Spell Checker Wishes...
By twoey68
@twoey68 (13627)
United States
May 9, 2008 12:21pm CST
Lately I’ve seen some ppl here that have stooped to the level of attacking others over their spelling errors. To me that seems pretty petty. I personally am a pretty good speller and I generally type of my discussions that I start on Wordpad so it double checks but I’m sure that when I’m replying to a discussion that I’ve made a few mistakes. I figure as long as ppl can figure out what I’m saying that’s all that matters. We also have some members that for them English is a second language. Sometimes I get in a hurry and have typo’s too.
My Mom is a member of MyLot and so is my youngest Brother…while my Brother is a good speller like me, my Mom has trouble with spelling. Often times she calls me up to ask me how to spell something. She’s not stupid or anything…spelling just isn’t her strong point. I suck at math but it doesn’t mean I’m stupid either. We compromise…I spell for her and she helps me with math LOL Although she’d like to respond more to discussions she’s worried about being criticized for her spelling.
My point is since there is no edit button on MyLot (though I hope one day there will be or at least a spell checker) and ppl are inevitably going to make mistakes. Do ppl have to make them feel worse by bringing it up and making fun of them or criticizing them?
Recently, I did a discussion on teasing ppl with handicaps and other members were outraged by the behavior of the children teasing the handicapped person, doesn’t this fall into the same group? Poor spelling is a form of a handicap…a learning handicap. Granted it can be improved upon and strengthened but in essence certain members are making fun of the handicapped. Maybe some ppl need to think about that.
Are you guilty of criticizing ppl over their spelling? Did you ever stop to consider the other person’s feelings? Will you consider them now if the situation comes up?
**AT PEACE WITHIN**
~~STAND STRONG IN YOUR BELIEFS~~
13 people like this
32 responses
@callarse1 (4783)
• United States
10 May 08
I don't use spell check, and I don't use Mozilla while on myLot because Opera browswer runs faster for me. I do make errors sometimes, and of course I will correct them sometimes by adding a comment. Since we are discussing issues on myLot we shouldn't take everyting so hard. I do correct people's grammar mistakes, thought. I do apologize but I'm not mean about it, and I don't think I'm the best at English even though it's my first language. I think people who learn English as another language like to know how to say it a better way. I usually say "sorry to tell you, but..." or "I'm not making fun of you/trying to be picky, but I saw there was an error...." I do think it's rude when people try to make you feel bad because of some error that is real small. I guess we shouldn't be "friends" with these people on mylot or something, or we should ignore them. So while I do agree with you, I will tell someone if they have bad grammar, I don't critize and I definitely don't make the person feel bad about it. In fact Spanish is my second language and Italian is my semi-third language (I don't remember too many details sometime). I make mistakes so obviously I'm not going to be critical or making fun of other people.
Pablo
1 person likes this
@vera5d (4005)
• United States
9 May 08
I am really good at spelling but not so good at typing it out right - i make a lot of typos or sometimes use the wrong spelling of a word because i usually type pretty fast - like i might write "to" instead of "too".
Spell check would be a nice feature on mylot but I don't know if I would actually use it or not since i am just lucky enough to squeeze in a little time on here!
@slickcut (8141)
• United States
9 May 08
Well i am not a really good speller,but i get by..People who complain about a misspelled word ,is just being petty..I have better things to do with my time than to nit pic....I can always make out what people mean.I try to get it straight but if i mess up"so be it" if they get sooooooooo upset then they can just pass me by....
1 person likes this
@carmelanirel (20942)
• United States
9 May 08
That just isn't right, because like you said, some here, English is not their primary language and the ones I know like that do very well..And like you, I am a good speller, but sometimes in my rush or just not thinking, I misspelled quite a few times, and in my own discussions too..
I haven't ran into anyone complaining, then again I usually stick with my friends, I only go outside my friends discussions if I have done all I could and have no more to do..
@elemental69 (1561)
• Ireland
9 May 08
I would never EVER critisize anyone over a petty little thing like spelling!! That would be petty and childish..... I know a lot of people who cant even read or write, let alone spell. And one of them runs her own business. There are a lot reasons why people cannot do one thing or another and that is a personal thing for that person. I think your mother should be encouraged to respond and start discussions, it would be one way of improving her spelling and also her confidence...As youve said people do make spelling mistakes and I have seen t and done it myself, but I have yet to come across a discussion about spelling, and if I did, to be totally honest, it wouldnt be a discussion that I would be interested in reading.... :-)
1 person likes this
@deebomb (15304)
• United States
9 May 08
To begin with This is a discussion board no high school English or a collage class in writing. We are everyday people that are here to have some fun and meet interesting people. Correct spelling and grammar have their place. We should all do our best to get these two things right but should also be tolerant of those that have trouble with them. Did you know that foxfire will let you know if you have a misspelled word? It is a great help for me. There are times that it tells me the word is misspelled but doesn't give me the right word. Because we have such a variety of people here we must be more forgiving if words are mis used or misspelled. After all none of us are perfect.
1 person likes this
@stvasile (7306)
• Romania
14 May 08
I don't stop to criticize the spelling, because I am aware that for most of the users (myself included) English is not the native language.
It's hard not to make spelling errors when you're writing in a foreign language.
I'm using a Mozilla Firefox plugin that underlines what it considers to be incorrect spelling, and it helps me a lot.
@Destiny007 (5805)
• United States
9 May 08
Well, I use an inline spell checker that comes with Firefox, so the mistakes I make are done in spite of this.
I wish we had an edit button though, because when I make mistakes, I always see them right AFTER I have posted.
I don't worry about spelling errors that I see, unless they are so bad I can't even guess at what someone was trying to say.
What I really hate is the text talk that some people try to use here.
This isn't a cell phone, it is a keyboard and the language is English...
1 person likes this
@recycledgoth (9894)
•
9 May 08
When you consider the vast numbers of members here who do not have English as a mother tongue, I feel that tolerance should be exercised. Ok, so spelling is not always easy but I see no reason to criticize anyone for it. What bugs me, to be honest, is the *txt spk* in some discussions and responses. What hope for good English when *txt spk* is so prevalent.
@jezzmay (1845)
• United States
9 May 08
I agree with you,I have a spell checker on my computer it
lets me know when I have not spelled a word right.It will
underline it.I have a spelling correcter I got at WalMart
that will help you spell a word right.All you do is type
how you think it is spelled and it will give you the
correct spelling.
1 person likes this
@cynicalandoutspoken (4725)
• United States
9 May 08
I am guilty of bashing someone into the ground for their grammatical errors but only when the response they have given me is anything but friendly to a discussion I have written.
For example there is a certain user who comes and goes around here who has done nothing but be rude and belligerent to me in every discussion they have commented on.
I said in one of my replies back to them that I found it hard to be offended by someone who couldn't even grasp the basic principles of the English language. Maybe if they put more thought into what they were typing they wouldn't make so many errors or have to use such vulgar profanity to get their point across.
In retrospect it is funny now that I think of it because they couldn't spell weird or their correctly or place an apostrophe in it's proper place in a contraction but they knew exactly how to get around the language filter with their profanity.
My "friends" here I pick on sometimes because I am just as guilty of my mind not being able to work as fast as my fingers and using words that I don't intend to use but still words that are spelled correctly.
I would tell your mom not to worry about it too much. If someone has something to see about her poor spelling skills they are obviously someone who is just looking for a reason to be a pain the rear.
1 person likes this
@DonnaLawson (4032)
• United States
9 May 08
I, myself would never criticize anyone for their mistakes in spelling.. I am a fairly decent speller, always have been, and don't really know why, but spelling has always come easily to me.. I am being thankful not boastful for this.. I do not believe in ever making fun of anyone for any reason, I have always remembered, "There But for the Grace of God go I".. Not everyone is blessed with everything, we all have our flaws, you don't make fun of mine and I won't make fun of yours..
I do make many mistakes when typing due to the keyboard being on a pull out tray on the desk, if I am close enough to see the screen, then I can't pull the keyboard out far enough to type comfortably, so I do have to proof everything before sending it.. So we do all have our flaws, for one reason or the other, but NO ONE has the right to make fun of someone else for any reason..
Have a great day!!
1 person likes this
@mirage108 (3402)
• United States
11 May 08
I personally use FireFox as a Browser and it has a built in Spell Checker.
I might personally have a laugh at some of the spelling on here but I wont mention it out loud. as that would not be nice..
I might say something like I have not heard of FireFix but have heard of FireFox. Just my example.
@blackbriar (9076)
• United States
12 May 08
I don't recall witnessing anyone attacking ppl for their spelling errors over the past few months. I must be responding to the wrong discussions. Spelling errors is a fact of life. E1 does it.
@lvaldean (1612)
• United States
10 May 08
It isn't worth the time. I spell fairly well and am pretty good usually at grammar. My problem is that I type really quickly and so invariably have typos. I hate my own typos, think it is my perfectionist button, whenever I read one of my own posts after the fact and see erros it makes me quite insane.
I think what makes me really crazy though is when people don't take the time to actually fully form sentences or words. When they use text speak or worse when they use cultural idioms or references that are not globally understood. I don't believe it is that difficult to write in normal "Kings" English rather than some other non-common form.
This is a environment that embraces a global community. The assumption is that English is the language we will all use to commuicate. When we digress into secondary cultural comfort speech it makes it difficult for others to participate in discussions.
@Remembering1996 (2219)
• United States
11 May 08
Yes I find I have bad typo errors and need to proof read all my things befor I send them. I sometimes miss typo error's even after I have read it through a second time and it bugs me for I think to myself "How did I miss that after rereading it?" I guess it happens and if one can understand what those couple of words are then great. If I make typo errors I do opologize for it's not on purpose. I like to make it so people can read what I have to say clearly and don't have to struggle to figure it out.
@property (453)
• United States
10 May 08
I also have a spelling handi-cap. It is not from lack of education, I graduated college. Unfortunately because I don't have enough posts yet I can not cut and paste from word and spell check. I have actually called my son into the room to have him spell things for me (He is in third grade, but he is gifted). My spelling is so bad at times I can't even identify which word is the correct word from a list of possibilities. I am also mathmatically challenged. (Did I mention the college I graduated from was an art school?)
