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Does bad spelling or poor grammar (in other blogs) change your view of a blog?
Posted by dcarroll • 6/02/09 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: bad spelling, blogs, good grammar, reading, writing
When I read a blog, or even a book, I find that bad spelling and poor grammar detracts from the experience. I may be rather old school, but dictionaries and style manuals exist. Why don't people use them to improve their writing and their reader's understanding?
User Comments
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Oh it definitely detracts in a blog. I feel that if you can't spell or put two words together that makes sense then I don't have time to read it. Same with talking, it's a big pet peeve of mine. If you speak like "I seen a dog", then I feel you are ignorant and not worthy of me listening any more.-
I though I seen a dog but it be a kitten lol
Glad to hear that someone else sees, and understands what I'm talking about.
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OMGGGGGGGGG I can't STAND bad grammar and spelling. If I can't read a blog the way it would be spoken then I can't read it at all. I think people should be VERY conscious of what they're posting because it reflects on their credibility. -
Yup. I'm a language snob and I admit it.
I make allowances for people who are struggling with English as a second language...English is complex and the rules of its grammar and syntax are inconsistent, so people who do not have the advantage of having been around it all their lives deserve a little slack.
But native English speakers who butcher their mother tongue in either writing or speech just make me grit my teeth. If they are so lazy that they can't be bothered with simple but correct English, why should I think that anything they have to say has merit? Will it not be the product of equally lazy "thinking" and even lazier research or verification efforts?
If you are a native English speaker and you don't bother to spell correctly and your language skills would be embarrassing in an eight-year-old, you can be guaranteed that I will neither read nor comment upon your blogs. -
It bothers me as well and makes reading the blog difficult. Text speak is even more annoying!-
Oh God I hate text speak. It should be for 13 year olds only and then get over it and learn how to write properly.
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Haha...somebody just posted a thread in textspeak.
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I loathe text speak and when it's combined with excessive use of punctuation I cringe.
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Yessir, while the occasional typo is bound to creep in, and I know my own work isn't flawless, if a blog has too many grammatical mistakes or typos-- and particularly if it's not a personal blog, but seems to be trying to teach something-- it's very hard for me to get through.
In which case, I probably won't return.
But I'm a marketing writer by trade, so my brain also automatically proofs everything I read. It's like a disease. -
I guess I am so (is it anal?) that if I have posted something, that I edited, and I return to see a problem, I am almost ashamed that I put it on in the first place. Something about first impressions I guess.
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LOL! Sounds just like me!
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My daughter and I like to point out grammatical errors on each others blogs, it keeps us both in check even though embarrassed by something simple.
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Yep. Bugs. Jus cause we'uns talk thataway, no 'xcuse for writin' thataway. Know whatta mean? See what'am saying? -
Rivy,
I write a few humorous blog posts and use slang and poor grammar, but even then I edit it so it is "perfect" slang and poor grammer. lol-
now that's just sick!
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I find if I am too distracted by it or it is making it hard to comprehend then yes it will put me off. I am so used to the various forms of spoken and written English (British vs American) that differences don't put me off. -
I too hate to find typos and grammatical errors in things. If I find something in one of my own blog posts, even well after I've posted, I'm likely to go back and correct it.
Text speak is horrible and whoever invented it should be shot. Texting encourages sloppy spelling and nonexistent punctuation and grammar, which then slips over to be used in inappropriate places (like application forms where people use i instead of I).
And it seems that you can't find an eBook without errors. I've just been looking at one that had so many errors it was embarrassing. I think someone had done a 'find and replace' which had taken every instance of 'chore' and replaced it with 'choir' so it talked about doing your weekly choirs, and being paid for your choirs.
Granted many eBooks are given away free, but even so they're an advertisement for the author or distributor. And charging for one that has more than an occasional error, given how easy it is to use spelling and grammar checks, is just not on. -
Without a doubt! Not only does it detract from the post, but it also says a lot about the writer. I have also stopped following blogs whose writers don't use capitol I's when appropriate. -
Do you folks think there will be an eventual backlash to textspeak?
Or do you think peoples' writing in general-- and their care for proper spelling and grammar-- will only get worse in the future?-
I think I'm one of the oddities: I only text rarely and then I take time to add correct punctuation.
Sadly I think textspeak will probably become the norm for young people, which will have a backlash on their ability to communicate, possibly verbally as well as in writing. Where I used to work, we issued a 'directive' about not using textspeak in documents, as these were peoples' records that needed to be understood by someone other than the original writer. But even if people curbed their bad habits in files, they continued to email in textspeak.
Using a keyboard has resulted in my handwriting deteriorating over the years. The most I handwrite these days are addresses on envelopes. Oh for the good old days of fountain pens and nice paper! -
I'm afraid I'd be in big trouble if I were required to handwrite everything- as my handwriting is so bad even I can't read it sometimes!
But you brought up a great point about the workforce-- communication is so important in business. Especially with the pace of business moving so quickly now. I suspect that textspeak will creep more and more into business documents.
Like you, I've received some emails that are in text speak. And deciphering what they mean in order to take action on them... Not easy!
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There is nothing that looks better than good writing with a fountain pen on high quality paper. It is no wonder documents like the Declaration of Independence looks as "official" and "regal" as it does. Although "i" believe textspeak is becoming a norm, "i" hope "i" never see the day that documents are written in text speak. That's just "i" though. lol
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I never thought I'd see a day when "ain't" is in the dictionary. I suppose text speak as a daily thing is possible but it would really stink. How would you word "The Declaration of Independence"?
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Depends on whether it's intentional or not. Poets are always experimenting with goofy ways of using language. Some of the greatest poems ever written are incomprehensible by ordinary standards. One gets the impression even the poet had no idea what he was saying. One has to read a meaning into them. -
I'm a terrible speller, but I'm aware of the issue. I use spell checks all the time and have an actual dictionary handy. In terms of grammar, here's a rule of thumb I follow all the time: read it out loud. If I'm stumbling all over the place, it's time to revise.
I don't understand why people don't do these things. I doubt it takes me more than a few minutes extra to make my writing readable. Bad grammar and misspellings online are like forgetting to bathe and wearing mismatched socks to a meeting. You're going to get judged and not in a good way
The only exception I can think of is if the writer isn't a native English speaker. I will cut them some slack. Computer translation is pretty feeble these days, up from absolutely horrific. I've tried translating my writing into another language and then back again. It can be amusing and scary. -
Simply stated, yes. -
Yes, definitely. A well written blog is a good blog. who wants to read and correct mistakes at the same time?-
what about a well-writting blog that endorses raping baby unicorns? Is that a good blog? My blog is about how to effectively strangle kittens.
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Good going. Start a movement on this aspect of english language. I always commit mistakes both grammatical and spelling but always try my best to avoid mistakes as much as possible. If i find a lot of spelling or silly grammatical mistakes then i dont return to the blog. I always ask my friends to point out mistakes as writers happen to be myopic to their creations.
A very good point indeed. Thanks. -
my grammerz goods but my spellings teh suxk
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heeheehee.
I sooooo wanna edit you!
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I do wonder from time to time, if my blog actually possesses bad grammar and spelling mistakes.......... I rarely check my articles once I publish them. -
if i can grasp the meaning then it is ok, otherwise i dont read them second time. i dont expect accuracy but 75% is preferred. -
It is only good manners to be sure your grammar and spelling are as correct as possible. Don't put anything in your readers way to cause them to pause or question your respect for their attention. They are your most valuable
asset. The Count is still old-fashioned enough to believe manners matter. -
A poorly written blog or one with lots of mispellings makes me suspect that the writer doesn't know what he or she is talking about. -
It just makes the blog look unprofessional. If I came across a site like apple.com and saw their new promotion banner saying:
"Buy a new iPod Touch now and *recieve* a free Skin"
I would have just rang them up and complained. Although sometimes hard to spot, the "receive" is hard to spot wrong. -
I'm an ex-English teacher, so it probably should...but I must admit some of the best writing has been from a few dyslexics I had in a class while I was teaching. They could not spell, but if you could decipher the words the flow and the story telling was fabulous! -
Unless a blogger is foreign and not able to know the language as well as we do, I have to admit I don't think much of the blog if there are incorrectly spelled words or grammatical errors. I get the feeling I'm reading something that the blogger really doesn't know much about and the blog loses credibility. With spellcheck on every computer there is no reason for misspelling words. -
YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES -
YES, YES, YES.
Poor grammar, poor spelling, poor vocabulary and incoherent structure actually makes me angry. I will not only stop reading the blog, but I tend to feel hostile towards it. I put a lot of effort in the language on my blog and consider writing to be a craft worth developing.
Your blog is a reflection of your thought processes. If your blog is disorganized and incoherent, I can only assume your mind is equally disorganized and incoherent. -
Definitely, yes. -
i sure yes
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Oh yes!
This was too bad to read:
sta.rtup.biz/profiles/blogs/are-you-overloaded-with
"In what many have named a economic uncertainity we all been placed in what I like to call "information overload".There are those claim we are in the middle.Others state by the end of the year this or that will occur.And yet others do not what do.Why you ask?"
That is the opening paragraph.
Yikes. -
I can handle bad spelling and grammer if it doesn't slow me down or cause frustration in understand the text. I do hate what I call hip hop speak like saying "da" instead of "the." -
In answer to the question, yest it does change my view. It puts it on another blog. -
It would depend on the blog. For my own blog, as a non-English writing in English I do try to take extra care of my spelling and grammar. Because...who wants to read, let alone trust, an academic blog full of errors? As to other blogs, yes, it does distract and annoy me if the spelling and grammar is horrible, but if I'm interested in the message I will read anyway. -
its interesting to hear others talk about non-English writers. At the beginning of a college print journalism editing class we took an English grammar test. The student that got the highest score was a Japanese girl who had problems talking English, but here grammar and spelling were better than those form US schools.
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That is an interesting observation, but not surprising. On a side note, after I took my GRE, my English was quite sophisticated and grammatically perfect, compared to what it is now, which goes to show that the ones who think they may not need it (i.e. native English speakers) sometimes are the ones who really need it.
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What many forget is that there are so many journals and newspapers that aren't like they use to be - error free! I am very careful myself, but in judging writing I realize that things can be changed before the final draft or print out. Perfection is important there, but NOT in a blog which unless it's a professional one can actually be a work in process.
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My GOD! I can't believe all the typos in my last comment! Everyone please forgive me.
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Didn't want to say anything but brought a laugh. Glad you caught it.
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Forgiven. Made me smile, especially that "here grammar and spelling were better than those form US schools." I wondered what form those schools took and if hises grammar were better then heres. (Now checking for my own typos! Yikes!)
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I guess the "form" is typing that was learned over 30 years ago and has deteriorated with the use of computers, spell checkers and not having to white-out corrections.
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Grammer 101 can't hurt anybody. Grammer is very important. Without good grammer, readers will misunderstand.-
Haha
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