What is it about spelling that causes so many issues for people?
I was reading a few threads on boards.ie this evening and practically every instance of “their” or “they’re” or “there” was misused.
I know they are homophones, but surely people must be aware of the very important difference between them…
Maybe I’m just old and boring, but I find reading posts (or emails) with this kind of junk sprinkled liberally throughout to be very frustrating / annoying ……..
Michele Neylon :: Pensieri
Technology, Marketing, Domains, Thoughts
Firstly, why were you reading boards.ie? 😉
Secondly, I find that even though I am very much aware of the differences between ‘their’, ‘there’ and ‘they’re’ – I often find that while typing, my fingers naturally conclude one word (possibly incorrectly) while my mind has moved on to the next. I suspect that many people who, like me, spend hours in front of a computer on a daily basis, will find they have the same problem.
Thus, a clear (hopefully) distinction between a spelling error / grammatical error and a typo is drawn.
–>Gar
This is really more a grammar issue than a spelling one; I think some people may just not be clear on what the words/contractions involved mean, exactly. Apostrophe abuse seems especially common; very annoying.
Bigbro – you’d be amazed at what I read 🙂
Rob – maybe it is more grammatical, but it’s still incredibly annoying
I think it’s just pure laziness and carelessness. I make mistakes in most posts, but unless I’m in a major hurry, I always have a quick check over it before I hit the post button. I imagine the people in a tearing hurry would consider this vanity, but at least I don’t look like a moron?
Adam
If you are in a “tearing hurry” then you shouldn’t be posting queries or answers to quite important questions… and if you can’t get the basics of the communication right you shouldn’t be posting at all.. Sorry – I just really really get annoyed with unintelligible posts..
Considering the ever-lasting permanence of everything put on the web, I agree – people really should keep their spelling and grammatical errors to a minimum.
One mistake that always keeps me chuckling is “10 CD’s for €XX” and similar ones that also imply the possessive 😉
The Bank of Ireland currently has apostrophe-related errors in posters up in every branch. Terrifying.
Oooooo. Anyone fancy taking photos??
I couldint agree more. Your absolutely right.