Pet Peeve

[drake7]

For authors who would like to have their stories read more often please read this.

There are varying degrees of spelling competency and varying degrees of tolerance for those varying degrees of competency, however, when I read a synopsis that is riddled with obvious spelling errors I find it hard if not impossible to proceed any further.

I am not the only one who feels this way.

If you can't or don't want to proofread the whole story thats ok, but if you want people to give your stories a chance at least proofread the synopsis.

Drake.

[leo9]

Originally posted by drake7
[BIf you can't or don't want to proofread the whole story thats ok,
[/B]

Hilbert's Law states that every post criticising spelling or grammar will contain at least one spelling or gramatical error.

It never fials ;-)

--
Leo9
So good it hurts

[Lord Douche]

Originally posted by leo9
Hilbert's Law states that every post criticising spelling or grammar will contain at least one spelling or gramatical error.

It never fials ;-)

Does this cycle continue indefinatly?

This is true, but most people (including me) will type out a synopsis on the spot. I actually sent a PM to Jinn once saying that he should replaced my submitted synopsis with the one I provided in the message; stupid grammatical errors.
LD

[drake7]

It's not perpetual motion, but... well you get my point.

In reply to the reply about replies with grammatical/spelling errors Lord Douche wrote:

Does this cycle continue indefinatly?

Apparently, it does.

Drake.

[Fox]

What I find to be interesting is .... are? .... the difference(s) between English/Canadian spelling and American spelling. I had a reviewer take me to task for allegedly misspelling words such as the following examples.

English/Canadian ....................... American
favour .... ....................... favor
flavour ... ....................... flavour
cheque .......................... check (it's in the mail)
etc. etc.

Even the Microsoft "Canadian" spellcheck shows American spelings.

My favourite is

saviour ... ....................... George W. Bush

[somewriter]

flavour ... ....................... flavour

Just thought I'd have a go at breaking this cycle of mistakes... :-) I would have thought that the difference between UK/Canadian and US spellings would be well known but perhaps not.

[Dr Mabeuse]

Hey, typo's happen, and Spellcheck doesn't get wrong words. But when any sort of error gets to the point where it distracts you from the story, the hell with it. As I reader I expect a certain amount of respect from the author. I'm taking the trouble to read it; he can take the trouble to get the spelling right.

I'm with drake7 entirely. I see something like "Will u read my insest storie its really hot!!!!!!" and I give it a wide berth.

---dr.M.

[Morrighan]

For my part, I wonder at those who can't be bothered to proofread or find someone to proofread, and then get upset when they get flamed. There are numerous threads in these forums with people volunteering to proofread; any one of us would be pleased to save everyone varying amounts of grief.

As far as British and American spelling, am I unusual in that I already knew about the differences? It seems very few Americans do, judging by the number of Brits and Canadians that have been stung on this one. I actually enjoy stories with British spellings and slang; one of my Harry Potter books is in the UK edition. (The measurements kind of throw me off, though. Damn metric system.)

Morrighan

[leo9]

For my part, I wonder at those who can't be bothered to proofread or find someone to proofread, and then get upset when they get flamed.

There is an attitude I've met here and elsewhere that if we are free to write what we like, that should include being free to write it however we like, including not giving a damn about spelling and grammar.

That's fair enough: but they should also allow me the freedom to say that I can't bear to read such illiterate rubbish.

[Morrighan]

I would think that if you care enough to sit down and write something, submit it to a site like this one, and hope for reviews, you would care enough to learn the fundamentals of your mother language. There are some who would argue that misspelling, grammar, and punctuation are some quaint form of creativity with the language. "Art" or some such. To me, the difference is as if I'm comparing a Monet with a picture of streaks and polka dots. One requires an immense amount of talent and discipline, and the other the artistic abilities of a five year old. (Why some pictures that amount to little more than streaks and polka dots of color sell at all is beyond me. But maybe I'm just not very sophisticated.)

There's a book on this subject called "Doing Our Own Thing: The Degredation of Language and Music." There are something like 400,000 words in the English Language, and the average American is down to using about 20,000 of them commonly. Pretty pathetic.

The use of the English Language is a major pet peeve of mine. It's gotten to the point that I literally spend half my life explaining myself to my co-workers. They usually have no clue what I'm talking about, simply because they have no command of their mother tongue.

Morrighan

[Garmonbozia]

Language is a very intriguing topic that can be discussed literally forever.

That is my favourite pet peeve. The word 'literally' seems to be the most abused word in the English language. I heard someone on a travel show say they "literally had a bird's eye view" while hangliding. It is rife throughout journalism and if you try to edit it out the response is usually - don't be a pretentious prick.

So that is what people who have a love for English tend to be labelled - pretentious. I do not correct people when they make mistakes, aside from close friends, as this simply causes a great amount of tension and actually does make you seem pretentious, lecturing people all the time. But I do cringe a lot when I hear words mutilated in speech or on the page.

It is quite interesting with the pronunciation of words by Americans though. Many of their pronunciations of words like 'grass' are actually correct. The 'ass' sound rather than the 'arse' sound is the correct one. But correct for whom and from when?

English is a very changeable language as certain words come into or go out of favour (the word bloody, now seen as somewhat of a swearword was actually a very common word in the 1800's and not considered vulgar in any sense - ladies in polite company used it frequently). But the modern erosion of the language, with internet and sms shorthand coupled with the apparent disinterest of parents and the school system in the education of children, is a very worrying trend indeed.

I guess I better watch the step down off the soapbox. It seems a little higher than when first I stepped upon it.

Jason

[Curtis]

Okay, Jason, I'm not getting your first point. I also don't like it when people misuse "literally" to mean "figuratively". In the two examples you gave, the first was a misuse, but didn't the hangliders actually have a bird's-eye view, therefore making your second example one of proper usage? Unless you think that "literally" should apply to them not having birds' eyes, whereas I apply it to the view?

[Garmonbozia]

The phrase 'bird's-eye view' is a colloquialism and a perfectly good use of english. However, by placing literally before it the meaning has changed. It would indeed mean he was seeing through a bird's eye. 'Literally' should never have been used in this instance.

How about from a car review, "we were literally flying down the highway". Unless he was drving chitty chitty bang bang this is incorrect.

I could provide you with at least 5 instances of this misuse every day. It is so widely used and almost every instance is either a tautology or incorrect.

There is a TV chef from Britain who says it at least 50 times per show. "I am literlally throwing this basil in the pot" and then he does, followed by "then you literally chop the carrots" and then he does. As you can see it really does piss me off.

Jason

[BDSM_Tourguide]

There is a TV chef from Britain who says it at least 50 times per show. "I am literlally throwing this basil in the pot" and then he does, followed by "then you literally chop the carrots" and then he does. As you can see it really does piss me off.

Jason

Hey, but at least Jamie really does use the term correctly, in most cases.

[slavelucy]

There is a TV chef from Britain who says it at least 50 times per show. "I am literlally throwing this basil in the pot" and then he does, followed by "then you literally chop the carrots" and then he does. As you can see it really does piss me off.

Yeah, Mr.Oliver can start to grate after a while can't he (no culinary pun intended). It is such a coincidence you should bring him up, myself and TG were talking about him only a few weeks ago. All i need now is a spare £200 to afford the ingredients for his Fish Stew, and i'll literally be good to go!

sl

[EstabanBacca]

I make a delectable fish stew. It is figuratively 'out of this world' and literally quite inexpensive. Will share it if anyone else shares my entusiasm for this dish. As to this thread, its a case of different strokes for different blokes. Some readers seem to be able to get off on an un-illustrated fuck comic and can blithely sail from 'cock' to 'cunt' no matter how vast a sea of non-literal literalities separates them.

[slavelucy]

I make a delectable fish stew. It is figuratively 'out of this world' and literally quite inexpensive. Will share it if anyone else shares my entusiasm for this dish.

Actually, if you were being serious, i'd quite like the recipe for that!! (literally and otherwise! ). Could you PM it to me?

Oh, and, welcome to the forums! Why don't you come over to the new members thread in General Talk to say hi and introduce yourself when you get a minute. The thread is here:

http://www.bdsmlibrary.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1482

Cheers

sl

[Jones, Nikka]

I make a delectable fish stew. It is figuratively 'out of this world' and literally quite inexpensive. Will share it if anyone else shares my entusiasm for this dish. As to this thread, its a case of different strokes for different blokes. Some readers seem to be able to get off on an un-illustrated fuck comic and can blithely sail from 'cock' to 'cunt' no matter how vast a sea of non-literal literalities separates them.

Now that was good!

As a non-english speaker, or allophone, as we say here in Canada, I always try to check my spelling and grammar but let us admit it, some of the spellings in english do not make sense, unless one is familiar with the actual origin of each word. Visiting forums and chat rooms on the internet has actually made it difficult for me to develop good spelling habits. The only words I am sure of are the ones I have read in printed form.

[Dr Mabeuse]

There's another drawback to writing in erotic cliche: often a reader can tell you don't know what you're taling about.

I recently read a story in which a guy ties up a girl, starts screwing her, and then pulls out and slides right into her ass. No grease, no warm-up, nothing (& she's a virgin). Then he pulls it out and finishes in the normal way, and of course they both have a fabulous time.

Now, I can do without condom use, and I can excuse the 14" dicks and the "34 DD" [sic] cups sizes, but you've got to at least give the impression that you've been there and done that. An anal story like that makes me think that, not only has the writer never done anal, but he's probably never been laid in his life.

---dr.M.

[Carmenica Diaz]

Do you think Jamie Oliver is a Dom?