Is grammar really a problem?
By arunov1986
@arunov1986 (38)
India
11 responses
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
22 Sep 06
Yes. Bad grammar and spelling is a huge problem. I do not mean one or two misspelled words. The posts on here that are in broken English at best and the entire post is misspelled or trucated are major problems. People who posts such (or even do such in any setting) allow themselves to be viewed as uneducated and possibly disrespectful. Many users on this site will not respond to such posts as it requires such a large amount of time to figure out what exactly the person posting the message wants. In a business setting, you will not succeed.
6 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
26 Oct 06
I fully agree with Sedel. If one is writing in English and trying to convey a message, it is important to do one's best to write correct English, otherwise the message may be misinterpreted or not understood at all.
Written English is not quite the same as spoken English. Punctuation, grammar and spelling all play a part in getting a message across intelligibly. In spoken English, one can emphasise a point with tone of voice and expression; in written English those two 'signals' are not available, so the art of writing is different to the art of speaking.
If English is your first language, writing it badly without paying attention to capital letters, punctuation, grammar and spelling is both lazy and an insult to your audience. It very soon becomes evident whether you are capable of doing better or whether your poor English is due to the fact that English is not your first language!
@catwoman1459 (2971)
• United States
27 Oct 06
some times its due to typing to fast, I know thats my problem,glad to see the edit button!
1 person likes this
@moogfooger (658)
• United States
28 Oct 06
Yes. Good grammar and spelling is very important in life.
1 person likes this
@ikponmwosa (105)
• Japan
25 Sep 06
GWhat is important is to convey your message, after all most of us do not have the english language as our first language.
2 people like this
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
27 Oct 06
Even if English is not your primary language if you can not convey your message effectively through the written or spoken word, you need to work on your skill set.
2 people like this
@serpenc33 (18)
• United States
28 Oct 06
Sedel is most likely just someone with basic standards...
1 person likes this
@MrsFrizzle (1963)
• United States
27 Oct 06
I think it is defintly an issue profesionaly. I am a horrible speller and I know it at times makes me look stupid. I always carry a dictionary at my work when I was a preschool teacher because I did not want the parents to think I was stupid. I am just a horrible speller.
My husband is an english teacher and corrects my gramer and spelling all the time. It is annoying but I think I am learning from it so that is good.
@catwoman1459 (2971)
• United States
27 Oct 06
me too, I keep my dictionary next to me. Sometimes its just from typing to fast!
1 person likes this
@limcyjain (3516)
• India
19 Oct 06
eveything has its importance however the most important part is that the message is conveyed in the same sense as it was ment to be.
1 person likes this
@blackhawkdown124 (99)
• India
27 Oct 06
ya i think, it is most important.even my this responce may have many grammer prob.if u can just solve it out.
2 people like this
@serpenc33 (18)
• United States
27 Oct 06
Grammar---judging by the thousands of users on this site who use bad grammar, but are flourishing and drawing in traffic, it's prolific but not detrimental. However, offline, it is very annoying to spend additional time deciphering colleague's emails and just correspondence in general. Imagine "official" website home pages that have grammar and spelling mistakes. How can that help them gain customers and credibility if they don't even proof that!
@nishdan01 (3051)
• Singapore
25 Sep 06
A slight grammatical or spelling error is normal.But some spelling mistakes may change the meaning altogether.
eXAMPLE:I use bowel to break the egg.
I use bowl to break the egg.
Here an alphabet "e" has changed the entire meaning itself.So avoiding such errors always helps.
@sedel1027 (17846)
• Cupertino, California
27 Oct 06
Why do you think proper grammar and spelling skills are important?
@malcido (422)
• United States
27 Oct 06
I believe that using proper grammar and spelling in your native language is very important. It conveys so many things to your audience.
On the otherhand, if you are writing or speaking in a language other than the one you grew up with, most people are forgiving and even impressed by the effort that you are putting forth.
