Poll: Should People Use Correct Grammar And Spelling In Forums?

[Trace2010]

I said yes, but on retrospect, I think Trolls alone should be exempt from the demands of proper grammar. That way, I know ahead of time that the post is troll and I can ignore it more efficiently. Anyone else agree?

I agree-

 

[Digitaldreamer7]

I can ignore a few spelling errors or some out of place punctuation but when it comes to paragraphs composed entirely of "Leet" speak or "LOL CATZ" talk it makes me want to punch babies. Also, if you are debating a serious topic and are unable to form cohesive sentences or complete thoughts, you should go away. Those three things will make me ignore what you say.

 

[Zephirius]

I generally get rid of all of my retard while playing S4, most people there are surprisingly intelligent but like 'tarding around, as do I sometimes.

I also noticed that none of the options on the poll are a grammatically correct answer.

 

[Rajin Cajun]

While it is nice (and probably better) if people do put the effort in to ensure they have correct spelling it shouldn't be the highest priority in someone's writing (it doesn't matter how grammaticaly and lexicaly correct your writing is if what you've written is complete and utter bullshit, it's a bigger waste when someone fails to do a logic check than a spell check).

All of this 'grammar nazism' sometimes gets in the way (I've seen people on here before who've completely ignored and critisised a valid and interesting post simply because of a couple of simple spelling mistakes, it's still readable but just not prim and proper) and has no real justifacation except for giving some who write on here yet another excuse to flex their intellectual ego and superiority complex.

In my opinion, as long as you can understand what is written without any difficulty then there's no problem, it seems that sometimes we're letting our sense of 'politeness' and 'procedure' get in the way of what is supposed to be a forum (if I remember correctly, the most important part of writing in a forum is ensuring the quality of what you've written, not how you've written it).

I have seen the same sort of elitism on here as well. When you have nothing to add to a conversation but going you are wrong because you spelled this or that wrong then you Fail.

 

[setsunafseiei]

Yes, definitely. I will admit I'm not impervious to slipping into short hand and lack of grammar.

 

[FinalGamer]

It'd certainly help.

 

[somekindawizard]

I think it should be used correctly. We live in the era of the txt msg and we are quickly loosing the art of writing. (Not to mention speaking in abbreviations-lol)

 

[JMeganSnow]

I don't mind the occasional typo or run-on sentence, but if you want to be understood you had damn well make sure that you're understandable!

 

[ultimatechance]

to a certain extent. If you fail to use punctuation, misspell frequently, and put words out of place, then yeah, i think proper grammar/spelling should be used. But if you whine about me not capitalizing every first word, me not putting a period at the end of my post, not putting apostrophes to show possession, and etc, then i have a problem. Grammar nazi'ing is annoying as hell.

 

[justnotcricket]

Correct spelling and grammar certainly make a post smoother to read and give a more intelligent impression of the author (actual content notwithstanding =P).

There are a few errors that really get my goat - 'alot'. for instance.
It's TWO WORDS!
A. Lot.
An indefinite article and its accompanying noun. Alot is nothing. I'm not sure why that one irritates me so much, actually.

It's things like, well, 'it's' vs. 'its' and 'their' vs. 'they're' and 'you're' vs. 'your' and...I could go on. Considering the number of people on this site who call themselves writers, you'd think the humble apostrophe would be less persistently abused ...

Let me put it this way: since my spelling/grammar are fine but my typing skills are terrible, I must proofread each of my posts carefully before submitting them. Therefore, I sort of expect the same courtesy from everyone else...

 

[Noamuth]

People should at least try. Is it really hard to ask for that much?

When people complain that 'omg its just a forum not an english exam'.. Well, people are reading what you write. If you want to be taken seriously, at least try to make things readable.

 

[Kaymish]

people should use basic grammar like paragraphs at least and that's it for punctuation as you cant get spell checkers for that

spelling how ever needs to be as perfect as the spell checker will allow everyone has spell checkers so there is no excuse for crap spelling

 

[SenseOfTumour]

I'm in favour of people trying, I'm not gonna bash an imperfect post, so long as it's mostly readable.

I know myself I slip into verbal word usage, like ain't and gonna, and I ramble, and I also let the odd typo in, tho the spellcheck catches most.

Of course, if this was a forum that didn't have a hundred other people ready to leap on the people making errors, I might bother to criticise the bad ones myself.

I guess we can all be grateful its the Escapist and not the Youtube comments section.

 

[Pumpkin_Eater]

Yes. Typing like an inarticulate moron is even worse than talking like one (no spell check in actual conversation). Minor grammatical things are sometimes acceptable since forum posting is conversational rather than formal or academic, but wrong forms of words like "your" and "its," caps lock (with a few rare exceptions), excessive acronyms, and sentences that require multiple reads due to poor grammar expose the poster as a complete idiot who should just be ignored.

It doesn't matter if it's the Escapist, Politico, or even 4chan.