The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

This is in response to something that has happened to me recently. A few weeks ago a thread about the use of correct spelling and grammar was posted by Jane Young. (You can find it here.) This thread covered how it can affect the way you are viewed, along with your team.

What I do not recall it covering was how to address these issues as they pop up. Yes, mistakes are made regardless of where you post. I recently sent a message to someone asking about something they posted and got this in return.

Are simple spelling and grammar errors enough to refuse to answer someone? All I did was forget a letter here and there. "to do" was "to o", "yes" was "Yes". It was simple thing like this that caused him to refuse to answer.

So, let me ask a question to all who read this. What is the correct way to tell some one? And where is the line that says to correct them?

I personally would say the line is when the post is hard to read. I would then let the individual know via a message that the misspellings have made to hard to read and to ask him to possibly explain what he meant.

So what would everyone else on Chief Delphi do?

-Rion

(A slightly edited version of what I sent can be found here. )

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Are simple spelling and grammar errors enough to refuse to answer someone? ;)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

To completely refuse? No. To me, that seems pretty arrogant, especially since, according to your quoted text from your PM, you seemed to be asking calmly and just looking for rationale.

You have a few spelling errors in this post too (not to criticize) but that doesn't really warrant a refusal to respond.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Thank you kindly. :D

Yeah. I made sure to sound calm and collected.

(The rule of CD never fails. When talking about spelling and grammar. You will mess up. :D )

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

This is the quintessence of the problem.

We're all human, and we all make spelling and grammatical errors from time to time (I'm guilty of the is/are mistake in some of my posts). We should make every attempt to keep these mistakes to a minimum (Firefox has a built-in spell checker), but sometimes they elude are detection.

Everything here is viewable by the general public, but we're not the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal. We're not newspapers of record, and nor is the content written here sold to millions of people for consumption of news and entertainment. This is a forum designed to foster communications among participants of the FIRST community.

So yes, we should care about spelling and grammar, but we shouldn't let the zeal for absolute and obsessive perfection overtake our genuine purpose of inspiring students. Refusing to respond to a post due to spelling or grammatical errors is letting a personal vendetta get in the way of a actually helping them. Rather, we should kindly point out that proper spelling and grammar are essential to facilitate communications, while we also help them with whatever else they came here asking for.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Yes, the poster obviously does not think that I am worth anything or they would show me the respect of taking the time to spell. No, saying they aren't good at spelling is not an excuse. If English isn't the poster's first language the story is different.

If you want a respectful answer take the time to proof your post. Hiding behind excuses and claiming that I am not being "GP" won't cut it. Put a good faith effort, that is all I ask.

I want it noted that in your particular case, I don't know. This is a general statement.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

There are also times when a person will refuse to respond when they probably can't back up what they've said and does not want to deal with that. (admittedly I've done that before but I've stated this to the person who asked for my rationale, instead of refusing to answer). Not saying this was the case here.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I understand that you have said in my case that it is slightly different. But I don't mean just my case. Just things in general.

I myself DO suck at English. Yet it is my first and ONLY language. Because of this I rely on spell check a lot. I read over what I write, and I try my best to fix it. Yet at times I still make mistakes. Its part of the human race. No one is perfect.

So that being said. Can you really assume the poster doesn't respect you, or do you think that the person has simply made mistakes regardless of trying their hardest?

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

yes u kan tel if sum1 is making a mistakes or f they r not tryin

Yeah, you can tell. I'm not saying that we should all be grammar nazis but I am saying that if someone can't bother to use the word YOU or FOR they are clearly not trying.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Ok. I see what your getting at now.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Most of the people who use things like u or r or sum1 or b4 are freshmen right out of middle school or other "new" students. Most will grow out of this phase pretty quickly when you politely ask for them to use correct spelling and grammar and treat them like an adult with respect. If you ignore them, they will never have anyone to help correct their actions and they will keep using aim/l33t speak.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

The first thing I would do is remember my sense of humor or find it if I have misplaced it. That would help me and, hopefully, anyone that I am going to be interacting with during a discussion.

Here are some thoughts:
- consider the source
- consider the question or the questions that you have posed. Is it or are they rhetorical questions or simply questions?
- would it be more suitable to ask in a private message?
- is the world going to fall apart if your question isn't answered in a time frame that you are expecting or - are you a little more flexible and willing to wait to see if the question will be answered? If it is not answered, are you prepared to move on and not worry about it? That goes back to - consider the source and - is the world going to fall apart?

Thank you for introducing the thread that I started regarding punctuation and grammar but please keep in mind that the thoughts, suggestions, and opinions expressed in the thread are just that. They aren't there to punish but rather, to encourage better communication skills. The world is not going to end if someone creates a thread with a title that is vague and contains multiple exclamation points but we can work to continue to help make ChiefDelphi a friendly and informative community. One way for us to do that is to be friendly and to make helpful and thoughtful contributions. If I was judged by the amount of typos that I make, no one would ever respond to my posts. I do try to use all of the helpful resources available to me such as the preview option, but I still manage to make a number of typos and write awkward sentences. I keep working on that.

When there have been posts made that have given me a headache when trying to understand what the poster was writing or why - I tend to muddle through and if the topic is of value, I'll respond. If I can't understand it, I may ask for clarification either in the thread or in a private message. It really is up to each individual whether they answer questions or not and if they do - when they answer them. Sometimes, I like to think a lot before I answer a post or a private message. When I do that, I'm trying to show respect for the person who is asking by forming a careful and thoughtful response.

.02

Jane

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Art, I have to admit, I didn't think of that. Thanks.

I guess it comes down to a judgement call, if you feel the person would benefit more by a friendly reminder that spelling and grammar is important and respected around here then do it. If they look like they need a nice PM letting them know their post is offensive and shows a lack of respect then do that.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

We all make typos; sometimes they are humorous or even Freudian. Or we change our thoughts before posting without correcting the whole sentence. For example, changing to a compound subject without changing to the plural form of the verb. I can usually overlook those.

But what I don't like is having to try too hard to figure out what the message is trying to say. That may be due to too many abbreviations and text-typing, or it may be because the sentence and paragraph structure is all messed up. I'm less likely to slog through a swamp of words to try to find the solid ground of meaning.

A pet peeve is when people don't know how to properly use particular words, and use them incorrectly anyway. Or when they don't know how to spell things, particularly if they come from another language and spell them as if they were English. "Per say" and "toot sweet" are not the correct phrases! (Although I think the latter is often done in jest.)

You will notice that there are several instances of incorrect grammar in the above paragraphs, e.g. sentence fragments. This post would not be acceptable in a term paper or technical review, and I know it. But I believe I have gotten my points across without unduly distracting the reader by my "style".

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Rion,
Even I will make a mistake in spelling or grammar (I know Jane is snickering as I write this) from time to time. However, spelling and grammar should never stand in the way of sharing knowledge. It can prove a hindrance in the long run which is why several mentors/moderators (myself included) try to keep those things in control. As I said in Jane's thread, what you write in these threads is the first, and sometime only, impression you give of yourself. You want to make a good impression so you should attempt to correct minor errors in spelling and grammar before you click the submit button.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I think by not replying a person is forgetting what FIRST is all about, GP. I think that a PM would be the best method of saying that I cannot understand your message.

Personally I am sure that I post many things (possibly this) with grammatical errors. This is not English class, people do not post here to be critiqued.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Back In The Day on alt.folklore.urban, one of the froup's rules was: spelling flames are lame. I think that pretty much says it all.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Spelling flames may be lame but communication skills are the bee's knees. (That is what you kids say these days right?) Would the rule of thumb be, don't be obnoxious about correcting them but if it is offensive please mention it?

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I will only correct it publicly if it is something terrible. Such as text-talking. Otherwise, if it is slightly less(not capitalizing each sentence) I will PM them. If it is even less(as I've seen a few times on this thread) I will cringe and move on.

My suggestion for anyone that has serious trouble with grammar and spelling: Try to get someone else to proof-read your post if at all possible. Perhaps this isn't reasonable for all posts. But keep it in mind if your going to post something important.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Or the other person may be dyslexic or have some sort of problem with their spelling that isn't there fault. (Dyslexics are teople poo :) )
Generally its blatently obvious whether its pure laziness or just a mistake, remember, people make mistakes ;)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

One technique I sometimes use when the person has made only mild errors, I simply correct them when quoting the person. Probably not the best method for teaching the individual though.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I'm not sure if I really think that grammar and spelling mistakes in a post show a person's lack of respect. Sure, it is annoying when people speak in short-hand ways and I would prefer them not to. But would I refuse to answer a question, until that person asks me the said question in a grammatically correct way? No. Definitely not.

People here use 'IMHO' and 'CD' as shorthand phrases, yet they are normally not pointed out as being disrespectful. Personally, I think saying "You don't respect me because you don't use good grammar, and therefore I'm not responding" is more disrespectful than poor language usage. We're all on the same level here. While some are more wise than others, no one is above anyone else. While most of the people on here are helpful, there are some who take critiquing to a whole new level. Where will it end? Will people eventually not respond to me because of a misplaced comma? Some may laugh at this and I'll be the first to admit it sounds ridiculous. But where do we draw the line? I'm all for constructive criticism, but I fear some may need a refresher course on just what "constructive" means. If a person is writing so terribly that you can't understand what he/she is saying, or it takes an exceptional amount of thought to decipher what he/she is trying to say, then by all means, PM that person and let them know. If there are only a couple of mistakes, maybe give them a break. We can't all be Bill Shakespeare's. :D

Being a journalism major, I've had to learn the ins and outs of language usage. More often then not, the posts on CD have some sort of error in them. (And mine is no exception, I'm sure.) I think we must remember CD for what it is: a place to share thoughts and opinions about FIRST/FIRST-related things...not a place to learn grammar.

If there are any mistakes in my post, I promise it was not meant out of disrespect for anyone on CD. 4 realz. ;)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Spelling and grammar mistakes are one thing but what I am talking about is a completely different thing. Recently I responded to a post that contained no capitalization and very little punctuation. I gently followed up my post with a PM suggesting they take the time to capitalize and punctuate. The response was simply, "I don't have time." I was shocked and appalled. If the person can't bother to capitalize their posts should they really be posting? I know for me it was actually a strain to read their post because I generally skim posts. I look for certain cues, question marks, capitalization ,etc. These help me find what they want first then back track through their explanation. If I don't see any of those I have to sit and read the post 2-3 times before I even know what they are asking. When this poster decided not to use proper punctuation they made it so I could no longer use the methods for understanding that I have developed over the last several years. Asking people to spell and punctuate properly is really asking them to make it easier for us to answer their questions faster. We all have tricks we use to pull meaning from what we read and having a set of common rules by which we all write will help us develop or hone those tricks. Disregarding common rules makes it more difficult for the rest of us.

(Now, I KNOW there is at least a handful of mistakes there. My bet, comma/semi colon placement. I never did get the hang of those)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I'll let minor infractions slide by. If it's bad enough to comment on, it should be done with PM, as to not hijack the thread (or is it "as not to hijack the thread"?). If it's so bad that I can't understand the post, I'll post a request for clarification so everyone can benefit, or not respond at all.

Since most folks on CD post multiple times, it's pretty easy to tell if it's an isolated mistake or a recurrent problem.

- Steve

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Out of curiosity, if you try to nudge them in the direction of spelling/punctuating even slightly better (or at all) and they blow it off as a "concern" is there a less subtle way of telling them they need to start punctuating? I mean, I could always just reach for the neg rep button but I prefer to avoid that approach as it just tends to irritate people more than educate.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

This is why I sometimes make a post within the thread rather then PM.

If you create a post:
1. It allows others to see that the problem has been addressed.
2. If they continue to be lazy then people will start ignoring them.
3. It is a reminder to others that might make similar "mistakes".

PM's can work for some instances. However, if I see the same thing multiple times on CD(even if it's different users) I create a post. I know that some might not agree with this method, but I find it to be relatively effective.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

No. He was right the first time which is the reason why unless the errors are egregious you really should not complain.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Simple spelling errors are not something that should dissuade you from replying to a topic. If someone says, "Heeeyyy guyzz, i realy need help right nw!!!! Could you plz show me wher there are good diagrams/instructions stuff on cading!!!!! Any help would be AMAZING!!!! k thxz!" Then I would not respond. Just type the whole word and not use a "z" instead of an "s". And I'll admit that I'm not the best speller ever or use correct punctuation. Am I happy with that? No. It's something that I'm always learning everyday.

brendan

Just as a side note, CADing was the first thing that came to mind.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

If people did not answer questions that I posted because of miss grammar or miss spelling half of my questions would NOT get answered.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Fixed that for ya. :)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

An English major you are not. :)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

One can politely remonstrate the original poster for egregious errors or use a more graphic representation for those who learn visually:

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Just to be clear, I wasn't correcting grammar I was changing what he said to be more general. If we all were snobs and didn't answer questions until they were perfect half the questions (my bet would be more than half).

Again, just a small joke. Hope BobC understood I was just making a little bit of humor. :)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I understand the twist in direction you were trying to make and I sympathize, but your joke was overshadowed by the grammatical destruction it wrought, and in a grammar thread it fell flat.:)

Ms. Spelling and Ms. Grammar would be quite upset.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

It's all cool. We are not all rocket scientist and I think it is wrong if you know the answer to a question and you do not answer the question because of misspellings or wrong grammar you are wrong.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I think that if you know the answer to a question, that means that you could understand the question that was asked (or in this case, written). This means that there was enough information given and grammar used that you know what was meant. I agree, in these instances, you should answer the question, and then maybe tack on at the end your thoughts the importance of grammar and how it would have been beneficial to all other CD-ers in reading the post. To refuse to answer a question that you know the answer to, purely based on grammatical errors, just seems juvenile to me, I guess.

Of course, this all changes if the effect of poor grammar and spelling/punctuation was so bad that you couldn't comprehend the post. In that case, a PM to the person should do the trick.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Speak for yourself. :D

-dave

p.s. And count me in with the majority. Refusing to answer a question until someone corrects their spelling and grammar mistakes seems more than a little pedantic and self-defeating. Is it incumbent upon the person with the questioning post to make their best efforts to communicate clearly? Of course. But for those that choose to provide an answer, it is also their responsibility to provide a useful, responsive and supportive reply that provides added value. Anything else is just noise.



.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Ah, how I love a barely veiled call out.

First, you seem to have misquoted something there: (The proper quote, taken from my outbox. At least keep things in context, if you're going to do this.)
The attempt was to encourage a discussion in open channel, rather than expecting a personalized explanation in private. The entire point of a forum is open discussion and archive information. Effectively a forum is a knowledge base. When you request clarification that would lead to normal conversation, it is not only polite, but very prudent to do it in open channel. After all, private messages are for private issues.

Now, since most of CD already thinks I'm an $@#$@#$@# (And I don't blame them, as it is quite hard to carry tonal inflection across the intertubes), I may as well move on to the issue of proper communication: In my field of work as well as the majority of the professional sector, it is impossible to carry out business without impeccable communication. A single misspelling reveals a lack of focus on detail, something that employer do not look favorably upon. My terse tone was a failed attempt at conveying this lesson (and an important one indeed, as it lost me a fairly decent contract due to a single spelling error...), apparently. I have always been raised on tough teaching, and I suppose it's a weakness of mine that I emulate that myself.

On to the claimed "refusal to reply." Keeping up on seventeen forums, six email accounts, and three IM accounts is a bit of an overload. Apologies for missing one post (I see now that you posted your question back in the forum, I'll head over there to answer it next), but there has simply been too much to keep up on.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I do agree that proper context makes a difference, as the original post made your tone seem much more discourteous than it actually was, so I appreciate seeing the quote directly as it was. However, I must disagree about your statements on PMs. Many new users to CD use private messages as a way to ask questions of clarification, as they do not want to appear to be asking a "stupid question" (if those exist). If I was confused on something a person had said, I would probably private message them myself, especially if others seemed to understand perfectly well what the person had articulated. Furthermore, how does one decide if a matter is fit for communication in a forum or rather more fit in a private message? Are there guidelines for this? Perhaps this is what led to the original posters confusion, and why he felt the need to make a thread on the topic instead of PMing you again.

I couldn't agree with you more regarding communication. It is indeed very important to effectively communicate ones ideas and thoughts completely and concisely for others to take you seriously. It's a shame that a single misspelling error on your part lost you a contract, because all people DO make mistakes. However, if everyone based communication off of spelling or grammar errors in every instance, I shouldn't even be responding to your post right now. If we based communication off of this, people reading the thread might disregard what you have to say because you forgot to tack on a simple 's' on 'employers'. Is this right? Are your arguments null and void because you didn't catch this? Do I think you have a lack of focus in regards to CD? No. Of course not. Your message came across crystal clear, even with these minor errors.

I also would like to point out that CD is NOT a place of business. It's exactly what you said--a forum. A place to have open discussion. Where are the rules that say this discussion must have proper grammar, spelling, punctuation, etc., to be effective? If a person gets "reprimanded" (and I use that in the loosest sense of the word) for asking a question, I feel as if discussion can't be very open.

Just my .02. Again I'd like to thank you though, for posting the original message. :)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I would like to say that Alivia is right to a point. I did indeed think that it was more appropriate to ask my question via a PM simply because I felt it was not a "big" issue and felt it was better asked in a PM than risk causing a huge problem in the thread.

I would also like to publicly apologize to Craig. I did not mean for it to be known he was the sender of the message, but certain post made that impossible to do. So I centralized the information given in those posts on my OP. I am sorry for that Craig. I was trying to address the way in which one should respond to misspellings and grammatical errors. It went about doing so in the wrong way.

Again. I apologize for this.

-Rion

(Oh. And Craig. On the Six email accounts, I recommend using Mozilla Thunderbird. I only have 2, but that's bow I keep track of them all. )

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

If it's a question that might be asked by multiple people, post it in the forum. If it's something that might make people think, post it in the forum. If you think someone out there might find it interesting to read and somewhat educational, post it in the forum.

The PM is for personal/private messages. I generally only use it to say stuff that nobody would care to read or to get an explanation on something that was said. I have used it in the past as a form of IM and to teach Inventor(on one occasion) but even then the lessons were uploaded into the forum. Anything more then clarification or trivial conversation should probably go in main. Of course, this is a general approach. There will always be exceptions.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

All the good intentions of folks that are focused on misspelled words, grammar, and punctuation - just may be backfiring to some extent. I include myself in being a part of the reason that is behind the backfiring. We may be making it too uncomfortable for people to post here at the moment. Even worse, they may feel uncomfortable in an e-mail exchange. I am experiencing a little of that with some people whose opinions I value and trust, but who are feeling somewhat intimidated by all of this judgment.

At some point, even for me, this gets just too weird to deal with. I'm as excited as everyone else is regarding the upcoming season, but I hope I don't spend my time on CD creating an atmosphere that feels vise-like and hypercritical. If I do, please send me a pm and tell me to cut it out. This is a community made up of FIRSTers and people who support FIRST. I'd love to see some threads discussing that - building community, sharing information, networking. We're going to need that as more and more opportunities head our way over the next few months and years.

Jane

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

All right, I've had it. My cup has overflown! (Is that the correct form of the verb???)

I am a curmudgeon about the proper form of written English, but I think that some of us have gone over the top here.

To be short and relatively sweet, refusing to answer an honest question which may have a few incidental grammar or spelling errors is not gracious.

We are human and very few of us have never made such mistakes. (Proofread some of the posts!)

In my opinion, a gentle reminder, done privately and addressing the specific situation, is the most gracious way to address an individual situation.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I do not think I could of said it any better.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

These boards are for open communication.

Communication is an attempt to convey information, and gain an understanding between the sender and the recipients.

Grammar and spelling are nothing but the rules by which we gain that understanding.

When people decide not to follow those rules they run the risk of not being understood, and the information failing to be transferred. Since this writing is the only information we have to judge the writer, we may come to believe that that person is less intelligent (be that true or not, it will be the view of those who cannot understand his writing). Remember, you will be judged not only by what you write, but by how you write because it is all we have to go on.

The above, as normal, is JM(NS)HO.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

BUT NOT EVERYONE IS AS WELL EDUCATED AS SOME OTHERS. SOME PEOPLE HAVE LIFE LONG LEARNING DISABILITIES AND MAY NOT HAVE THE CAPABILITIES TO COMMUNICATE PROPERLY. ALL ANYONE DOES IS COME HERE LOOKING FOR HELP. TRY TO COMMUNICATE TO THE BEST OF THEIR ABILITIES. THEN THEY GET SHUT OFF BECAUSE THEY SPELLED A WORD WRONG OR DID NOT FORM A PROPER SENTENCE SHAME ON THE PEOPLE THAT WILL NOT HELP THEM.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I know someone like that, in fact they are a very good friend of mine. They do indeed try to the best of their abilities but they recognize that they often have a hard time saying what they think. I respect these people for trying.

We aren't talking about "shutting off" anyone because they misspelled a word. We are discussing not responding to someone who has obviously not made any effort to communicate in a socially acceptable manner. When I see a post that is terrible one day I probably respond. If the next post is terrible I might shoot them a PM (unless it is obvious they are just bad at English). If they respond to the PM blowing me off with "Bah, I am too busy to be bothered." then I will not answer another question they ask. I may even go so far as to hit the neg rep button on the next poorly written post in a last ditch effort to let them know it is not an effective way of communicating.

On a semi related note. Do you really need to use Caps Lock? It makes your post go from a great post to reading solely as "RAGE! ARGH!!!!!!!"

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Ow! Ow! Ow!
That hurts my eyes!
Please, somebody make him stop...

I'll be good and promise to answer questions, I swear...:)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

It was meant to be rage because I am upset about this subject. That some people thinking they are better than others without knowing them. It may keep some people from asking questions because they are afraid they will get ridiculed.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

This is the perfect example of someone not trying to communicate to the best of their abilities. If someone were to continually post in all caps, I'd stop reading their posts. There is no disability that causes a person to lose control of their caps lock key. There is also no excuse for not capitalizing your sentences. I understand that some may not be able to form sentences properly. I also understand that some people can't spell the best. Can someone name a disability that causes the person to speak in leet? Or that takes away their control of their caps lock/shift key? If not, then there really isn't an excuse for these type of problems.

Also, it really doesn't matter how much something annoys you...there is no need for yelling on CD.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

if some one posts a question without anypunktuation or capital letters were it is two hard to figure wut there axing i might answer there question but i might comment on there gramer and speling two. :o

Any problems with that??

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

looks good 2 me and i agree but I will not comment in public.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I refuse to answer your question due to a. poor grammar b. poor punctuation c. poor spelling d. I need more evil points.

I can see your point but I will leave my line open to definition by me and only me.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

*sigh*

I'm afraid this is another one of those topics in which everyone has his/her own opinion, and we'll never really end up agreeing one way or another.

As for me...

PM and ask me questions all you want. Try your best to practice some good punctuation and grammar, but I'll understand if you make a mistake or two or several. I'll answer you to the best of my ability.

And for any new users out there reading this? Don't be scared to ask for clarification. For it is by questioning that we learn the most.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Please excuse my prior sarcastic post. I wondered if I could actually rite like that...:p

I've PM'd a few CD newbies in the past to help them get better results from their posts. Here's the basic content of my message (or is it a sermon?):

ChiefDelphi is an open forum for exchanging ideas, asking questions and tapping into the expertise of some true experts. Many of the mentors who actively participate in CD discussions are professional engineers (such as myself) or business people. We have high standards for almost everything, because it is the nature of our world. Time and communication skills are highly valued in our "real world", so try to respect that.

You need to take a little more time with your posts. If you have a question, please search the forums (I do this all the time). If you don't find any prior threads that address your question, then go ahead and post it. If you want to get the best responses to your question, take the time to ask it correctly. By correctly I mean, use proper grammar, punctuation and spelling to ask the question as clearly as possible. If that seems to difficult to do, keep in mind that the people who might give you the best answer might not have the time or desire to try to understand what you are asking.

CD has a lot to offer because it isn't a lightweight chat-room, instead it's a forum to tap into incredible resources of expert knowledge. Used properly, CD can save you a lot of time, frustration and even money.

Posting on CD shouldn't be intimidating, but if you have a serious question, how you ask it can determine the quality of the answers. This thread: How to Ask Questions the Smart Way is well worth perusing. The article Brandon cites was written for hackers, but applies more generally.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I think we need to draw a line between what is obvious laziness and a genuine problem with written communication. If someone is writing in LEET or without any attempt to form sentences, and is clearly a native English speaker, I'm with the "no tolerance" faction. If someone simply has trouble writing I suggest total support and flexibility. Poor writing is not an automatic indicator of laziness, not caring, stupidity, or even lack of literacy.

I know of three things that make someone's writing hard to read through no fault of their own, and I am sure there are other causes. First, there are a lot of dyslexic (why do I always want to spell that incorrectly?) people in the world. Both of my siblings and one of my best friends have severe problems with dyslexia. None of them write particularly well, but all try hard and are at least as smart as the average CDer. Second, people with autistic spectrum disorders MAY tend to write in non-standard ways. I know a gifted hands-on techie who writes very clearly, but uses non-standard capitalization all the time. This used to annoy me until he explained that he is mildly Autistic and has never been able to understand grammar rules, so he tends to over-capitalize. Third, non-native English speakers have as much trouble writing in English as I, with my high-school German far in the past, would have in writing German.

My recommendation here is to cut a lot of slack to someone who simply does not write very well. You don't know what their problem is, so there is no need to be judgmental. On the other hand, someone writing like they are using their cell for text messaging deserves the pillory. :)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Guys,
Before we lose track of our mission and the fact that newbies are starting to read this board as we approach kickoff, I think we need to think about moderation here. We are in the business of inspiring and there are a variety of ways to that, not all of them good and not all of them bad. I will answer any question, if it seems sincere, in a way that helps the poster and brings them better communication skills. I would hope all of us would do the same. To those that refuse on principle, then fine, answer when you feel you can, in a manner befitting this board. I would much rather answer a sincere question written badly than to ignore the poster simply because they haven't achieved my (or someone else's) level of experience. We do what we can when we can. We can ask no more. Private discussions would be better to remain in private.
Happy Holidays!

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Interesting topic. And I agree with most of what has been posted, especially about letting the little things slide past, and the appropriate use of PM's. I feel that not even ATTEMPTING to write in a commonly accepted and pseudo-intelligent fashion shows a lack of respect to the folks that probably have answers for you.

... but I couldn't let this thread die without mentioning my FAVORITE forum quote of all time ...

Typically it is in response to poor grammar ... but I absolutely love it when the rude reply-er responds with: Your an Idiot!


Thankfully, I haven't seen it happen here, but I have seen it many times on some of the other, less mature forums that I frequent, and it always makes me smile. :)

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

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. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. If you can raed tihs, psot it to yuor wlal. Olny 55% of plepoe can

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

I can read this, do I get a cookie?

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Spelling and grammar are one thing, format and effort are another. I take at least 10 minutes to make a post to any public forum - I read, reread, rereread each post. It takes effort, I know, and I appreciate it when others hold themselves to the same or a higher standard.

Whenever someone points out a spelling or a grammar mistake in my post, I wonder if they understood its contents and the message I was trying to convey, and whether they deserve a response.


If I spot a mistake in someone else's post, but it looks like they put effort and thought into it, I'll ignore the error (although, it has to be pretty darn major if I'm spotting it :D ).

If it appears that they literally hammered it out in under a minute, I'll ignore it and not respond.
an wen ppl tlk liek dis it menas dat dey dont kar @ all an mebe r byond hlp so u shud nt repond

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

FWIW, spelling errors are almost never worth the bandwidth.
Grammar error, OTOH, sometimes opens posts to humorous interpretation and presents (to me at least) an irresistible opportunity to correct the poster and have a little fun at the same time.
Corrections should always be done with respect tho', the writer may well be an English teacher who just slipped up.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Sure I will get a sugar cookie for a sweet person.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Does it work for numbers to?

To demonstrate - "Let's eat, grandma" and "Let's eat grandma" carry two very different meanings.

As for my general opinion, I feel that if the general readability isn't hurt, then there's no reason for comment, as long as it's not obviously laziness.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

Sorry, this is so easy to get right that it's inexcusable to get it wrong.

This is a picture of Daisy May...
This is a picture of I...

If either of those sentences sounds wrong to you, then so should this one.

This is a picture of Daisy May and I.

Re: The correct way to respond to misspelling and grammar
 

In my home state, there is a highway exit sign that reads...

Westminster
Olny
next exit

My wife swears that her first husband actually thought the sign meant the exit ONLY went to Westminster -- and nowhere else...

Just sayin...