Spelling/ Grammar

[melissastarr]

I'm a teacher and I just can't help myself on this one, but it's been driving me nuts. The explanation of 'The Fun of Nude Recreation' ends with a sentence saying something to the effect of 'make you own topics.' Can we change this to YOUR? I know it's a little stupid thing, but it just makes me want to pull out my red pen. LOL

I DO love these boards, though. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful environment where nudists can discuss topics of importance!

Melissa

[melissastarr]

I'm a teacher and I just can't help myself on this one, but it's been driving me nuts. The explanation of 'The Fun of Nude Recreation' ends with a sentence saying something to the effect of 'make you own topics.' Can we change this to YOUR? I know it's a little stupid thing, but it just makes me want to pull out my red pen. LOL

I DO love these boards, though. Thank you so much for creating such a wonderful environment where nudists can discuss topics of importance!

Melissa

[Corky]

I never noticed that. I am surprised no one else has pointed that out to us before. I corrected it.
Thank you very much!!!

[FireProf]

Melissa,

Saw your post and couldn't help but grin. Sounds so much like my wife. You teachers and those red pens...ha ha.

My wife has started to correct her college students papers with green ink because they would get so upset with all the red marks all over their papers.

[OZJames]

Yes, I am married to a teacher too so I understand.

Isn't it the modern teaching method - get the the kids to write write write and not to worry too much about grammer, spelling etc. That will be absorbed later in their lives WE HOPE ! In the meantime lets be CREATIVE.

Computers can do [most of] the spelling for us these days and frees up our minds to be creative

Language is a moving feast - mobile phone text massaging is changing the writing and spelling habits of the new generations. After a while we will change the dictionaries to match. WHAT DOES IT MATTER as long as we all understand ?

Thanx for the new topic and forgive me for any spelling errors !

JAMES

[Rex]

Hi James,
I've never been massaged via a mobile phone.
You must have a more versatile mobile phone than I've got.

[Linguist]

I share this reaction, though I am not an English teacher. In fact, I am a linguist, and that leads me to a nudism-related thought about such strong reactions to "incorrect" spelling.

Some of the conventions of spelling are obviously useful - for example, the difference between "p" and "b" in the words "pit" and "bit". But others are not. Consider the "baker's plural" - using an apostrophe before the "s" in plurals on signs: "Two bagel's for the price of one." I've heard heated flames of this use of English from people (even linguists, who should know better). But honestly, what harm is it doing? Is it making the language in any way less understandable? No.

Now, like I said at the beginning, I share this feeling of nails-on-the-blackboard whenever I see usages like this. I don't know where this feeling came from - perhaps it has to do with an overactive sense of academic self-importance as a youth. But it is simmply a social convention, like the nudity taboo. And like the nudity taboo, it serves no useful purpose.

I've managed to shed the nudity taboo, at least in my own mind. But I have not managed to shed the "misspelling taboo". Why not? Does this tell me anything about those textiles who seem unwilling to shed the nudity taboo?

Perhaps they deserve more of my sympathy and patience than I've been giving them. If I can have irrational social reactions that I'm unable to shed, then they can too.

Any thoughts?

[Rex]

Couple of memories from school. [I left school in 1950.]
First, handwriting. A little off-topic, but associated. The English master said that if he could not read something, he would mark it as wrong. Fair enough!
Phonetic spelling. [In English, even the word "phonetic", is not spelled phonetically.] During a class discussion, I voiced strong support for phonetic spelling. "Why", said the English master, "You can spell".
I said that was not the point. It would give more time for serious study of other aspects of the language, which could not feasibly be simplified.
And reference works would always be available, for the study of derivatives, etc, for people, like myself, who have an interest in language.
"Profane language." During another class discussion, the English master said that using swear words, was an indication that a person had a poor vocabulary. I rarely used "bad language", and certainly not openly at a very, very "Christian" school, but I said that, sometimes, there was was no other way of adequately expressing your feelings.
The English master was sometimes taken aback at some of my comments, but he liked me, because I liked his subjects, English Language and English Literature, and he always took my comments as honest opinions.
Back to topic, I do prefer correct grammar and spelling, and it's so easy nowadays, with all the electronic help we can get.
I also realise that language is in constant flux, and, often, we just have to go with it.
But if I engaged someone to do some printing, or signwriting for me, and they used incorrect spelling, or grammar, I would not pay them, until they did it correctly.

[nfstan]

I think "your own" is a legitimate form of usage. (If it isn't it should be. 8-)) It emphasises pride or pleasure of possession. How about "your very own"?

[shãybare]

The reason for language, of course, is to be able to express yourself to others in a manner that others can understand. It is true that language is always evolving and we must evolve with it. I have no problems with that. I do have a problem with kids graduating from school and not knowing how to read or spell correctly. It is one thing for new words to evolve, but an entirely different thing for kids not to know how to spell words in common usage. I see it as allowing our language to deteriorate.

[missouriboy]

And why do even the very best writers continually use "it's" when they mean "its" and "except" when they mean "accept" and "alot" when they mean "a lot" and "everyday" when they mean "every day?"

Grrrrrr! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_mad.gif[/img] Sorry, but misspelling bugs me, too. [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

[missouriboy]

Corky, I bet Eric Schuttauf would appreciate having his name spelled correctly on the front page, also.

CAUTION: I'm NOT sure I've spelled it correctly here, but I'm pretty sure it's wrong on that page.

You have it spelled right missouriboy. The front page is not even close to right.

[Corky]

It is Erich Schuttauf. I corrected it. Thank you!

[WacoTX]

I'm a retired teacher. My wife still teaches. Hours and hours of graduate study condition you to notice spelling and grammer. My grammer isn't always up to snuff either. The important thing is communication, so I just grin and bear it. The forum is much to important to get bogged down in crossing t's and dotting i's.