English teacher's nightmare

[Rod Sheridan]

Belongs on the SMC Stand-Up Irony Comedy forum

Yes it does..........Rod.

[Mitchell Andrus]

College

Mike, it looks like we're on to you.
.

[Mike Cruz]

OK, OK, OK collEge!!!!!!!!!!!

Hehehehe.

I didn't mean to insinuate that I attended a bunch of pictures... Of course, it was a state school, so...

Again, I was in a hurry. So much so that I forgot the LINK!!!!!!!

Ya'll are awesome.

Actually, I really ought to be taking the stand that I put that in intentionally to see if anyone would catch it... yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!

[John Schreiber]

I think the original Craigslist poster should be punished by people not finding his listing if they are searching for a "ladder," by people not taking the time to read his posting because it is hard to read, and by us for making fun of him. Done!

Aside from his written communication skills, he may be a fine man. Compare all the people who can write well but who say absolutely nothing.

We should also thank him for the entertainment he has provided.

[Glenn Vaughn]

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

A Habbit is a cross between a Hare and a Rabbit.

[David Gregory]

Though I sometimes do incorrectly spell a word, spellcheck usually red-lines to my attention and tell me I'm an idiot. Spelling has always come pretty easy for me so I can't really appreciate the difficulty some folks have with it. Sentence structure and grammar? Well, now, the way I view that one is; "Did you understand what I was trying to communicate to you?" If so then what's the problem?

I can chit chat in redneckeese or I can use them $1.00 two-ninety-five words if'n ya want to but don'e be givin' me that dum' look when I git done sayin' whut it is I'm sayin', okay? I can speak lawyer, carpenter, cop, soldier, cotton mill worker, plumber, and many other languages but for the life of me I jes cain't seam to git th Clempson Uni....Uni, Kollige speek rite. Guess that's 'cause the liberry burnt down and they lost both buks.

[Dan Friedrichs]

I mean this in good fun, but take a look at the few mistakes I've highlighted in your original post:

Okay, so I'm not an English teacher. I did however take a lot of English classes, including usage and diction, in college. So, (unnecessary comma) 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. (this is a question, so should end with a question mark) If the person is posting on CL, they likely have ("likely" is a misplaced modifier - this should be written "it is likely they have") a computer or some other device that has spell check capabilities, so (you just connected two independent clauses with a comma and conjunction - making this a run-on sentence) 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, (unnecessary comma) texting habbits overflow into other writing areas. But (starting a sentence with a conjunction is bad style and should be avoided if possible) 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, (unnecessary comma) and it is disheartening.

And, (unnecessary comma) 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.

[Jon Lanier]

I mean this in good fun, but take a look at the few mistakes I've highlighted in your original post:

Now, that there is funny. I don't care who you are!

I'm a dyslexic that tries to get the spelling and grammar correct. But I'm not here to be graded, I'm here to chat. If someone can't handle my post, by all means, move on to the next post.

I'm not going to spend much time trying to correct a quick post.

[Mitchell Andrus]

I mean this in good fun, but take a look at the few mistakes I've highlighted in your original post:

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


Dan,

I'd be happier if I knew exactly what was being communicated here. Were there English classes called "English Usage" and "English Diction", or were there English classes which included lessons in usage and diction?

Your commas suggest the former (which may call for caps) which may not have been the original author's intent. I don't quibble with the "e" though. That's clearly a typo.

And I prefer "many" for quantity (How many? 1, 2 or 3 classes), "a lot" for volume or mass (How much? Small, medium or a lot of Coca-Cola).

But I'm not an English teacher either.
.

[John Schreiber]

I mean this in good fun, but take a look at the few mistakes I've highlighted in your original post:

Dear Sir,

What can I give you to never look that closely at anything I've written?

Your humble servant.

[Mike Cruz]

Hmmm, odd, I did change it, but for some reason it didn't take when I posted it...

[Mike Cruz]

Believe me, I could have written it perfectly, if I wanted to, if I had the time, the first time, to go over it. And make sure there weren't mistakes, both in grammar, and punctuation, and spelling.

While I wasn't expecting to be proofed and edited, I really shouldn't have posted the thread without combing it first...especially with the subject being what it was. As for unneccessary commas...well, I like to think of them as writing style. I do place more commas than are necessary, but I find them inappropriate. They are there for pauses. I tend to write in a speaking manner. Which, sometimes leads to run-on sentences, dependent clauses on their own, and sentences ending in a preposition. Because we rarely would say, " For what do you need that?"

Yes, that paragraph, and likely this entire post can be proofed and edited, but that would be making it your post, not mine. Everyone has a writing style...especially on a forum. Were this a paper that I were turning in for a grade, it would be written much differently. But it ain't, it's a post on a forum.

Then agian, I'm the one who brought it up...

However, I did find irony and humor in all the comments. I thoroughly enjoyed this one...

[Lee Schierer]

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.

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.

Apparently your spell check missed one.....

[Mitchell Andrus]

Believe me, I could have written it perfectly, if I wanted to, if I had the time, the first time, to go over it. And make sure there weren't mistakes, both in grammar, and punctuation, and spelling.

While I wasn't expecting to be proofed and edited, I really shouldn't have posted the thread without combing it first...especially with the subject being what it was. As for unneccessary commas...well, I like to think of them as writing style. I do place more commas than are necessary, but I find them inappropriate. They are there for pauses. I tend to write in a speaking manner. Which, sometimes leads to run-on sentences, dependent clauses on their own, and sentences ending in a preposition. Because we rarely would say, " For what do you need that?"

Yes, that paragraph, and likely this entire post can be proofed and edited, but that would be making it your post, not mine. Everyone has a writing style...especially on a forum. Were this a paper that I were turning in for a grade, it would be written much differently. But it ain't, it's a post on a forum.

Then agian, I'm the one who brought it up...

However, I did find irony and humor in all the comments. I thoroughly enjoyed this one...

... more of a spoof, not a proof. I hope the jabs are seen for what they are, a comment on the human condition.

"sentences ending in a preposition. Because we rarely would say, " For what do you need that?" "

I'd say "Why would you need that? -or - What do you need that for? Totally acceptable in writing.

unnecessary

Commas matter, but not in really un-nnessisary threads and posts like this one.

1. "Verily I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."
2. "Verily I say to you today, you will be with me in Paradise."

Watch your commas or we will show up expecting a really great trip if you don't communicate clearly.

I love this one:

An English professor wrote these words - "Woman without her man is nothing." - on the blackboard and asked the class to punctuate it correctly.

The men wrote: "Woman, without her man, is nothing."
The women wrote "Woman: without her, man is nothing."
.

[Rick Prosser]

Hey - at least he got all the numbers right in the ad. ...At least I think he did.