English Lessons

[JohnPopa]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:40pm

I figure this is something a lot of posters on this board could REALLY use.

Lesson 1.

Sentences have a subject and a verb. Sentences begin with a capital letter and end with a period, exclamation point or question mark, whichever is most appropriate.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 10:41pm

Thank you very much!

[Raggy Q poo]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:30pm

Fine, proper English is used for professional things or for papers you are writing for school. This is BWW, this is the internet, this is suppposed to be down, relaxing time- why must we have proper English?

How hard is this to understand?

I went to skool 2day and i saw my freind gettin into the ambulance.

I mean, come on... we are not getting graded for our English here, leave well enough alone. If you can understand what a person is saying- than it's fine.

There is also a study done, I have the e-mail somewhere; where if you have a paragraph of words and the first and last letter of each word stay in place but every other letter in between is switched around, you will still be able to read the paragraph.

Or- I learned this in my sign language class.

I th__k w_en I let my d_g o_tsi__ thi_ mor_ing, he f__nd a _ead mo_s_ and br_ug_t it t_ me. It w_s sooo n_st_ that I wai__d fo_ my hu_b_nd t_ com_ _ome and c__an it _p.

Most of you should be able to figure out what that says....and for those who critisize all the English errors and mistakes we make here, let it go... your getting pissed off over something very trivial.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:32pm

So...many...mistakes....kills....self

Well, it is out of common courtesy for other people....I don't want to read, "@ skewl 2day we went on a feild trip!!!!!!!"

[Plum]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:35pm

You know why I'd prefer that people use proper English? Because I damn well don't want to get a headache trying to comprehend what a post means. There shouldn't be any decoding involved in reading- I absolutely hate it. Bad enough that I spend hours each day reading legalese. I don't need to spend my relaxation time being slowed down by the time it takes to figure out what the latest acronym or mispelling-disguised-as-a-neologism stands for. Language is intended to communicate. Why is it too much to ask that people facilitate that by using standard English?

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:37pm

Exactly, Plum. It seems like it takes MORE work to type in txttlk n in aLtErNaTiNg letRz, much less trying to read it!

(PS. Legalese, eh? Whatcha reading? Get me motivated for my final LSAT try this Saturday!)

Updated On: 2/8/05 at 11:37 PM

[ChicagoBwayFan]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:38pm

If a spellcheck program was available within this Web site, I'd use it. I refuse to type a chat reply in Word, check spelling, and then copy it over to this site just so people with nothing more to worry about could be happy

[Raggy Q poo]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:38pm

If you don't want to read shortened sentences by using @ for "at" or 2 for "to" or "skool" for school, I suggest you stop using the internet cause we aren't in school when we are using the internet. We are having relaxation time, no need to write everything so proper.

[ChicagoBwayFan]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:39pm

If a reply has too many spelling errors and is that difficult for you to read, move on to the next response - it's that easy.

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:40pm

Raggy, darling. No. There's a difference between a small, excusable spelling error and something that's blatantly incomprehensible. It takes a fraction of a second longer to type out a full word as opposed to some non-discernable abbrevation. It's not hard, and it's not painful. It's just annoying to have to try to figure out what some ridiculous combination of numbers and letters mean. ENGLISH. You know it, I promise.

[Plum]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:40pm

Tiff- I'm reading Sullivan and Gunther's Constitutional Law all semester. Lots of rulings to go through. And right now I'm reading Words That Wound, which isn't really legalese but is taking me a while nonetheless.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:40pm

OR I suggest those who feel the need to type incoherently and inanely to "save time" stop using the internet because their time would be better served learning proper grammar or doing whatever is so important that it requires abbreviated spelling and sentences on here.

[Plum]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:42pm

Oh, and good luck on your LSATs, Tiff! Here, have some gummy grapefruit. Sugar is always good.

And like I said before, I don't want to have to strain my eyes to read during my relaxation time. So I'll tell you what- you save your time by not typing in that extra letter or two- though heaven knows a lot of net-speak doesn't really save time at all- and I'll save time by not reading what you write. Sound fair? Updated On: 2/8/05 at 11:42 PM

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:43pm

Exactly Em; excatly Tiff!

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:43pm

*grabs the grapefruit and ravages it*

I adore constitutional law! If I don't get into law school, that's what I'm planning to write my Honours thesis on. (Well, the Canadian equivalent - Charter law.) Do you have any programs that shorten and summarize the rulings? It will save you a lot of headaches. I use quicklaw.com but it may just be a Canadian program.

[Plum]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:46pm

Mmm, gummy grapefruit.

I don't know if there's a program like that, but for now the readings are manageable, if time-consuming, so I'm okay. It's this damn Old English that really gets me. Try translating the parable of the prodigal son to modern English when you've only been studying Old English for a week.

Con law groupies, unite! This is the 3rd con law class I've taken because I'm a geek like that, but my first in (this) college. Updated On: 2/8/05 at 11:46 PM

[bwaysinger]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:47pm

Oh, thank you, Emcee. I knew there was a reason I loved you.
I am very rarely miffed by a typo in any form. I have no problem with that and often get a little too type happy and end up with a crossed couple of letters myself.
However, I do have a problem when people show a continual inability to comprehend the difference between a contraction and another word that sounds the same.
There is a definite difference between your/you're and there/their/they're.
Figure it out and use them correctly. It's not so hard...and god knows a lot less people might vote for Bush if they could spell better than he.

[ChicagoBwayFan]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:49pm

lol Broadwaysinger blames everything gone wrong in his life on President Bush. Republicans are most often more educated than democrats - because they are evil rich people in your book lol

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:52pm

oh, and Bwaysinger, I knew there was a reason I loved you.

[Type_A_Tiff]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:52pm

Funny since the blue states are the more affluent and educated ones.

Plum, what degree are you taking? Is this Poli Sci?

[Adamaddict]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:53pm

I recently received a 100% on my English test, and I feel like bragging.

Besides, even though you may feel like just relaxing, soon the typos will start to show up in your everyday speech. I think you should use correct grammar always, for it'll improve more and more everyday. Humans were created with intelligent complex minds! Use them!

[Raggy Q poo]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:53pm

" If a reply has too many spelling errors and is that difficult for you to read, move on to the next response - it's that easy."

AGREED!

If you don't like somebody's writing style, nobody says you have to read it. Plus, I don't think anybody has done the MaKiNg It HaRd To ReAd KiNdA ThInG. And if they chose to spend their time making uppercase and lower case letters, thats their problem. You have the choice whether you want to take time and read it. If you really can't take somebody type "2day" instead of "today", then you need to lessen your internet standards. Remember, we have to write proper English in school all day. Must we come and relax to get critisized about "there" and "their" or "here" or "hear." I mean, come on people- the world isn't perfect; don't try to make it that way. And by the way, for those who ALWAYS write in 'good' English, I am sure that many mistakes can be found by a good English professor. So, unless you are perfect, don't critisize others.

[BSoBW2]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:53pm

Well, I'm not saying you can't make a mistake...but don't make hundreds of mistakes in one little sentence.

2day today....hmmm, 'twas easier to type today....

Maybe y'all aren't typing correctly...

[shira467]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:54pm

While I understand the whole "I'm on the internet I can relax" thing, please keep in mind that a lot of teachers are complaining about how the text-talk is creeping into papers that they read. Which is abhorrable, as we blur the lines between casual and professional typing and correspondence, as well as for papers that we turn in.

People will respect you more when you type properly. Sure we all make mistakes. Check my other posts. They are not all proper, with excellent punctuation or anything of the sort. My AIM conversations are certainly full of text-talk.

However, when it comes to writing an essay, or submitting a personal statement on an application, I'm very careful about my writing.

I guess what I'm trying to say is a little but of laxness in punctuation in spelling is okay. But please keep it minimal, and be careful it doesn't spill over into everday important things.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 2/8/05 at 11:55pm

"Republicans are most often more educated than democrats"

HAHAHAHAHAHA!!
Numerous studies have shown that the more educated a person is, the more liberal they are likely to be.