Funny, I would have said: "Spelling and basic grammar errors on the forum" or "Spelling and basic grammar errors in posts on the forum". Is it correct formal US usage to say: "I got off of the chair" or is the "of" some kind of regional thing? Sorry if it is correct, but I really hate it.
Technically the errors I listed were in sub-forum thread titles, not posts. Saying 'on something' is correct if the thing is on a piece of paper or in this case, on a forum. Saying 'in something' is correct when you are referring to the paper like a newspaper as opposed to the paper the newspaper is written on. So things can also be in the forum. In the case of a paper or a book or a forum, the physical thing you are referring to can be either the content, or the medium, so both in and on are correct depending on the context. Put more simply, text is both on the forum and in the forum the same way text can be on the paper (medium) or in a paper (content). As for 'off' or 'off of', I have no clue. I assure you, I'm not a post-count-caring person. I spend way too much time posting in forums which says more about my not having a life than anything else. I'm not organized enough to answer more than one person at a time. I can't even write most of my posts without a couple edits even after I use 'preview post' before hitting 'submit'. But I'm not here to rock boats, unless it matters, so I'll try to get the hang of that multi-quote option.
You click it and a check mark appears. After you check all the posts you want to reply to, when you then hit, 'reply with quote', all the posts you checked will be quoted in the reply box.
I don't get a check mark when I click on it -- I actually don't get anything at all. I've fooled around with it several times and never been able to multi-quote a message. For me, though, it's not worth spending any more time figuring it out. If I need to quote more than one message, I just use the cut and past and use regular quotes for the other messages.
Weird, I just tried it and it works for me. You are talking about the ["[sub]+[/sub]] in the bottom right hand corner of a post, right? It also puts the quotes in the order you clicked on them, and remembers you checked the icon until you uncheck it or use it, even if you leave the thread and come back.
I don't understand how we could have got this far down the thread without someone pointing out that 'alot' is perfectly valid as long as you're talking about one of these: http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.co.uk/2010/04/alot-is-better-than-you-at-everything.html
Fabulous And we spend way too much time shrugging it off, like it doesn't matter. Grammar and spelling are tools of the trade when you set out to become a writer. If you called a contractor to fix your porch, and he started hammering nails with a large rock or the bottom of a shoe, you'd send him packing, right? You expect a contractor/carpenter to have the proper tools. Would you let a surgeon operate on you if, just before they put you under, you see him standing there holding scissors and a pair of knitting needles? Would you pay a mechanic to fix your car if he just walks over, pops the hood, and starts banging on the radiator with his fists? You expect any person working in any trade to possess the proper tools. Writing's no different. It doesn't mean you're perfect, but it does mean that you take yourself and your chosen vocation seriously enough that you make a genuine effort to learn. If there's a poster in here living in China or Japan or West Africa, I don't expect them know perfect English. Nobody does. It's reasonable to presume they are writing in their first language for the purpose of publishing in their first language, or that it will be translated by a professional. Not a problem. If English is your first language, then you need to be able to properly express yourself in English. Again, you don't have to be perfect. You just need to take yourself and your craft seriously enough to try. I applaud the OP.
Thanks alot! Okay, putting that out of my system, I think there are a couple other issues at work here as well. The first issue is the distinction between bad English, and bad typing skills. I can't tell you how many times I've typed the word teh and completely missed the fact that I've typed it that way. I've also come up against muscle memory issues where I'm saying the correct word in my head and am trying to type it out, but when I read it again a day later, I find that I've typed a different word. For instance, I might try to type participle and instead, I end up typing participate. I've even spelled it right in my head, but the fingers just do their own thing. Of course when I read for correction, I read participle because that's what I meant to write! I may be the only person that does that, but I've caught it on numerous occasions. The second issue is formal/informal language. To be honest, I'm not going to worry about overly formal language on a website, even a writing website (unless I'm submitting something for review). I'll use colloquialisms and break standard for effect, JUST LIKE THIS EXAMPLE! I mean, there's a lot (alot) of things that violate proper grammar that we use everyday, even on this site, and it is absolutely okay because it is conversational English, rather than academic or literary English.
I'm pretty sure most of us mis-type. And I know that despite proofreading, I don't catch them all. (Problems with QWERTY) When you read a lot of posts from any one person, you get a feel for the quality of their English, (again, English as a second language folks excepted), so occasional mistakes aren't that relevant. I'm not preaching pedantry. I was merely noting that the error rate in the thread titles, the place you expect to see the fewest errors, stood out to me as a new forum reader.
Hey, we try. But sometimes it can be like the shoemaker's son, or the home remodel specialist whose own kitchen is unfinished. We are just humble writers who sometimes forget to zip up so as to not dangle a participle for all to see.
web page-poor spelling Is it me, or has anyone else noticed the misspelling of the word 'Announcements' on the top of this page? Just a little levity here.
It is only the link itself that is misspelt though ('Site Annoucements' on the main page in the 'Important Information' section). Something for the Admins to fix
. Non-native speakers of English have my sympathy. They frequently apologise for their lack of skills (I wish they wouldn't), yet often have a far better command of the language. It's the native speakers in many cases that should be ashamed in their lack of appreciation for the importance of grammar.
I heavily agree. Sometimes i make basic mistakes but i make sure i correct them when i can. English should be more respected than it actually is.
