A spelling and grammar lesson.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

RE: A spelling and grammar lesson.

brian · Guru

pws25 wrote:
Capital letters in the right place mean a big diffeis uselessence as well........ example...in a sentenceI helped my Uncle Jack off his donkey..... or..
I helped my uncle jack off his donkey... lol

There is the quite famous case of the lecturer who wrote on the blackboard - A woman without her man is useless. - and then told his students to make it grammatically correct using only commas.

The males In the class ended up with - A woman without her man, is useless.

The females had an entirely different slant with -A woman, without her, man is useless.

This demonstrates how variations in punctuation can completely alter the meaning of the exact same words in a sentence.

Vic41 · Guru

Gerty Dancer wrote:
My spelling gets worse as I age.. my excuse is eyesight not being as good as it used to be. If anybody gets lost in my typo's, I'll be happy to set them strait!

Vic, what does DILLIGAF mean? Have seen a motorhome with that written on the back.

Not sure you want to know Gerty......a bit rude, type it into Google and it will show up.....

Sorry if it offended anyone but it reflects the way I feel about spelling pedantics on forums..... furious

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Vic41 wrote:
Gerty Dancer wrote:
My spelling gets worse as I age.. my excuse is eyesight not being as good as it used to be. If anybody gets lost in my typo's, I'll be happy to set them strait!

Vic, what does DILLIGAF mean? Have seen a motorhome with that written on the back.
Not sure you want to know Gerty......a bit rude, type it into Google and it will show up.....
Sorry if it offended anyone but it reflects the way I feel about spelling pedantics on forums.....

well I WAS offended biggrin biggrin

Delta18 · Guru

Even the humble Space, or lack of in a sentence can change the context in a large way.

For instance consider this......

A secretary got an expensive pen as a gift from her boss.
She sent him a 'Thank you note' by email.
The bosses wife read the email and filed for divorce.

The email says:

"Your penis wonderful. I enjoyed using it last night. It has extra ordinary smooth flow, and a firm stroke. Initially its tip had to be licked to bring it to working order. I loved its perfect size and grip. Felt like I was in heaven when using it. I've always desired it and you fulfilled my wish. Thanks a lot"

Moral: A "space" is an essential part in English

Vic41 · Guru

_wombat_ wrote:
Vic41 wrote:
Gerty Dancer wrote:
My spelling gets worse as I age.. my excuse is eyesight not being as good as it used to be. If anybody gets lost in my typo's, I'll be happy to set them strait!

Vic, what does DILLIGAF mean? Have seen a motorhome with that written on the back.
Not sure you want to know Gerty......a bit rude, type it into Google and it will show up.....
Sorry if it offended anyone but it reflects the way I feel about spelling pedantics on forums.....
well I WAS offended

Wombats don't get offended, but "fended" yes, especially if a vehicle is fitted with Dougwe's special Wombat catcher.... biggrin biggrin biggrin

peterblack · Senior Member

hi
never liked school and I think school never liked me
just my opinion pete
I say just enjoy life

Kooroorinya Kelpie · Senior Member

Hi all. To stop any conphusion and so you blokes will not argue amongst yourselves and for the edyumikashun of the forum population at large I will disclose the secret meaning of the word DILLIGAF since it has been the name of our M/h for 2 years. It is actually a very old word of obscure origin which loosely means " I really don't care ". At least that is what I told the elderly Vicar who asked the question at Julia Creek a while back and he happily wandered off chuckling very loudly. Cheers.

GaryKelly · Guru

I too left school at 14, Vic. Couldn't stand the place. In my 30s, I worked at 2UE where I wrote live scripts for John Laws, which he occasionally ripped to shreds on air hehe. So I solved the problem by adding a dotted line across the middle of the page and the words "tear here". That fixed the bastard.

dorian · Guru

My biggest annoyance is the pretentious old farts who write in SMS-ese like their vacuous adolescent grandchildren. I don't understand this silly affectation, but I did get an insight into the adolescent brain when one of them wrote something like the following:

im having a problem with a hard drive model number abc123 (the model number is in uppercase) ...

Apparently there really is a stigma surrounding the use of the Shift (or Caps Lock) keys. Perhaps would-be nonconformists are terrified of being ostracised by their peers.

To me, it seems that illiteracy has now become kewl. Perhaps it's a bit like trying to disguise your baldness by shaving your head.

Vic41 · Guru

GaryKelly wrote:
I too left school at 14, Vic. Couldn't stand the place. In my 30s, I worked at 2UE where I wrote live scripts for John Laws, which he occasionally ripped to shreds on air hehe. So I solved the problem by adding a dotted line across the middle of the page and the words "tear here". That fixed the bastard.

Love it Gary, you certainly have a great sense of humour, must tell the Mrs that one !! biggrin biggrin biggrin

Bryan · Guru

dorian wrote:
My biggest annoyance is the pretentious old farts who write in SMS-ese like their vacuous adolescent grandchildren. I don't understand this silly affectation, but I did get an insight into the adolescent brain when one of them wrote something like the following:

im having a problem with a hard drive model number abc123 (the model number is in uppercase) ...

Apparently there really is a stigma surrounding the use of the Shift (or Caps Lock) keys. Perhaps would-be nonconformists are terrified of being ostracised by their peers.

To me, it seems that illiteracy has now become kewl. Perhaps it's a bit like trying to disguise your baldness by shaving your head.

That is nasty Dorian, very nasty in my opinion but then I'm old. I do make mistakes on SMS' not only because I'm not perfect but because the keys are so small and my fingers so fat and my brain a little less nimble than when I was younger. To me there are those who can spell and those who can't, those who are computer literate and those; like me; who are not. It does not bother me as each one of us have our own attributes that can contribute positively in most situations.

I am relatively new to this forum and I have enjoyed the friendly banter and willingness to help in any situation and I have had the pleasure to meet a few whose company I enjoyed and whose friendship I would like to continue and I will continue to do so even if I get riled by the tone of some posts.

Vic41 · Guru

Kooroorinya Kelpie wrote:
Hi all. To stop any conphusion and so you blokes will not argue amongst yourselves and for the edyumikashun of the forum population at large I will disclose the secret meaning of the word DILLIGAF since it has been the name of our M/h for 2 years. It is actually a very old word of obscure origin which loosely means " I really don't care ". At least that is what I told the elderly Vicar who asked the question at Julia Creek a while back and he happily wandered off chuckling very loudly. Cheers.

I first came across the word many years ago when it was used by a Vietnam Vet on his car, I was told he coined the word in Vietnam and a very good mate of his Kevin Bloody Wilson asked to use it in his show and that is how the word became internet slang.

I like your interpretation of "I really don't care" though, sounds much nicer, LOL ! biggrin

-- Edited by Vic41 on Monday 24th of March 2014 10:57:38 AM

brian · Guru

Vic41 wrote:
Kooroorinya Kelpie wrote:
Hi all. To stop any conphusion and so you blokes will not argue amongst yourselves and for the edyumikashun of the forum population at large I will disclose the secret meaning of the word DILLIGAF since it has been the name of our M/h for 2 years. It is actually a very old word of obscure origin which loosely means " I really don't care ". At least that is what I told the elderly Vicar who asked the question at Julia Creek a while back and he happily wandered off chuckling very loudly. Cheers.
I first came across the word many years ago when it was used by a Vietnam Vet on his car, I was told he coined the work in Vietnam and a very good mate of his Kevin Bloody Wilson asked to use it in his show and that is how the word became internet slang.
I like your interpretation of "I really don't care" though, sounds much nicer, LOL !

I saw it on a motor home some time back and thought it was the owner using an anagram to describe himself as "a dill fig". smile

Didn't make a lot of sense at the time, but as I came to understand motor home owners a little better it seemed to fit. wink

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Vic41 wrote:
GaryKelly wrote:
I too left school at 14, Vic. Couldn't stand the place. In my 30s, I worked at 2UE where I wrote live scripts for John Laws, which he occasionally ripped to shreds on air hehe. So I solved the problem by adding a dotted line across the middle of the page and the words "tear here". That fixed the bastard.
Love it Gary, you certainly have a great sense of humour, must tell the Mrs that one !!

hey Vic, Carol is NOT bald biggrin biggrin

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

dorian wrote:
My biggest annoyance is the pretentious old farts who write in SMS-ese like their vacuous adolescent grandchildren. I don't understand this silly affectation, but I did get an insight into the adolescent brain when one of them wrote something like the following:

im having a problem with a hard drive model number abc123 (the model number is in uppercase) ...

Apparently there really is a stigma surrounding the use of the Shift (or Caps Lock) keys. Perhaps would-be nonconformists are terrified of being ostracised by their peers.

To me, it seems that illiteracy has now become kewl. Perhaps it's a bit like trying to disguise your baldness by shaving your head.

dorian, it's their bloody grandchildren that teach them how to use computers and phones, ie texting or is it called sexting? biggrin biggrin so you cannot blame the old farts as you call them, in future can you please stop calling Vic an old fart. please biggrin biggrin

Vic41 · Guru

Stop gloating Wombat, you love it....... wink furious furious furious

Good thing about it is the critics brains will reach the marshmellow stage as they get older, be interesting to see their posts then if they (or us) are still around.... biggrin biggrin biggrin

-- Edited by Vic41 on Monday 24th of March 2014 12:04:58 PM

dorian · Guru

Bryan wrote:
dorian wrote:
My biggest annoyance is the pretentious old farts who write in SMS-ese like their vacuous adolescent grandchildren. I don't understand this silly affectation, but I did get an insight into the adolescent brain when one of them wrote something like the following:

im having a problem with a hard drive model number abc123 (the model number is in uppercase) ...

Apparently there really is a stigma surrounding the use of the Shift (or Caps Lock) keys. Perhaps would-be nonconformists are terrified of being ostracised by their peers.

To me, it seems that illiteracy has now become kewl. Perhaps it's a bit like trying to disguise your baldness by shaving your head.
That is nasty Dorian, very nasty in my opinion but then I'm old. I do make mistakes on SMS' not only because I'm not perfect but because the keys are so small and my fingers so fat and my brain a little less nimble than when I was younger. To me there are those who can spell and those who can't, those who are computer literate and those; like me; who are not. It does not bother me as each one of us have our own attributes that can contribute positively in most situations.
I am relatively new to this forum and I have enjoyed the friendly banter and willingness to help in any situation and I have had the pleasure to meet a few whose company I enjoyed and whose friendship I would like to continue and I will continue to do so even if I get riled by the tone of some posts.

Bryan, maybe you missed my point. I'm annoyed at those pretentious people who deliberately make their scribblings harder to read than they should be. Doing so is disrespectful to the reader.

In the example I quoted, what is the excuse for someone to go to the trouble of telling the reader that the previous word should be converted to uppercase when it would have been much more economical just to reach for the Shift key? Where is the logic in it? The whole point of SMS-ese is to minimise keystrokes. What does such a self-obsessed person gain by this stupidity? Is it a kind of uppercase-o-phobia?

By The Way, This Writing Style Was The Rage In India Not Too Long Ago. It's annoying isn't it? I've also seen people, in this forum and others, write entire paragraphs without a single item of punctuation. What's their excuse?

I have a great deal of patience for those who are having trouble with the English language, particularly those who are not native speakers, but I have no time for people's silly affectations. And that's really what it boils down to.

-- Edited by dorian on Monday 24th of March 2014 12:59:40 PM

JRH · Guru

-- Edited by JRH on Monday 24th of March 2014 04:21:14 PM

JRH · Guru

Bryan wrote:
Now I'm scaird two post

Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit Brian

GaryKelly · Guru

I rather enjoy Dorian's posts. He's one of those dry wits who says something hilarious without so much as a hint of a smile. Cracks me up.

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

GaryKelly wrote:
I rather enjoy Dorian's posts. He's one of those dry wits who says something hilarious without so much as a hint of a smile. Cracks me up.

Ditto

dING · Senior Member

Quote " By The Way, This Writing Style Was The Rage In India Not Too Long Ago. It's annoying isn't it? I've also seen people, in this forum and others, write entire paragraphs without a single item of punctuation. What's their excuse?"

Since when has a excuse bin needed to post on a forum

And tis only a few pedantics that care the silent

Majority are igorent like me and lurve it

Zoomtopz · Guru

I'm staying in th "naughty corner"

too many grammar sherrifs

Gerty Dancer · Guru

Vic41 wrote:
Gerty Dancer wrote:
My spelling gets worse as I age.. my excuse is eyesight not being as good as it used to be. If anybody gets lost in my typo's, I'll be happy to set them strait!

Vic, what does DILLIGAF mean? Have seen a motorhome with that written on the back.
Not sure you want to know Gerty......a bit rude, type it into Google and it will show up.....
Sorry if it offended anyone but it reflects the way I feel about spelling pedantics on forums.....

Ok, looked it up... hahahaha! Bit of a worry about that motorhomer's attitude now

_wombat_ · Master (of Mischief)

Gerty Dancer wrote:
Vic41 wrote:
Gerty Dancer wrote:
My spelling gets worse as I age.. my excuse is eyesight not being as good as it used to be. If anybody gets lost in my typo's, I'll be happy to set them strait!

Vic, what does DILLIGAF mean? Have seen a motorhome with that written on the back.
Not sure you want to know Gerty......a bit rude, type it into Google and it will show up.....
Sorry if it offended anyone but it reflects the way I feel about spelling pedantics on forums.....
Ok, looked it up... hahahaha! Bit of a worry about that motorhomer's attitude now

OK DG, what did it mean? biggrin

KFT · Guru

and I ran out of popcorn

bugger

frank

johnq · Guru

I don't mind my grammar and spelling being corrected. After all, for many years I have been told what I think and mean, all mistakes apparently.

The abuse of English by media hacks who should know better can be a bit wearing. A few could be: proof positive, litmus test, 'I am loving this or that', very unique, new initiative, inland tsunami (any flood), feisty (in lieu of bad-tempered or rude), synergy, dynamic, vibrant, embrace, breaking news (imagine it!), 'selfie', 'Team' as in 'Team Nigella'.

I will leave it at that without visiting the language of 'advocacy journalism' and misquotes or more likely, manipulated quotes.

EllenajoeL · Senior Member

So...are all lessons here learnt yet? confuse

I've not a clue about passing/failing etc, though I will always prefer positive/progressive and informative contributions to word-perfect ones, regardless of topic......

and that's as good a reason as any why I enjoy most posts I read in this forum.

(Oh; and IMHO, this entire thread is in need of a lesson.... regarding its suitable placement in this forum). wink

dING · Senior Member

Many years ago

While I still had to work for a living

I was unfortunate enough to have to

Conduct training ( I was in the mining industry )

Fire and Mine Rescue stuff mainly but

The point is that around 20% of People

Were some where between semi literate

And totally illiterate for various reasons

And most of them were very reluctant to

Admit the fact some going to extreme lengths

To avoid doing so --- If you follow that % thought

Through it would seem that by excluding poor spelling ect

Is rather elitist at the best