Spelling and grammar if fundamental.

Like reading. To ask that individuals follow the principles of the English language isn't asking for much.

Mon. Jan 8, 11:06am

..."if fundamental" or "IS fundamental".....we all make mistakes...

Monday, January 8, 2007, 11:12 AM

for some posters, english is a second or third language. as long as they are able to deliver their point, let's all be a bit more forgiving, eh?

Monday, January 8, 2007, 11:26 AM

You both are nitpicky and you know it. You can tell if it's English written as a second language, and you can also tell if it's someone being in a hurry.

Lose vs. Loose is basic 7th grade english skills. Someone has to police it or the quality goes down.

Monday, January 8, 2007, 12:47 PM

can you tell that i learned english as a second language? how can you detect these things? i've come across far more that bothers me in some of the postings than a bit of misspelling here and there. it is more the content of some comments that i find disturbing.

Monday, January 8, 2007, 1:00 PM

Who knows if you're lying to make your point? You have not silenced me. I have hereby declared myself as head of the peertrainer spelling and grammar posse. Please join me if you are so inclined.

Monday, January 8, 2007, 1:05 PM

I will typically overlook a spelling or grammatical error without comment, but I could not resist in this instance. The title of this post, even assuming "if" was a misspelling for "is", remains grammatically incorrect. It should read "Spelling and grammar ARE fundamental."

I hope the OP will lighten up and realize that everyone makes mistakes, and many people do not appreciate having every minor mistype or grammatical mistake pointed out by the grammar police. It quickly becomes tiring, and detracts from the reason people post on this site - for support and encouragement in their endeavors to have a healthier lifestyle.

There are also more effective techniques for correcting people's errors that are not so antagonistic. You might wish to adopt a technique that is effective with children. If they say something incorreclty, it's not necessary to blatantly point it out. That just puts them on the defensive and hinders learning. Instead, in your reply say the thing correctly, and they'll pick up the correction. So, for instance, if someone posts that they want to "loose" 10 pounds, in your reply (which will hopefully be about their point and not just their spelling error), begin with "I understand that you want to lose 10 pounds. . . "

Monday, January 8, 2007, 1:07 PM

dude, I think it was a play on the RIF, reading is fundamental thing we heard growing up.

Monday, January 8, 2007, 1:11 PM

would the OP correct a posting for a "lite" food item if the logger is just spelling it the same way it is spelled on the package? what about copying other things misspelled on packaging? what if i said i saw the movie "the pursuit of happyness" and it is actually spelled that way in the movie? will someone correct me for putting a title in quotes instead of underlining it? get over it. we are no on this website to learn grammar. a lot of people who know correct grammar just prefer to keep things here causal and write how they talk. so maybe they mix up lose and loose, you're and your, their and there and they're. but they didn't come here to learn english and probably don't care about your correction.

Monday, January 8, 2007, 1:27 PM

Wow....

Wow, I really wish that I had that much time on my hands to be the Grammar and Spelling Nazi on this little PeerTrainer board.. I mean, isn't the whole purpose of this site to support each other???

Monday, January 8, 2007, 1:44 PM

The English grammar we teach in school is an imperfect descripton of the language. It's a shame everyone here couldn't have been in Dr. T's upper-division Theoretical Grammar course, diagramming sentences from _Trains_ magazine. _Yikes_. I recall this often-repeated quote from Dr. T: "Language is a living, squirming thing."

That's why I love it.

"Correct English" is a misnomer. It's "Standard English." Its only correct in certain circumstances. Here's what I told my high school English students: Imagine the hottest babe in the senior class invited you to the Prom, and all you had to wear was a swimsuit. Ack. Okay, now imagine the hottest babe in the senior class invited you to a bonfire party on a private beach, and all you had to wear was formal attire.

Neither situation is particularly appealing.

That's language. Standard English, while entirely appropriate and necessary in certain situations in order to give the right impression, is not always the best or the only choice. Conversely, sometimes it's okay to use substandard English. You don't want to say to your buddies, "What group activities would you all like to participate in today?" They'd think you were nuts. It's more appropriate to the situation to say "Whaddya wanna do?"

What's critical is knowing the difference and understanding when each is the right choice.

"Loose" for "lose," of course, is not technically a grammatical error. Still, it seems odd to be too concerned about it on a board aimed at helping people support each other in healthy lifestyles.

There was one girl in Dr. T's class who was a very, very rigid grammarian. She almost lost her mind that semester! Dr. T was a very well-respected, very charismatic, very strong teacher, and every class period she'd be sitting in the back of the room practically gasping for air as he peeled back the skin of closed thinking and exposed the reality that flew in the face of her treasured grammar-related beliefs, revealing language for what it really is. Poor girl. I think she managed to go on and get her degree and certification, and probably has a classroom in a high school somewhere where she intones the sacred doctrine of Proper English to glazed-eyed sophomores.

As will be clear by this post, I know how to use Standard English. It's a strong tool in my linguistic toolbox. But it's not the only tool.

If anyone made it this far, thanks for letting my play about with my writing skills. And if you made it this far and are about to write a scathing response about the importance of linguistic purity--carry on. I'm an old M*A*S*H fan, and always got a kick out of Major Winchester. :^ )

Monday, January 8, 2007, 5:49 PM

If you work in East NYC it is!

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 6:23 AM

This is kind of funny. The verb should be plural and the word if is misspelled. Explains the point that sometimes we type quickly to get the point down. Read for content.

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 9:24 AM

The incessant use of "it's" when it should be "its" by posters all over the net drives me CRAZY, but I have to wonder why. It doesn't hurt me in any way, I know what they mean, so what's my problem? Also, not everyone got a good education or is visual-minded in the way that makes spelling automatic. On the other hand, perhaps carelessness does show a certain lack of respect sometimes, like showing up for a dinner party in wrinkled clothing. All this is just to say that I totally sympathize with both sides of this one.

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 9:28 AM

If someone starts a thread and it's riddled with typos, bad grammar, etc., I reckon they're not bright enough to absorb a quality response that isn't a simple "Yes,we all gain weight during that time of the month" or "No, you can't expect to lose 10 lbs a week". So I don't waste my time responding.

And I can tell if they're not a native English speaker -- I used to teach ESL. That's why I don't crucify people who, for example, use "women" v. "woman" incorrectly (common among Hispanics) or forget to use articles (common among Asians). I'll respond to those if I have anything useful to contribute.

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 12:49 PM

Although I can comprehend proper grammar, there is a glitch in my brain that does not allow me to remember how to spell words properly (I can even spell some words correctly one day, and the next day I'm scratching my head). Is this a crime? I am a college graduate, an avid reader, but I still asked my husband how to spell the word "avid."

Have a little understanding, OP. We are all very sad that we are not as perfect as you. Next time you see a grammatical error, or a word that is spelled incorrectly, just think to yourself "wow, that person is not as smart, educated, or snooty as I..." And then you can give yourself a little pat on the back for being such a wonderful, and understanding person! And then you can be happy with that and STFU.

Have a nice day, everyone! xoxo

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 4:30 PM

actually, i believe it should be, "...or snooty as (ME)". just had to make myself feel better...

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 4:33 PM

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae an itnerseting mnid too! Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can. i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 5:43 PM

Not the 4:30 poster, but my pain-in-the-ass grandmother would insist that it's "...snooty as I" because there's an implied "am" after the "as I". There was no arguing with her because apparently her father was a hardass English teacher.

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 5:44 PM

Me are snooty.

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 5:47 PM

Ebonics: We be snooty.

Thursday, January 11, 2007, 6:23 PM

Agreed

Yes i agree on this and i really think it so,because the spelling and grammar is the very basic of English and without improving them one cant be good in English like
Grammar Checker forms the most impressive part of English and same with spellings...there both importance is equivalent.

Link

Saturday, July 31, 2010, 2:18 AM

I thought we were here, to encourage each other to lose weight !

Saturday, July 31, 2010, 12:54 PM

Someone actually pulled this thread up from the grave to post that two above me? Really?!? It makes no sense.

Monday, August 2, 2010, 5:32 PM

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