Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Peter, while I would never wish to deride the valuable work done by the good Friars scratching away with their quills in order to have your standard texts prepared for the following term, let alone all that gold-leaf and lapis lazuli...all very illuminating I am sure.
But...
When I was finally imposed upon to schlep across the meadows and the slag-heaps to what was laughingly described as our local school, replete with my newly wall-papered text books that were the very acme of the printers art, though the regimen was uninspiring and served only to pass on a lust for violence that took some shaking-off. As a child you learn in spite of yourself. It was only later that I discovered that reading decent prose not only instilled in one a certain style...nay styles and gave one ample opportunity to brush-up on the incongruities that together make up the English tongue.
The work went on then to be rid of the more flowery affectations.
That work continues...
Your, "without writing there can be no reading" is wrong in so many ways (as I suspect you are aware) even the most gormless, ham-fisted oaf would find it easier to hold a book open and read English like wot it shood be rit than waste their days agonising over hand-writing and 'I before E, except...'
How jolly life would be if you had to make your own shoes before you could go out into the world, then your own bus, train, ship...
Get 'em reading, I say.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
It seems I may have to take back some of what I have written above as the mortal sin of elitism has been compounded and made yet more heinous in the time it took (poor me) to write it.
Ye purists are wrong.
A statement that deserves a line to itself and yet it does not go far enough. Ye are more than wrong!!!
This nonsense rears it's ugly pate time and again in talk of both writing and arithmetic. The vaunted superiority of learning by rote and bleeding at the ears...give me strength!
It has not been either brains or dexterity that have put the human race in the driving seat of the Earth, but IDEAS!
The list of names of those who have changed and rechanged and have formed the world in which we live and yet could not spell and could not give a rat's colon for a semi, conjunction, subordinate and the rest is endless.
Shakespeare too would have died unheard of if instead of pouring forth for all he was worth he had been bogged down by the sheer stupidity of those who have but the littlest learning.
The vast majority of the writers of today; the popular, the oft read and the most learned hand their masterpieces to such mere drudges as can spell and Pollock-spray the text with the widgets of punctuation. It is these drones that once filled the suburban railways with brief-case and brolly while the men and women with the art if not the artifice Sunned themselves in San Tropez.
Bottoms up, what.
Ignorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 686- Registered: 5 May 2009
- Posts: 556
One of the things I find most annoying is the use of abbreviated "text speak", where all the vowels seem to be left out. Even my wife succumbed to it when she finally worked out how to send text messages on her mobile 'phone. She only did it once with me though. I can't remember exactly what she wrote but my reply was equally nonsensical - I just sent a message back with all the vowels she had left out!
I do think, though, that the standard of written English has declined over the past few decades; and to think I spent a fair proportion of my working life correcting both the grammar and spelling of those that were better educated than I was.
Phil West
If at first you don't succeed, use a BIGGER hammer!!
I find some of the expressed thoughts that poor spelling or misuse of grammer is down to lazyness or just not trying hard enough , rather bemusing. As far as I am aware dyslexia can't be cured by not being lazy. If it could then my life would have been a lot easier. Spell checks only work if you know what to look for in the first place. I wonder if the same expectation will be applied to colour blindness. "Of course you can see its red , you just arnt trying hard enough ? "
Terry Nunn
- Location: London Road, Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 4,316
I can't remember who it was (probably shocked from my memory in some Fraudian way) but on t' telly last week someone said "could of" instead of could have.
My personal horror is the lack of knowledge of the singular and plural, as in, "That pint cost four pound"! Even Gordon Brown kept speaking of "One pence".
Terry
Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?
Keith Sansum1
- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,931
good morning all;
the only problem I see with the heading is that we have a wide range of people who post on here, and if we take Jacqui's view of not reading posts that are badly spelt etc, then it will make for a poorer forum.
I'm sure Paul B would not be happy with that?.
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 698- Registered: 28 May 2010
- Posts: 8,664
You are right Keith, particularly when the cause is something akin to dyslexia, or poor teaching at school which denies people the skills we have been discussing.
I'm an optimist. But I'm an optimist who takes my raincoat - Harold Wilson
Guest 653- Registered: 13 Mar 2008
- Posts: 10,540
Just a small example of how punctuation can change the meaning of a sentence - with apologies to JHG.
"No Mankini's are barred had to tell one of the Sycro dancers off for that!" That's how it was typed.
No punctuation has been made, so it looks like it says that no mankinis have been barred - so they are allowed.
If it had been "No, mankinis are barred etc etc.", then you would know for sure, that mankinis are not allowed.
I nearly made a comment when I first read it, but let it ride, I kind of knew what John meant.
Not picking you out at all John and apologies for using your posting as an example.
Roger
Keith Sansum1- Location: london
- Registered: 25 Aug 2010
- Posts: 23,931
peter
at least you partly agree with me?
ALL POSTS ARE MY OWN PERSONAL VIEWS
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
It is bad luck if someone finds difficulty with spelling, but spelling can be checked and learnt.
I think children who read early and read a lot usually become good at recognising correct spelling, although some modern children's books leave a lot to be desired.
Even if someone is good at spelling and grammar there are still certain words we have to either remember or remember to check, i.e. desiccated (if one ever uses such a word!), and so on. Quirks of the English language !
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
Guest 641- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 2,335
It was a pleasure to receive a 'good old fashioned letter' in the post last week sent by an old friend from Cornwall (she knows her punctuation and grammar inside out), a nice change from 'text speak' or email
Jan Higgins
- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,879
I was grammar school educated but failed my English O level as well as English lit
so feel I should apologise to the intolerant purists on here regarding my spelling and grammatical errors.
.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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Guest 683- Registered: 11 Feb 2009
- Posts: 1,052
There's nothing like the good, old English language:
Fæder ure þu þe eart on heofonum
si þin nama gehalgod tobecume þin rice gewurþe þin willa on eorðan swa swa on heofonum
urne gedæghwamlican hlaf syle us to dæg
and forgyf us ure gyltas swa swa we forgyfað urum gyltendum
and ne gelæd þu us on costnunge ac alys us of yfele soþlice.
Guest 710- Registered: 28 Feb 2011
- Posts: 6,950
Mark...
Well cidered that man.
GB Shaw was aware there was something fishy going on with the spelling in English...
http://www.nuspel.org/phonics1c.htmlIgnorance is bliss, bliss is happiness, I am happy...to draw your attention to the possible connectivity in the foregoing.
Guest 716- Registered: 9 Jun 2011
- Posts: 4,010
# 26....agree..........thought there was another agreement but it`s not there now!!
What a load of ol` tosh.
People communicate to the best of their knowledge and ability........and long may it continue..........
Do we have to put up our CV before we post?
When we criticize someone`s communication does it make us feel superior,boost our ego,self esteem?
Enjoy your knowledge do not shove it down our throats.
# 28..............???...........``I let it ride``..........how gracious.
Trumpets at the ready.
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
Mark- something we should all be familiar with, but in 'other words'
Excellent!
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
that's easy for you to say mark.
Jan Higgins- Location: Dover
- Registered: 5 Jul 2010
- Posts: 13,879
Did you understand it Howard? If so could you translate for this thick old old lady.
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I try to be neutral and polite but it is hard and getting even more difficult at times.
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howard mcsweeney1- Location: Dover
- Registered: 12 Mar 2008
- Posts: 62,352
i don't even know what language it is, i am assuming it is some ancient dialect from our shores.
Guest 700- Registered: 11 Jun 2010
- Posts: 2,868
Celtic? Welsh? The Lord's Prayer I can see.
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Lincolnshire Born and Bred
