Roymondo:
And I’m still not sure what happened in owen1955’s example - Someone undertook him on a roundabout and someone wanted him to pay £1000 for some damage, or something like that. Quite what is alleged to have happened is not clear.
A nice eloquent post there Roymondo.
I too am unclear of what actually happened in owen1955’s example, reading between the lines I presume he hit the undertaking vehicle deliberately, causing £1000 worth of damage. Which as we all know is one of those ‘on purpose’ incidents we can usually get away with.
Roymondo:
That’s pretty much the point - this is a Forum where the only communication is written English (embellished by the odd Smiley etc). Doesn’t matter whether it’s truck drivers, brain surgeons, coal miners or Vicars & Tarts. The issue (for me) is not spelling - who really cares in all honesty, as long as the meaning is clear? Rather it is the simple courtesy of ordinary communication (be it verbal or textual) where you break up whatever you have to say into manageable chunks so that (a) your meaning is clear and (b) your audience have an opportunity to understand it.
As an example - If you were involved in a conversation in your local pub, social club or (heaven forbid) supermarket RDC, and someone chipped in, blurting out a whole load of stuff without pausing for breath and giving you the chance to take in each of the points they were making, you’d likely say “Hang on - run that by me again” or similar. Of course, in an online environment, you have the opportunity to re-read what they have typed in order to try to work out what they are saying. But my point is - So Do They! Anyone posting here has the opportunity to pause for a second and check that what they have written (a) makes sense and (b) says what they want it to say before they post it. It doesn’t matter whether they are using a PC, smartphone or ZX-81.
Well said. Personally, I never even bother reading poorly written posts. If someone can’t be bothered to put any effort into writing something, why should I make any effort to read it? Poor punctuation - and anyone can learn to punctuate properly - is impolite to the reader. Your RDC conversation analogy is spot on.
Roymondo:
That’s pretty much the point - this is a Forum where the only communication is written English (embellished by the odd Smiley etc). Doesn’t matter whether it’s truck drivers, brain surgeons, coal miners or Vicars & Tarts. The issue (for me) is not spelling - who really cares in all honesty, as long as the meaning is clear? Rather it is the simple courtesy of ordinary communication (be it verbal or textual) where you break up whatever you have to say into manageable chunks so that (a) your meaning is clear and (b) your audience have an opportunity to understand it.
As an example - If you were involved in a conversation in your local pub, social club or (heaven forbid) supermarket RDC, and someone chipped in, blurting out a whole load of stuff without pausing for breath and giving you the chance to take in each of the points they were making, you’d likely say “Hang on - run that by me again” or similar. Of course, in an online environment, you have the opportunity to re-read what they have typed in order to try to work out what they are saying. But my point is - So Do They! Anyone posting here has the opportunity to pause for a second and check that what they have written (a) makes sense and (b) says what they want it to say before they post it. It doesn’t matter whether they are using a PC, smartphone or ZX-81.
Well said. Personally, I never even bother reading poorly written posts. If someone can’t be bothered to put any effort into writing something, why should I make any effort to read it? Poor punctuation - and anyone can learn to punctuate properly - is impolite to the reader. Your RDC conversation analogy is spot on.
it is, isn’t it?
personally, unless i was on some sort of spelling forum, it’s not an issue
Some people may be perfectly capable of holding a highly intellectual conversation, but may not be able to write it down it doesn’t mean they are thick or stupid like some of you seem to think. You have got to be perfect every time if you are going to criticize
Dafman:
Some people may be perfectly capable of holding a highly intellectual conversation, but may not be able to write it down it doesn’t mean they are thick or stupid like some of you seem to think. You have got to be perfect every time if you are going to criticize
I think you are mistakenly projecting your own fears and - I hesitate to say it - prejudices onto what others say and do, and assuming they only do them for the same reasons that you would.
But anyway - why does being imperfect bar you from criticising another? Do you have to be a perfect driver before you can observe that someone is making a right pig’s ear of backing onto a bay - let alone to suggest that there is a better way? It would be a dull old place if we all had to achieve 100 % perfection before being allowed to comment on A N Other’s performance.
Dafman:
Some people may be perfectly capable of holding a highly intellectual conversation, but may not be able to write it down it doesn’t mean they are thick or stupid like some of you seem to think. You have got to be perfect every time if you are going to criticize
I don’t think that at all, nor have I implied that I do. I do think that many people (not all) who don’t bother to write in sentences or paragraphs are lazy, and I don’t see why I should put in any effort to read what they’ve written if they can’t be bothered to meet me half way.
Dafman:
Some people may be perfectly capable of holding a highly intellectual conversation, but may not be able to write it down it doesn’t mean they are thick or stupid like some of you seem to think. You have got to be perfect every time if you are going to criticize
I don’t think that at all, nor have I implied that I do. I do think that many people (not all) who don’t bother to write in sentences or paragraphs are lazy, and I don’t see why I should put in any effort ot read what they’ve written if they can’t be bothere to meet me half way.
“To” not ot, and can you spot where the missing “d” should go?
Edited. I should really be a bit more careful with my typing …