Some Observations on Correcting Others

[JPG]

Digress away, Ev. Digression is often welcomed in some forums.

Now, on another topic.....

Whatsa 'topic'?

I went to university is 'correct'?

I went to hospital???

I have the opposite problem. Not enough of the.




BTW whatsa article?

[db5]

We all should try to remember that our grammar and spelling will reflect on what people here think of us. Since we can't see and talk to each other in person, the things we write become the person others see.

I know that personally, when I watch a commercial on TV or see an ad in print and the grimmer and spelling has obvious errors, it determines for me that I won't consider buying their product. I feel that if they don't care enough to use correct grammar and spelling, they probably don't care enough to offer a good product.

Precisely my take on businesses and their employees. Those who have worked for me were held to the same standard and I would correct them privately but not critically. All others are off limits to correcting or giving advice - unless they request it. Note: That's not the same as saying, "unless they ask for it."

I know JPG often gets the last word in (often it is just a word or very few) so I just had to leave another comment. So there (sp?)

[BuckeyeDennis]

I can ensure you, my grammar is also less than perfect, especially late at night. (And really especially after a knight cap or two.) A spell checker doesn't provide much assurance against grammatical mistakes. But I do try to insure that I catch any as many errors as possible, by reviewing and proof-reading before clicking the submit button.

Are you grammarians out there really gonna let me get away with that? Bunch of nice guys!

Ensure, insure, assure ... every one used incorrectly, but would be correct in one of the other sentences. I threw in the "knight cap" for good measure.

[JPG]

I can ensure you, my grammar is also less than perfect, especially late at night. (And really especially after a knight cap or two.) A spell checker doesn't provide much assurance against grammatical mistakes. But I do try to insure that I catch any as many errors as possible, by reviewing and proof-reading before clicking the submit button.

Are you grammarians out there really gonna let me get away with that? Bunch of nice guys!

Ensure, insure, assure ... every one used incorrectly, but would be correct in one of the other sentences. I threw in the "knight cap" for good measure.

We all new you gnu gooder and was speaking with tung in sheik.

[everettdavis]

Grammar checkers don’t catch some things my boss and I found out rather embarrassingly as we presented an upgrade proposal on equipment in to a previous customer in his shop following our discussion with him the day before on what he needed, wanted and disliked about his present vendor and their relationship.

The most important part he conveyed to us was that in their present ‘preventative maintenance program’, nothing was done in the preventative maintenance area, only when something broke. He was tired as he put it of paying out his backside for services he felt he really didn’t receive.

We made copious notes and went over our proposal several times with several marketing, technical and other support staff reading through it to insure we were all on board and would be able to readily fulfill what we were proposing the next day.

We offered two options in our proposal. One was an outright purchase agreement with frozen annual maintenance costs for two years, and the other a three or five year lease / purchase which included the same annual maintenance cost throughout.

We personally presented our proposal in writing the following day and as he read through it, he commented: “I always did like doing business with you folks as you are always honest and how shall I say this – Up Front about everything.” He then circled an area in the proposal and handed it back to us.

The section he highlighted was contained in the second lease option which could be three year or five year with the added benefit that all maintenance would remain frozen at the same anal rate.

Grammar checker had failed this test, and so did we. We made a pen correction to that word, initialed it and handed it back to him, which he signed immediately, still chuckling….

[roopurt5]

We all new you gnu gooder and was speaking with tung in sheik.

I've been using Linux for too long. I did not mentally pronounce gnu correctly on my first reading, and I became confused.

[skou]

LOL - your all two funny!

I was going to bite, but thought better.

Db5, great thread! (Even if I'm the "attacked" here.)

Guys, yes I DO try to do it all in jest, sometimes, doesn't
come out as expected.

Where's the dust-stained Tucson guy?

steve

[ERLover]

LOL - your all two funny!

I was going to bite, but thought better.

Db5, great thread! (Even if I'm the "attacked" here.)

Guys, yes I DO try to do it all in jest, sometimes, doesn't
come out as expected.

Where's the dust-stained Tucson guy?

steve

I agree this typed/email has no voice connotation, except smilelies, frowns ect, I took no offense to it, I know your style and humor

[robinson46176]

I sometimes cringe while reading (sometimes on my own stuff) but I make it a point to read for content not grammar or spelling. My mother was in education and was a terror with others shaming them for their errors. She was horrible with her grandchildren, both my 4 kids and my sisters 5 kids. It cost her dearly but she never grasped it. Every time they wrote her she would harshly grade their letters with a red or blue pencil and send them back to them. She thought that she was teaching them and they did learn fast... They learned very quickly that if they just quit writing to her they didn't get corrected...
She spent years bemoaning the fact that her grandchildren wouldn't write to her or even respond to letters she sent them.
While I am fine with such errors on a casual site like this my big gripe on such matters is really sloppy spelling and grammar on so called professional web sites or in pro print media.
I worked for years in data processing back in the 1960's and it wasn't like Google where it looks for other variations, in those days everything had to go in perfect... The old "GIGO" bit. I recall one of our CPA clients who had an office girl that must have been a real looker because her brain wasn't her strong point. She once sent me a letter claiming that we had caused a spelling error on a report. It was not our error but her's. The funny part was that in that brief letter she made 5 more spelling errors.


.

[ERLover]

I sometimes cringe while reading (sometimes on my own stuff) but I make it a point to read for content not grammar or spelling. My mother was in education and was a terror with others shaming them for their errors. She was horrible with her grandchildren, both my 4 kids and my sisters 5 kids. It cost her dearly but she never grasped it. Every time they wrote her she would harshly grade their letters with a red or blue pencil and send them back to them. She thought that she was teaching them and they did learn fast... They learned very quickly that if they just quit writing to her they didn't get corrected...
She spent years bemoaning the fact that her grandchildren wouldn't write to her or even respond to letters she sent them.
While I am fine with such errors on a casual site like this my big gripe on such matters is really sloppy spelling and grammar on so called professional web sites or in pro print media.
I worked for years in data processing back in the 1960's and it wasn't like Google where it looks for other variations, in those days everything had to go in perfect... The old "GIGO" bit. I recall one of our CPA clients who had an office girl that must have been a real looker because her brain wasn't her strong point. She once sent me a letter claiming that we had caused a spelling error on a report. It was not our error but her's. The funny part was that in that brief letter she made 5 more spelling errors.


.

Farmer, looks and a great young willing body, will get you way ahead of the talent in the office with a 40ish male old boss!!!!
My Grand Mother and I wrote a lot, she always addressed the envelope to me as Master, not Mister, then I looked up the difference. Eyes got open to proper English. Which I still suffer a loss from, but did learn something on that.