My thoughts on proper grammar:

FIRST General Forum
1

This is simply a request for all posters to post with proper English.

When someone posts a message that is so riddled with typographical, grammatical, and punctuation errors as to render the message unintelligible, I personally find it hard to take that poster seriously.

Whenever you post, not only do you represent yourself to the FIRST community (This board basically IS a great portion of the FIRST community) but you also represent your team.

Think of your teammates before you post: post as though your English teacher was watching over your shoulder: if he or she would disapprove of your message mechanics, revise and edit it to make it more suitable for others to read.

I have three handy tips for posters:

  1. Punctuation is your friend

The proper usage of periods, coupled with the use of commas are a great way to organize thoughts. Sentences include a subject and a predicate, and all tenses must agree. Sentences also include verbs that act upon the subject of the sentence.

  1. This is not an online video game site

I hope this message board can remain a step above the posting quality of a video game message board - the l33t speak is fine in chit-chat, but if you want to be taken seriously, I suggest you refrain from using numbers in w0rds, and using the common online equivalents for common words. “b” for “Be,” for an example.

  1. Proper grammar and spelling makes you look good.

Not bothering to take the time to check spelling and grammar makes you look BAD. A few typos here and there can be overlooked, but gross grammatical and spelling errors detract from the meaning of the post, and make the poster (at least in my eyes) look like a fool. Posting without checking sends a message: The post was hardly worth the time it took for the poster to type. As a result, it is not worth our time reading.

Do everyone a favor, including yourself, and the team you represent, and use a spelling checker and proofread before you post. If you are in a hurry, at least glance over what you have written using the preview button, and correct mistakes. It only takes a few seconds, and greatly enhancing how you project yourself using these forums.

  1. Think before you post: are you contributing?

Posts such as “I don’t know” or “I agree ^^” or “yes” or other nonsensical posts clutter up the perfect perfection of these forums, and make threads harder to follow and harder to keep track of. Please don’t make them.

NOTE: It is not my intention to start a flame war, so don’t bother trying to initiate one. This post is merely my opinion on the subject of the habits of posting that are beginning to creep into the forums as of late. I also would like to reiterate the fact that no one here has “Freedom of Speech” – this is a private message board, and we are all guests. Brandon Martus and his team of moderators can do whatever they wish without answering to any of us – it is their message board, and we should behave as privileged guests.

2

Ben, thank you for this. I’ve been wanting to post something along these lines but never really wanted to take the time.

We are all, for the most part, adults, regardless of your age. Don’t talk here like you would talk on a cell phone, it doesn’t help anyone.

“OMG, it was so cool wn ur TM did that lol!!! Soo fun-e. N E 1 have N E pix of it?”

I’ve seen that in an instant message to me before, I don’t think I have talked to that person since. Really hard to respect a person when all you know is their typing and they type like a kid on a SMS cell phone.

Case and point

and Ben:
When someone posts a message that is so riddled with typographical, grammatical, and punctuation errors as to render the message intelligible, I personally find it hard to take that poster seriously.

The word is unintelligible :wink:

3

I put that in to test you, I swear! :wink: (Thanks for catching that one)

These are just my feelings on this issue. I hope people listen, and take my advice, even a little.

It benefits everyone.

4

Although I agree on some of your points this is still an internet forum and frequented by a young generation.

It’s perfectly acceptable to use online terms such as Pix, lol, w/e or CD terms like KOH, ramp-dom, and CD. They have there place here and to a limited point acceptable.

As for typos, punctuation, and spelling I’m guilty on all charges. This afternoon I finally realized I could edit my posts to fix them.

5

There is a line between appreviations such as CD for Chief Delphi, and KOH for King of the Hill, and:

omg lol toady i was in teh machine shop and teh robot broke and i fixed it and lol it wuz so funny and everyone was laughing i love first so much itz not even funy lol omg lol

I’m not telling people to stop using CD or KOH, I’m asking them to make an effort to post in a more adult manner.

I’m a part of the “younger generation” and I don’t post like that: I use a spell check, (mostly) and I proofread my posts. Being young is no excuse.

I’m glad you agree with me. That makes three of us.

6

Make that FOUR.

-dave

7

Four users out of several hundred. :frowning:

8

wut is dis ting u call grammer?

Cory

9

For the most part I agree, but I really dont think people should take the issue too seriously. I think people are smart enough to decypher posts. It’s nice that ur not getting on anyones case about it, but is it that big of a deal? Also that’s why I like the edit button :smiley:

10

Hello I am representing myself in this little debate. I just wanted to say that I am one of the few that opposes Ben’s side. personally I do not want to make drafts on a fun and lighthearted post that I want to make. Some of us don’t have that much time.

Also you seem to be a little hypocritical. I have read a few posts and even the short ones have major grammatical errors. Ben, in your first post you had many punctuation errors. Also, you misquoted a rule of grammar.

This isn’t true:
“Sentences also include verbs that act upon the subject of the sentence.” More often, the subject acts upon the object, and the voice is active.

11

I make five (six?). I normally don’t go through the trouble to spell check and proofread my messages, but I at least make an effort to make sure they resemble proper english.
In response to Skitzo, the reason why I personally believe it is a big deal is becuase on message boards it is only your writing that shows who you are. When I see a message that looks like it was written by an 11 year old, I assume the person who wrote it has the mental age of 11.

12

I prefer 12 :stuck_out_tongue:

13

I definately second (seventh?) the motion. Here are my views:

  1. IM-ese is not proper English. From what I’ve heard and seen, people don’t seem to be able to tell the two apart. In fact, I’ve heard of instances where students have actually used shortcuts like u and r in English papers.

  2. Periods are your friend. If a “sentence” is more than 2-3 lines long, chances are that it isn’t an actual sentence. Reading things like i have a problem someone please help cuz i dont know whats wrong were really confused and the robot doesnt work. Same thing apples to capitalization.

  3. Not taking the time to speak/type in proper English shows a complete lack of respect. When you’re asking somebody to spend his/her time helping you fix a problem, it only makes sense that you would be willing to spend a little of your time to make the answerer’s life a little easier. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I personally am more than happy to answer questions, but I’m not willing to waste my time trying to figure out what the question is.

[/rant]

14

I agree on all points.

15

i think the idea is that there has been a request for the practice of what we learn in english class. i think it is a good idea (no, i don’t generally capitalize, i’m not in the habit of hitting “shift”).

while our grammar and diction may not always be exact, it is important that we at least practice. i personally do not mind posts written with abbreviations, however it would be nice if people were to not act as though they were only passed by their elementary school teachers because they felt sorry for them (i know there’s a phrase for that… but it escapes me).

my point: a request has been made. opinions have been shared. we do not have to pick apart eachother’s posts over grammar rules, but it would be appreciated if an effort was made by all members of the community.

btw, my english teacher is watching what i post; she is our advisor! :slight_smile:

16

lighten up…

17

I would like to add my fuel to this fire. My only opportunity to know any of the people who post on this forum is through what you write here. This is your first and last impression to anyone who visits. If the object of this competition is to learn than we must practice writing as well as robot driving or engineering. Many of you will be required to write reports for the rest of your lives, why not start practicing now?
The spell checker is very easy to use but few people do. Give it a try. Then just make a quick proof read of what you have put down and see if it adequately expresses your opinion.

18

i agree on both sides. sometimes, you just feel lazy and feel like not talking all “properly” and stuff… and there are times that you do… but that is just me =)
…and, people shouldn’t judge you by how they type/write/their grammar is…

19

Not to be a pest, nor to initiate a spam war, but I am noticing a number of the grammatically incorrect posts are created by newer members of CD, while those complaining are generally senior members. Could it be the generational gap between? Senior CD members are generally older/college/working, while the newer generation of CD members might be younger level high schoolers? I’m not quite sure, but that seems to be what I have observed over the course of this current season.

While I have no love for grammar myself, I can respect it’s function- to standardized written and verbal communication such that it can be interpreted without spending too much time translating it into something understandable. While it is always best to use proper grammar, one or two minor misspellings or misuse of punctuation should not be a huge deal. Some people are in a rush while posting, while others have plenty of time to clearly think out what is being said. I think that would put me on the fence, since I’m not in total agreement for the complete dominance of proper grammar, but I also can’t stand “l337” or one letter abbreviations (e.g. “u” “b” “pix” etc.) as part of a discussion forum. As a language for Instant Messaging, I think it’s appropriate, but for a forum of this magnitude and quality, it has no place.

20

As one of the engineers of Team 353, who volunteers his time and is not affiliated with the school, I try to get the students to realize that EVERYTHING YOU SAY AND DO IS SUBJECT TO SCRUTINY, BY SOMEONE!!!

As a potential future employer of yours don’t you want to at least try to impress me? If you think IM speak is so cool, try using it on your college admission or scholarship applications. Let me know how you make out.

Also like Woody reminds us in his definition of “gracious professionalism” make believe that your grandmother will see everything you do on TV.

C’mon folks, let’s make grandma proud!!!

-pete