Is Spelling Important to You?

[bomba923]

This may not really be a question for Physics Forums, but I'm just wondering:

Do you guys value good spelling? I mean, when grammar, syntax, and the rest don't matter, do you still value good spelling?

I don't mean "glorify" it; I'm just referring to the value of spelling. Not on AIM, but just anywhere else: Is spelling important?

I value spelling very much, you see. To me, a misspelled word...well, it is annoying. When people can't spell correctly, it irritates me. What about you?
I mean, spelling is important, right? Right?

 

[dextercioby]

Too me,only if its my ntivae lanugage (Rominaan).In Engleesh,i overstand,bcause its hapen's mo te to.

Daniel.

 

[Moonbear]

I do value spelling, although I don't get completely anal about someone misspelling a word or two here and there. Typos happen, as does the occasional word that's been mutated by microsoft's spellchecker. But if every third word is misspelled, that really starts to bother me. It's all a part of clear communication, and I've seen people write with so many misspellings, I really don't know what they're trying to say because I'm not sure which word they meant.

 

[franznietzsche]

Basically if bad spelling is epidemic in your typing, its a problem, if its just occasional typos, then not really.

 

[bomba923]

Too me,only if its my ntivae lanugage (Rominaan).In Engleesh,i overstand,bcause its hapen's mo te to.

Daniel.

Romanian; my native language is Russian

I do value spelling, although I don't get completely anal about someone misspelling a word or two here and there. Typos happen, as does the occasional word that's been mutated by microsoft's spellchecker. But if every third word is misspelled, that really starts to bother me. It's all a part of clear communication, and I've seen people write with so many misspellings, I really don't know what they're trying to say because I'm not sure which word they meant.

Ok..but a paper with PERFECT spelling, especially if done without spell check on the computer...well...it's a good thing, you know?

But really, spelling should always be correct , unless a word is "difficult." My English teacher makes "typos" at times--but really! At that level, spelling should be "second-nature" to the person!

 

[Knavish]

A clump of mis-spelled words, or for this matter, a miss-spelled word, extremely slows the reader down. There is nothing more aggravating than having to pause every other word while reading.

Good spelling, syntax, and punctuation really help to articulate; have you ever noticed that songlike flow that good writings have?

But anyway, spelling is definitely important. There has to be a standard form for every word..because even slight variations will break a reader's thought.

 

[Mk]

I do value spelling, although I don't get completely anal about someone misspelling a word or two here and there. Typos happen, as does the occasional word that's been mutated by microsoft's spellchecker. But if every third word is misspelled, that really starts to bother me. It's all a part of clear communication, and I've seen people write with so many misspellings, I really don't know what they're trying to say because I'm not sure which word they meant.

I feel the same way, though I value syntax over grammar over spelling. Syntax slows me down, grammar is annoying, whereas spelling, I don't really care unless its an "epidemic" in there communication.

 

[Mk]

lol, anal

Action hero with 5 o'clock shadow pushes a crowd out of the way, "Get outa the way! I'm going anal!" Said like its some sort of superpower.

 

[hypatia]

I know some really brilliant people who just can't spell. I've never figured out why{barring dyslexia}.

 

[mattmns]

I do not really care about words that are spelled incorrectly as long as I understand what the person is saying. I think sentence structure is much more important.

 

[Carly]

I care if I've spelt a word incorrectly, but seeing as I take English it doesn't surprise me. I don't care if others spell words wrong, but its quite worrying when they spell easy words wrong.
I know someone who spells coffee as coffie. Makes me laugh.

 

[FredGarvin]

If you are referring to normal, everyday usage and contact, then I don't mind a few wrong spellings. That being said, I believe that a lack of thought when it comes to spelling will make it's way into how a person cumminicates. The people who do not put an emphasis on things like spelling are the same people who tend to decimate the english language when they speak.

It's like, so totally, like, annoying, when people get like there words mixed up and stuff.

In a professional setting, situation or document, there are absolutely no excuses for poor spelling.

 

[JasonRox]

If you are referring to normal, everyday usage and contact, then I don't mind a few wrong spellings. That being said, I believe that a lack of thought when it comes to spelling will make it's way into how a person cumminicates. The people who do not put an emphasis on things like spelling are the same people who tend to decimate the english language when they speak.

It's like, so totally, like, annoying, when people get like there words mixed up and stuff.

In a professional setting, situation or document, there are absolutely no excuses for poor spelling.

I hate to say it, but you're a poor speller yourself.

I have to say that sentence structure is also very important. Its not hard to write properly.

I try to write my best all the time even on MSN Messenger. If I do make a mistake, I have the urge to correct it right away by putting *stars* to indicate a mistake, along with the correction inside the stars.

Note: You will notice that a lot of my posts have been edited, and this is due to making corrections.

Note: I did make a small error in this post.

 

[DaveC426913]

Anyone can make typos, especially online; a very common one is the 2-letter transposition (the > teh). This is merely a result of fast typing. But poor spelling and grammar is rarely due to mere hurriedness.

<I am committing a grievous netiquette breach and critiquing others' online English, so flame-shield on.>

Irony: More than half of the responses above have at least two clear English errors. That's not what's ironic though. What's ironic is that the responses that express strong feelings about correct English generally had more errors than those who were more neutral about the subject, which had few or no errors.

"its/it's" was the worst offender.

 

[juvenal]

I hate it when people don't capitalize on message boards, because it makes things harder to read. I think this might be due to MS Word making people lazy, and this laziness carrying into non-autocorrecting mediums.

Bad spelling kind of bugs me too - though I do know a few bright people who can't spell.

Or people who use "intensive purposes" instead of "intents and purposes". Are they so badly-read that they've never seen "intents and purposes" written out before?

 

[Moonbear]

Note: I did make a small error in this post.

It's almost inevitable when writing about spelling or grammar that a post will contain a spelling or grammar mistake.

I am only truly picky on things that are meant to be professional and should be proofread with a fine tooth comb. In posts here, I know I'm as guilty as anyone else of the periodic typo or misspelling. Mostly, it's the typos that get the better of me. A key will stick and a letter is missing, or my typing speed and thinking speed get out of sync, so strange words get typed. So, I'm also tolerant of that in others here. I also realize that we have many participants here who are not native English speakers or writers, so their misspellings are understandable, especially when they are due to confusing two similar words. If someone specifically notes a word they are unsure about, I'll volunteer a correction, otherwise, I'll assume they are here to learn science, not spelling.

 

[juvenal]

I'd also like to mention that quite a few members of my research group are fairly hard-core grammarians, and they know the subtleties of using "that" vs "which" or whether or not to use commas and other grammatical minutiae. I'm a bit lazy about those rules, and I'm sure that my writing may bug them on occasion. But in those cases, the meaning is almost always pretty clear by context anyhow.

 

[FredGarvin]

I hate to say it, but you're a poor speller yourself.

I made 1 spelling error and one grammatical error. I hardly think that puts me in the "poor" category.

Like I said, I don't mind it in a casual situation which this is.

 

[JasonRox]

I made 1 spelling error and one grammatical error. I hardly think that puts me in the "poor" category.

Like I said, I don't mind it in a casual situation which this is.

Yeah, but that spelling error wasn't small.

My English teacher would give a zero on the overall mark, for a mistake like that.

 

[Knavish]

Psh, misspelling a single word doesn't make somebody a poor speller.. You're obviously just carping trival details, which is kinda stupid in my opinion =/

 

[JasonRox]

Psh, misspelling a single word doesn't make somebody a poor speller.. You're obviously just carping trival details, which is kinda stupid in my opinion =/

There is a difference between a spelling mistake and just plain bad spelling.

If you spelled the word "parallel" as "parrallel", than it's not so bad. If you spelled the word "parallel" as "perrallel", than is just plain horrible. This shows that you clearly have no clue how the word should be spelt.

FredGarvin spelt the word "communicate" as "cumminicates", which is just terrible. I have no problems with spelling mistakes. I only have problems with my spelling mistakes. The only reason why I commented was because of his comments towards bad spellers.

"The people who do not put an emphasis on things like spelling are the same people who tend to decimate the english language when they speak."

I have no problem reading MSN language when I talk to others on Messenger. I just prefer that I continue to write properly.

Note: I'm going to look over my posts to make sure I didn't offend anyone. That wasn't my intent, I think.

Note: I looked over my post, and I see nothing wrong.

 

[mattmns]

^Who cares. You obviously realize that s/he meant communicate/s, so why give him/her a hard time about it. And about your grammar teacher giving one a 0 for that mistake: Again, pff, who cares, is s/he being graded here?

 

[The Bob]

Spelling doesn't bother me too much as I, myself, cannot spell well but grammar annoys me. When people use aspostraphes when there is no need for one (<------- see what I mean about spelling? ) or when people use a plural noun and say 'is' and not 'are'. Grammar and punctunation get to me, not spelling too much.

The Bob (2004 ©)

 

[Integral]

Grammar and spelling are very difficult for me. I struggle continuously to transfer my thoughts to readable and understandable written word. I also recognize that I do not always succeed.

I object to those who do not even try. This forum is a wonderful opportunity to learn written communications skills. Every post should be make with the reader in mind. Well written, correctly spelled, correctly punctuated text is easy to read and understand. If you wish to be understood you should strive to write clearly and correctly. Is it always possible to succeed? Of course not, especially when you are attempting to convey difficult concepts. What is important is putting in the effort, with effort your writing will improve over time.

With all of this, I recognize that English is a second, or third, or fourth.. language for many of our members, Since I barely have command of the English language only, I am in no position to criticize others writing.

(By the way I use IEspell, it found ~12 misspelled words in the original text above!)

 

[Evo]

There is a difference between typos and poor spelling. I have gotten really bad about making typographical errors. Misspelled words slow my reading down because they stick out, but poor grammar is much more irritating.

 

[Evo]

Grammar and spelling are very difficult for me. I struggle continuously to transfer my thoughts to readable and understandable written words. I also recognize that I do not always succeed.

I object to those who do not even try. This forum is a wonderful opportunity to learn written communications skills. Every post should be make with the reader in mind. Well written, correctly spelled, correctly punctuated text is easy to read and understand. If you wish to be understood you should strive to write clearly and correctly. Is it always possible to succeed? Of course not, especially when you are attempting to convey difficult concepts. What is important is putting in the effort, with effort your writing will improve over time.

With all of this, I recognize that English is a second, or third, or fourth.. language for many of our members, Since I barely have command of the English language only, I am in no position to criticize others writing.

(By the way I use IEspell, it found ~12 misspelled words in the original text above!)

You missed some. I can't help but noticing when I read things, sorry. It just shows that spellcheck software can't find all mistakes, but it does help.

 

[Integral]

You missed some. I can't help but noticing when I read things, sorry. It just shows that spellcheck software can't find all mistakes, but it does help.

What were my fingers thinking!

 

[Evo]

What were my fingers thinking!

It happens to the best of us. <hugs Integral>

 

[Integral]

It happens to the best of us. <hugs Integral>

Oooh... Thanks.. I needed that!

 

[Knavish]

And what I wrote wasn't meant to be in an offensive tone either.

I agree with Fred Garvin that in informal/colloquial situations spelling/grammar isn't (or shouldn't be) that big of a deal. I mean, it can't be absolutely atrocious.. it just has to be good enough to get across the message, because that's what writing is all about anyway. In general discussion especially, who cares? It is, to some extent, almost pedantic to write really proper threads.. which stick out as flowery. Spoken English is proof that getting ideas across is more important than flawless grammer.. People intentionally break rules all the time for the sake of coherence.

 

[bomba923]

You missed some. I can't help but noticing when I read things, sorry. It just shows that spellcheck software can't find all mistakes, but it does help.

And me too: I also notice spelling errors when I read things .

Although English isn't my native language, there is simply a "feel" as to how words should be spelled, especially average and common words. Like Fred Garvin mentioned, "In a professional setting, situation or document, there are absolutely no excuses for poor spelling."

But internet forums generally aren't such settings
With poor grammar and syntax around us on a regular basis, can't people at least strive for proper spelling? Grammar and syntax errors may be inconspicuous and even controversial at times. But spelling? It should be second nature (unless the person is not a native English speaker, I suppose).
Grammar and syntax form good sentences, but they are nothing (or almost nothing) with poor spelling. Why worry about grammar, syntax, or diction if the spelling is wrong? There are standard of writing words; grammar and syntax are questionable, but errors in spelling are quite apparent (if not blatant).
But aside from spelling, does proper syntax actually increase reading speed and clarity (understanding of read material)?

 

[Janitor]

I know some really brilliant people who just can't spell...

In my school days I knew a kid who put the rest of us to shame for quick-witted brilliance, but he couldn't spell his way out of a wet paper bag. That always struck me as weird.

 

[bomba923]

Probably not a native English speaker??

 

[Janitor]

Probably not a native English speaker??

I'm not sure if that question is addressed to me, but this fellow I was talking about was born and bred in the U.S.A. He was into computers back when Bill Gates was barely needing to shave.

 

[Integral]

Although English isn't my native language, there is simply a "feel" as to how words should be spelled, especially average and common words.

English spelling is not easy mainly because it does not follow any single set of rules. A vast majority of it is simply memorization. I am not sure where you get this "feel" from but I would not trust it very far.

 

[Evo]

English spelling is not easy mainly because it does not follow any single set of rules. A vast majority of it is simply memorization. I am not sure where you get this "feel" from but I would not trust it very far.

It's just a different skill set. There is a "feel" for words, I can't explain it either.

I was talking to my daughter about this day before yesterday. She tutors kids at her school that are failing English (Langauge Arts) and history. These kids are brilliant at math however. One of them told her that math was easy, the rules don't change, but with English there are too many rules and too many rules conflict and he can't deal with it.

One of the topics was Social Darwinism. She asked him to tell her what Social Darwinism was. He said he knew what Darwinism was, so she told him that was a good start, explain Darwinism, and he said "we all used to be apes". That's all he knew. Then it came to Marxism. She asked him if he knew what it was and he said it was about communism. She asked him if he knew what communism was and he said "all I know is that it started WWII".

Luckily the guy is brilliant at math.

 

[Moonbear]

There are rules to English spelling, but they aren't simple rules. I agree that you acquire a "feel" for spelling, but I think that just comes with mastery of the rules.

I also have a very good friend who is brilliant in many things, but when it comes to spelling, it is atrocious! He knows it and tries to work on it, but it really does not come naturally to him at all. I asked him about that once, wondering how spelling was taught to him and whether there was some explanation, and his reply was, "You mean how can I be so smart yet so stupid?" Obviously it frustrates him that he can't master this skill.

The thing is, it's also something that I can do well, but have no idea how to teach to someone else other than the fundamentals. Yet, I can hear a word spoken that I've never heard or seen before, and even if it has an unusual spelling, can usually spell it correctly. This tells me there are rules to how certain sounds go together that tell you which variation of spelling to use, but it's not something I am explicitly aware of.

 

[juvenal]

I find it for myself to be an issue of memorization, some of it visual. Because there are words that I do forget how to spell, and I need to look them up. This doesn't happen that often though.

Ironically, I have a pretty crappy memory which I think is related to my inability to visualize very well. There was a fascinating article by Oliver Sacks in the New Yorker last year in which I learned how much visualization skills can differ among people. He described an architect, for example, who had absolutely no ability to visualize, but still did fine at his job. I'm very envious of people with good visualization skills.

 

[Integral]

The best leason I had in spelling occurred about 20 yrs ago when I encountered my first spell checker, it had a whopping 4000 word dictionary. I found that I had to keep a paper dictionary at hand and look up every word it marked as misspelled. To it, anything not in its dictionary was misspelled, so I had to look up even correctly spelled words, since I (with good reason) have no faith in my ability to spell. I specifically recall spending 2hrs looking for envelope, in the I section! after about 6 months of adding words (fortunately you could do that) I had a 14,000 word dictionary and was still adding words.

It seems that perhaps a key factor is how you hear or say the word, perhaps one impediment to good spelling is deficient hearing?

I find it interesting that people are giving examples of poor spellers who are strong in Math skills, could it be that there is a bit of brain wiring that can be set to language skills or mathematical logic, but usually not both?

I guess I can now establish my excuse. My hearing was blown away some where between the pistol range during my teenage years and the Phantom afterburners on board an aircraft carrier... Hummm I have always been a bad speller.. guess that excuse doesn't fly!

Seems that I am just wired for mathematics, certainly not language skills. It just means I have to work harder at it.

 

[arildno]

Just a spelling question:
Sensible Americans have done away with the "u" in words like: rigo(u)r, labo(u)r and so on, and the adjectives are easily enough: rigorous, laborious.

But, aren't these adjectival forms the correct British spelling as well; that is, "rigourous" is incorrect in British?