How good is your spelling?

elainecrowlee

I just read a news article that a survey of 2,000 adults showed that they can't spell words like 'definitely' or 'separate' and rely on spell checkers.

But the survey was done in England, so I want to know what Irish people think about spelling.

Do you think that spelling is important?
Do you find it difficult to spell certain words correctly, and what words in particular?
Do you think you can spell words accurately without the spell checker?

Earthhorse

I always have problems with opportunity, accommodation and disappoint, and derivatives thereof. It's knowing which letters to double up that trips me up, mostly.

Forest Demon

Gud

Dave147

I have a compulsion about spelling, it would ruin my day if I realised I had spelled a word wrong. Even with 'spelled' I believe that or 'spelt' is now acceptable. It is something I have always prided myself on, I may not know the meaning of a word, but I know damn sure how to spell it!

elainecrowlee

Do you think that spell check is a useful tool, or do you think that it makes you rely on it and hence make your spelling abilities worse?

Dave147

I think it's useful certainly, I don't use it though, on the rare occasion I'm unsure how to spell a word I just type it into google and it will auto correct me. But over reliance on it is a problem, the biggest problem the English language faces nowadays is the Facebook and text speak effect, it's horrible. My opinion of people who speak the way they do lowers significantly after reading it.

elainecrowlee

Dave147 wrote: »

But over reliance on it is a problem, the biggest problem the English language faces nowadays is the Facebook and text speak effect, it's horrible.

Thank you all for your replies.

So do you think that the fact that many young people abbreviate words in text messages etc is making their spelling ability worse? Or is it to do with education?

le la rat

i have a big bick

Dave147

elainecrowlee wrote: »

Thank you all for your replies.

So do you think that the fact that many young people abbreviate words in text messages etc is making their spelling ability worse? Or is it to do with education?

I think it started off when I was young, people had just started using mobile phones and with the 160 or so character limit were trying to fit everything into one message. Back then a text message was 10p so you can forgive someone for trying to squeeze every last word.

Nowadays that excuse doesn't really wash, most mobile operators give free texts for minimal top ups, you have apps like Viber and WhatsApp on Android and iPhone, BBM on Blackberry. There is no excuse now except for pure ignorance and stupidity. I have a lot of "Facebook friends", many I know from work or school, that use poor grammar, no punctuation and unneccesary abbreviation on Facebook.

Some of them write 'lauf' instead of 'laugh', 'ur' instead of 'your' or 'you're'. But the amalgamation of all of them makes for a nasty experience trying to decipher the text speak code. It is a reflection on these people in my eyes.

KKkitty

With predictive text, spell check, abbreviations, text speak and downright laziness peoples ability to spell properly has deteriorated. It's become so easy to spell at an every decreasing level and schools are there to teach children to spell correctly but as soon as they're home texting friends or on laptops they're pretty much left to their own devices with spelling words.

elainecrowlee

KKkitty wrote: »

With predictive text, spell check, abbreviations, text speak and downright laziness peoples ability to spell properly has deteriorated. It's become so easy to spell at an every decreasing level and schools are there to teach children to spell correctly but as soon as they're home texting friends or on laptops they're pretty much left to their own devices with spelling words.

That's very true. So what do you think would help people improve their spelling abilities?

KKkitty

elainecrowlee wrote: »

KKkitty wrote: »

With predictive text, spell check, abbreviations, text speak and downright laziness peoples ability to spell properly has deteriorated. It's become so easy to spell at an every decreasing level and schools are there to teach children to spell correctly but as soon as they're home texting friends or on laptops they're pretty much left to their own devices with spelling words.

That's very true. So what do you think would help people improve their spelling abilities?

There are quite a few things to help people like literacy classes but how many would go to those. A lot of the problem is pride and shame for not knowing how to spell properly. Take an adult for example, they could be ashamed of themselves or too proud in themselves to actively seek out help for their literacy issues. A child would fear being called names for problems with written english. I hate using this word but the disadvantaged of society often haven't the proper resources to hand either due to financial matters.

slowburner

elainecrowlee wrote: »

That's very true. So what do you think would help people improve their spelling abilities?

You probably have to divide poor spellers into two groups: those who can spell, but couldn't be bothered - and those who can't spell, for whatever reason.
You would have to employ entirely different approaches for either group, and there could be a multitude of different approaches required within the group which can't spell.
The crux of the problem with those who can spell, but don't bother, is that nobody corrects them.
It's seen as a fuddy duddy thing to write a text containing complete English words.
Correct someone, and you'll be called a grammar Nazi.

Technological developments are accelerating the evolution of language to warp speed - it's hard to avoid getting caught up in the slipstream.
It makes you appreciate a forum like this.

hala

Do you think that spelling is important?

yes

yes

yes

Monty Burnz

elainecrowlee wrote: »

I just read a news article that a survey of 2,000 adults showed that they can't spell words like 'definitely' or 'separate' and rely on spell checkers.

'Definitely' is routinely spelled as 'definately', even by pretty well educated people.

hala

Do you think that spelling is important?

yes

yes

yes

but how can we solve this problem ??

i really feel ashamed when my spelling is incorrect !!

Monty Burnz

Monty Burnz wrote: »

'Definitely' is routinely spelled as 'definately', even by pretty well educated people.

Someone posted yesterday that an item would "defiantly be returned"...

pickarooney

You get that all the time when someone type definately and their phone makes it defiantly.
Two wrongs definitely don't make a right.

Yakuza

bluewolf wrote: »

Someone posted yesterday that an item would "defiantly be returned"...

Punter: I would like to return this half-eaten cheeseburger.
Burger-flipper: Sir, you cannot return food that is half-eaten.
Punter: I am going to shove this burger where the sun doesn't shine if you don't give me my money back!

Someone defiantly returning something. What's the problem?

P. Breathnach

Yakuza wrote: »

...
Someone defiantly returning something. What's the problem?

picakarooney's Creative Writing forum is to be found in the Arts Category; we are now in Soc/Language/English. No levity here, please.

mossy95

loike ye im pretty d3adly at splling

mathepac

elainecrowlee wrote: »

I just read a news article that a survey of 2,000 adults showed that they can't spell words like 'definitely' or 'separate' and rely on spell checkers.

But the survey was done in England, so I want to know what Irish people think about spelling. ...

I'm not surprised they can't spell correctly, have you listened to them speak English? "vodkur", an intoxicating drink, "free" a number between 2 and 4, "innit" ?,

elainecrowlee wrote: »

...
Do you think that spelling is important?
Yes. If I have a message to convey, it is my responsibility to ensure that my message is clear and understandable.

Do you find it difficult to spell certain words correctly, and what words in particular?
Not usually

Do you think you can spell words accurately without the spell checker?
My typing isn't the most accurate (hunt and peck) so when I type I may inadvertently hit the wrong key, thus I need the spell-checker. If I write long-hand (joined up even!) my spelling is very good with few errors.

Yakuza

P. Breathnach wrote: »

picakarooney's Creative Writing forum is to be found in the Arts Category; we are now in Soc/Language/English. No levity here, please.

There's nothing like a snippy, snooty post to definitely make one feel defiant.

P. Breathnach wrote: »

I'm not being aggressive.

On the examples you instance:
1. You asked a question; I answered it in a succinct manner.
2. You seemed to take umbrage at a piece of levity; I told you it was a piece of levity, and in the very same paragraph, I further indulged in levity.

Hypocrisy much? Or was your tongue in your cheek when you replied to my post?

There's nothing against the charter against levity, but I'm pretty sure that back seat modding is frowned upon throughout most of these forums.

I'm a firm believer in using humour (where warranted) to either make a point or debunk an argument, and will continue to do so until told otherwise by a mod.

Have a nice day.

P. Breathnach

Yakuza wrote: »

... I'm a firm believer in using humour ...

Really? Really and truly?

Yakuza

If I misread your tone, my apologies.

P. Breathnach

Yakuza wrote: »

If I misread your tone, my apologies.

You aren't the first. Deadpan (or intended deadpan) humour often needs an extra step in processing.

Yakuza

Noted. I probably should have taken more time to react, my humour detection circuits were frazzled by a truncated night's sleep due to a sick 2-year old

tac foley

The main problem is that using phonetics - real or made-up - to simulate correct English is not difficult, English is a difficult language to get hold of anyway with all its multiple pronunciation of the same or different letters and letter groups...Cough, Bough, Through, Rough and so on......let alone bow, bow, sow, sow, crash, cerise. These day anything that can make that 'deadly important' text faster to send will be leapt on by the less-caring.

On this forum, we constantly see 'taught' for 'thought' and the ever-present 'their/there/your/you're/ - I tend to ignore it.

tac

ViveLaVie

I don't know why but I only need to see a word briefly and I'll be able to spell it forever. I am pretty good with foreign languages too.

Sometimes I take liberties with my spellings though e.g. I might write 'choon' instead of 'tune' when posting a song link to a friend's facebook purely because it is more fun.

In school one of my teachers had a surprise spelling test with 100 of the most common misspelled words. I got all but one.

I noticed my spelling became a bit less accurate when I used text speak so I make a point of writing everything properly now. It really frustrates me when I see words spelled incorrectly on shops, in brochures etc. If I type something incorrectly I HAVE to edit it or it will drive me insane.

The auto-correct on my phone drives me mad too as it often replaces words incorrectly and often the buttons are so close I make a mistake which really annoys me.

mathepac

ViveLaVie wrote: »

... It really frustrates me when I see words spelled incorrectly on shops, in brochures etc. ...

You'd hate my local butcher and mini-market so. On Saturday the butcher was selling "lion chops ..." and the mini-market has been asking us to "... use the thongs provided... " when selecting loose confectionery items.

gammygils

Spelling and grammar were always my strong points at school

Useless at maths though

Kylo Ren

I'd like to take this opportunity to tell people:

Lose - Be deprived of or cease to have or retain (something): "I've lost my appetite".

Loose - Not firmly or tightly fixed in place; detached or able to be detached: "a loose tooth".

slowburner

mathepac wrote: »

You'd hate my local butcher and mini-market so. On Saturday the butcher was selling "lion chops ..." and the mini-market has been asking us to "... use the thongs provided... " when selecting loose confectionery items.

Quite clearly, the butcher hopes customers will improvise catapults to fire confectionery at the lions.

tac foley

Dave147 wrote: »

I have a compulsion about spelling, it would ruin my day if I realised I had spelled a word wrongwrongly/incorrectly. Even with 'spelled' I believe that or 'spelt' is now acceptable. It is something I have always prided myself on, I may not know the meaning of a word, but I know damn sure how to spell it!

Fixed it for ya!:D

tac

franc 91

Spelled and spelt have always been acceptable - and both are given in the grammar book that I use and that I recommend to my students - First English Grammar by C. Blisset and K. Hallgarten (formerly published with the title A Very Simple Grammar of English - I don't know why they had to change it).