncrasies in a public forum, for, like regional accents, it’s what gives colour to language. However, if what is being written is expected to be cross-cultural with a long “Shelf-life,” then standard grammar is the way to go.

Aye, but while I'm fine with talking to a drunken Yorkshireman in pub, trying to figure out their computer problem would be more problematic.

 

[TattooedMac]

I view posts in forums as a general use of language. For instance, texting is simply a dialect in written form. And, like spoken language, context is important. I left England in December ‘65 as a 23 year old for Australia. Unlike England, Australia seemingly has only one really noticeable accent.

And i reckon you made the right choice there mate. Its a great place aye ?? And we only speak 1 language. Mind you the Aborigines had something like 20, 000 Dialects . . .

I noticed when i did the 3 yr Aussie Tour of Europe that 20miles down the road, in country UK, the accent was very noticeable.

Aye, but while I'm fine with talking to a drunken Yorkshireman in pub, trying to figure out their computer problem would be more problematic.

I Had a mate from Northumberland and i tell you i would rather trry and sought his computer problems out than to speak with him in a pub. No matter how drunk i was, i was always asking him to repeat himself lol

 

[Mike Sprawson]

Aye, but while I'm fine with talking to a drunken Yorkshireman in pub, trying to figure out their computer problem would be more problematic.

eee by gum lad, tha’s got the flower reet; a rose. But, i tisn’t white, it’s red , remember now; context is important!

After my arrival down under, I noticed a similarity with the Aus’ accent, and those of London and Manchester. Seeing as the two U.K. cities were something like 200 miles apart, and the respective accents so unlike each other, this had me puzzled.

Early 1969 while living in Sydney, and having been in Aus’ a little over 3 years, one of the two evening papers published the names of transported "convicts" from the “Mother” country in the 1800s. It made for interesting reading (Poor Souls), but what really got my attention was that the great majority of prisoners were from London and Manchester.

Therefore, the Australian accent is a mixture of two large English cities, London and Manchester. Remember, whatever the topic, context matters. ;D

And i reckon you made the right choice there mate. Its a great place aye ?? And we only speak 1 language. Mind you the Aborigines had something like 20, 000 Dialects . . .

Yes, and England had so many languages before a standard one became accepted. Have a look at Bill Bryson's book, English, the Mother Tongue, a worth while read; and he's American who lived in England for quite a few years.

 

[pendlewitch]

I have just read the OP's original post and the standard of grammar is very disappointing. The text has a colloquial feel and is strewn with errors...

 

[RavingMac]

A minor rant on Grammar Police

The key point of grammatical rules (or any conventions for that matter) regarding verbal and written communication is to efficiently and effectively transmit information.

To that end it must be:

Clear
Concise
Coherent
Credible

It is not nearly as important whether or not a sentence is properly constructed, as it is whether or not it contains coherent thought.

And, sometimes the problem is too much chaff.

HELP! My hair is on fire . . . Aaaargh

or

I have to report that my hair seems to have spontaeneously ignited, so I am leaving now.

Strunk and White in Elements of Style (a classic work on the subject) famously said, "Omit needless words."
To that end, a few bulleted words can often be better communication than several sentences or paragraphs, regardles of how properly constructed.

Final Thoughts

1) I used to have pretty fair grammatical skills (many years ago now, while I was still in school). Now, I rely upon my wife to be my editor when I absolutely must be certain of adhering to the standards.

2) But, in the intervening years since leaving college, as my grammatical skills have waned (doubt there is a direct relationship here, just a parallel track) I have dramatically improved in my ability to communicate. And, along the way I learned there is far more to good communication than construct and format.

3) Now, I tend to write as if I were speaking (especially on online forums), and I speak much differently than I did before hundreds of hours in lectures and classrooms. One of the amusing results is I find that I am almost dictating to myself as I type and often end up typing homophones (THEIR when I meant THERE eg) when I obviously know the proper meaning and usage of the words. Sometimes I catch these before I post, but often I don't.

FWIW I intentionally made little attempt to be grammatically correct in the above, so any actual compliance to grammatical conventions is, I assure you, unintended.

 

[pendlewitch]

A joust, just for the fun of it?

My thoughts were that the OP perhaps should not have used the word grammar at all, having such a poor grasp of it, and that this whole thread (albeit three years old) is rendered almost meaningless as a consequence.

We've surely got to try to adhere to some sort of regular structure otherwise the whole thing becomes a personally stylised nonsense; for example, the simple polite instruction " I would like a cheeseburger please " morphs into "Can I get a cheeseburger ? "...at the sales counter of a burger shop, that sells burgers, with cheese on, and has pictures above to prove it.

How often do we see on this forum an original post with no structure, no salutations, not a 'by your leave'...just a straight forward imperative 'deal with my problem' attitude ? Well I for one wouldn't jump off a galloping horse to answer them and I bet most of you wouldn't either.

I'm not a paid up member of the 'Grammar Police'..in fact the original post comes across as quite patronising so I've probably more in common here with most of you than you think.

There is some history of the subject on 'Wiki' for some background and if this lot hadn't bothered we'd probably all be making grunts and signs at each other.

History of English grammars - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia