What is your opinion on the issue of poor spelling and grammar on Yahoo! Answers?
On practically every question or answer, I am able to find at least one grammar or spelling error. I even often see mistakes in Best Answers that are part of the Best of Answers category. Do you at least make an attempt to use correct English on Yahoo! Answers? Why or why not? I would also like to know any other thoughts you might have on this subject.
2007-04-11T18:05:46Z
I believe that even if one is in a hurry, he/she should at least take the time to make the question or response comprehensible, so that others might understand him/her better.
2007-04-11T18:11:03Z
Even if this is the Internet, we should still keep practicing etiquette-or, when online, "netiquette."
2007-04-13T08:19:39Z
Your opinion does not have to agree with mine in order to be selected as Best Answer. I shall judge answers by content and powerr of persuasion.
2007-04-13T08:20:02Z
Your opinion does not have to agree with mine in order to be selected as Best Answer. I shall judge answers by content and power of persuasion.
2007-04-17T14:40:22Z
I take pleasure in reading the many insightful answers that I receive, even if they do not agree with my view. Thank you all for your answers; I have read all of them so far. I will choose a best answer soon, although I must sift through the many responses! Again, thanks to all!
Dusty P2007-04-18T21:21:01Z
Favorite Answer
As a public school teacher, it certainly irritates me because I see a great deal of it. Among younger posters, it is part of their culture. Many know proper usage, at least in class, but on the internet or text message they use their slang grammar! I don't understand, for example, why middle class kids want to emulate "thuglife" culture. But youth have always reveled in confounding adults.
I do make an effort to use correct grammar and spelling, but I'm not perfect. It's easy to check spelling but I'm not going to stop and look up punctuation rules.
I try to use proper English because I think it enables communication and because I want to appear intelligent. I tell my students that if you don't speak or write intelligently, people may think you aren't too bright. George W. Bush is an example of this.
Language is organic, it has always changed and this process is now accelerated by increased literacy and the access to communication tools. When only the elites were literate and controlled education it was easy to maintain a standard.
Wud it be such a bad thing if sum spellings wer changed? As with most things, the way forward is probably in the middle: between respecting the value of standard usage and the reality of communication in the 21st century.
This is interesting. I just asked a similar question a few days ago. An error or 2 is acceptable, but when it gets to the point that you have no idea what is being asked, then it's awful. Simple words are misspelled and I take a look at the keyboard to see if it was just a typing error. It isn't. Letters are no where near each other. Spell check exists, but I don't think spell check could decipher the words I have seen on here. I saw someone spell should like this(shood). It's funny, but in the same sense it is very sad. Internet lingo is totally different. It is basically shorthand. People in which English is a second language write better than some of the sh.. I've seen on here. It's really pathetic. I understand that not everyone has the same education level, but if you are in school now, there is no reason why you shouldn't be able to spell simple words correctly. Grammar is not as big an issue with me as spelling is. If you can read, you can get past grammar errors.
There are some people that do not know how to spell and do not know grammar that well. But a lot of people do have common sense and can relate to what is being answered or said. I am sure I have some errors in this. I do try to use correct English, but if you chat as much as I do, the slang spelling and sayings are gonna get typed with out me even knowing it. The spell check does not always work either. I am tired of seeing Questions like this on Yahoo Answers. I am not gonna lie I am not good with spelling and grammar and this question does make me feel like I am stupid. If you have a problem with how someone answers a question, then ignore it and don't vote for it or anything. If you do not like how a question is asked Then do not answer the question just move on to a question that better suits you spelling and grammar. I don't mean to sound like a B++ch, but no one is perfect. I am sure you make errors too, and you do not realize it.
Hello! I think they should create a filter to see which users are under the age of 18, and when those who are under that age there should be some type of grammar checking as well as more thorough spell checking. I tried to help one person, but the thing was so incoherent I could only guess at what information was desired. I believe both Firefox and IE have a spell checking action on their browser, and aside from that there's one right above where the put in the answers or questions. For these folks the check spelling should not be an option. My grammar is pretty good, but when I use it improperly for inflection I note it as such. That's my thought on this matter. Have a good day.
If English isn't a person's first language I tend to cut them a break, and the same for little typos or things not phrased perfectly, but what I see on here lots of times is just terrible for the simple fact that you can't help someone if you can't even understand what they are trying to say, and that is true a lot of the time here. And even worse for me is if I believe someone knows how use proper English, but chooses not to use it. I don't have the time to decipher questions, if they want an answer they should do better, and that goes for more then spelling and grammar, they should take some effort think about what question they really want to ask.
But of course a lot of people asking questions are just lazy. They could have got the answer to their question by doing a simple search or something like that, but instead post a question here. So given that level of laziness you got to figure that they aren't going to be very good in taking a reasonable amount of effort typing in their question.