English teacher's nightmare

[Mike Cruz]

Okay, so I'm not an English teacher. I did however take a lot of English classes including usage and diction in collage. So, the misuse of our language, the inability to spell even the simplest words, and the lack of distiction between to, too, and two, can be a pet peeve of mine.

While reading this CL ad, I cringed. I can only imagine the English teachers that read it and pulled all their hair out! How does someone make it though the school system and still feel comfortable spitting this out. If the person is posting on CL, they likely have a computer or some other device that has spell check capabilities, so the person not only spells poorly, has bad grammar, uses run-on sentences, and doesn't know what punctuation is for, but also is too lazy to take two (see the distinction?) seconds to spell check.

Before I get slammed, let me say that I understand that in today's society, texting habbits overflow into other writing areas. But this doesn't look like texting lingo to me.

Ugh, seeing this was not only depressing, but angering. I can only HOPE that it made others feel the same way. Our country is dumbing down, and it is disheartening.

And, yes, I just ran this rant through spell check and found 6 errors, but I had too much pride to not take two seconds to check.

[Scott T Smith]

Uh Mike... what craigslist ad are you referring to?

[Mitchell Andrus]

Eye halve know thing two ad.
.

[Carlos Alden]

Okay, so I'm not an English teacher. I did however take a lot of English classes including usage and diction in collage. So, the misuse of our language, the inability to spell even the simplest words, and the lack of distiction between to, too, and two, can be a pet peeve of mine.

While reading this CL ad, I cringed. I can only imagine the English teachers that read it and pulled all their hair out! How does someone make it though the school system and still feel comfortable spitting this out. If the person is posting on CL, they likely have a computer or some other device that has spell check capabilities, so the person not only spells poorly, has bad grammar, uses run-on sentences, and doesn't know what punctuation is for, but also is too lazy to take two (see the distinction?) seconds to spell check.

Before I get slammed, let me say that I understand that in today's society, texting habbits overflow into other writing areas. But this doesn't look like texting lingo to me.

Ugh, seeing this was not only depressing, but angering. I can only HOPE that it made others feel the same way. Our country is dumbing down, and it is disheartening.

And, yes, I just ran this rant through spell check and found 6 errors, but I had too much pride to not take two seconds to check.

Belongs on the SMC Stand-Up Irony Comedy forum

[Mike Cruz]

Oh, what an idiot! I was rushed to finish to get to my horses and I forgot to post the link! BONEHEAD!

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/tls/1713630526.html

[Randal Stevenson]

Okay, so I'm not an English teacher. I did however take a lot of English classes including usage and diction in collage.

My English teachers never graded my artwork (collages).

[John Schreiber]

Here on the Creek, you'd really think that "draw" and "drawer" were acceptable alternatives. That really gets me some times. And I'm not an English teacher. (Nor am I a teacher of English.)

[Paul Atkins]

The one that gets me is someone asking how to cut tendons ----ouch.

[Robert McGowen]

distiction habbits

Is spell check not perfect or did you just not change them?

[Stephen Tashiro]

I suggest that those who are distressed about the condition of English usage in the USA browse the messages on the crazyengineers.com forum.

[glenn bradley]

Is spell check not perfect or did you just not change them?

The difference in spell check versus grammar check. The post on CL is from PA. Maybe he types his words phonetically, uh-yuh(?).

Id eez uh shayme wud zum beeble doo 2 duh Angleesh layngwage.

We all get in a hurry sometimes and miss things. Mike's OP is a perfect example based on the subject matter and the errors. I also tend to wince at some grammar twists but, as long as we're communicating effectively; I'll live.

[Mitchell Andrus]

Oh, what an idiot! I was rushed to finish to get to my horses and I forgot to post the link! BONEHEAD!

http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/tls/1713630526.html

To spare us all linking:

i have three latters for sale one is a 32 foot asking 175.00 and a 20 foot asking 65.00 both are aluminum and one 6 foot step latter and that is fiberglass asking 45.00 all in very good shape all so i have a rigget vac.6.5 hp asking 85.00 works great and it is a leaf blower to and a air comeressuer 25.00 and a refrigetor with ice maker only 2 years old very nice 200.00 if interested call anytime 717-386-6528 cell or home is 717-834-0060


Yep. that's pretty bad. Maybe some computers are shipped without the "." key.
.

[Mitchell Andrus]

.... but, as long as we're communicating effectively; I'll live.

WHAT? A roll-off-the-wall simple failure of communication between top-level lawyers cost $2.13 million. See below.

It's quite easy to waive off a goofy ad or a forum post seemingly written by a 10 year old with broken thumbs. But, I'd like to know how one distinguishes between a poorly written post that doesn't hurt anyone, and a poorly written post that might cause a serious miscalculation.

On the flip-side. The person who wrote that ad is driving on the same street as I am. He's working in the kitchen at the restaurant I frequent. He's working on my car's brakes. He's likely been on Cops. Maybe he walked by that man laying on the sidewalk too.

<rant on>

Let's fight the malaise in all aspects of society. We can start by not giving a 'pass' to someone who's incapable of dropping a few periods into a sentence, and who can't be bothered to meet the rest of us half way. We can't all be Einstein, but we can at least make an effort to reach some minimum measure of clarity of thought while communicating.

<rant off>

I feel better now, but no safer.


To wit:

http://grammar.about.com/b/2006/10/1...n-canadian.htm

A misplaced comma in a contract to string cable lines along utility poles may cost the Canadian company a whopping $2.13 million.

Back in 2002, when the company signed off on a contract with Aliant Inc., the folks at Rogers were confident that they had locked up a long-term agreement. They were surprised, therefore, when last year Aliant gave notice of a hefty rate-hike--and even more surprised when regulators with the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) backed their claim.

It's all right there on page seven of the contract, where it states that the agreement "shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.”

Without that second comma after "successive five year terms," the business about terminating the contract would apply only to successive terms, which is what Rogers' lawyers thought they were agreeing to. However, with the addition of the comma, the phrase "and thereafter for successive five year terms" is treated as an interruption. Certainly that's how Aliant treated it. They didn't wait for that first "period of five years" to expire before giving notice of the rate hike, and thanks to the extra comma, they didn't have to.

“This is a classic case of where the placement of a comma has great importance,” Aliant said. Indeed.
.

[Dick Latshaw]

Reminds me of the Craigslist ad for a Radio Alarm Saw.

[Ed Gibbons]

College