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I don't pay much attention to grammar misuse on forums because many times it's a typo or quick thinking put to text and not gone over before hitting that submit button. I admit to many times editing a posted comment because after I re-read it, it needed corrections.
But you have formal writing (do they even use that term anymore ?) in resumes, business emails, etc. that exhibit the same carelessness/lack of QA on the writer's part.
I don't worry about it that much on a forum like this one, either, unless someone posts something completely unreadable, and in that case, I just don't read their post. I've caught my own typos, and sometimes I missed them. And when it gets really bad--well, we have a thread on the Writing forum where we who care can go to address the truly horrible examples, such as "swats sticker" (you know, like the Nazi symbol) or someone accusing another of being a "pre-Madonna".
Quote:
Originally Posted by HappyTexan
I use apostrophes for plural possessives. What's wrong with that ?
Parents' fault means both parents. Parent's fault means a single parent.
Nothing is wrong with that. Did I say something about plural possessives? No.
I'm talking about using apostrophes for PLURALS. It's everywhere--you cannot possibly have missed this. "He is looking at car's." "She sang five song's in the concert."
bek the common belief is that everything is free in america all u gota do is have a dream. all u got to do is chant the affirmation-- i am somebody. skills, diligence, character, morality, ability, manners; have no bearing whatsoever on outcome, i am somebody & i have a dream, is all u need.
I don't worry about it that much on a forum like this one, either, unless someone posts something completely unreadable, and in that case, I just don't read their post. I've caught my own typos, and sometimes I missed them. And when it gets really bad--well, we have a thread on the Writing forum where we who care can go to address the truly horrible examples, such as "swats sticker" (you know, like the Nazi symbol) or someone accusing another of being a "pre-Madonna".
Nothing is wrong with that. Did I say something about plural possessives? No.
I'm talking about using apostrophes for PLURALS. It's everywhere--you cannot possibly have missed this. "He is looking at car's." "She sang five song's in the concert."
I'm gonna counter this point because we are in a global economy now. So these people who "lack basic English grammar" have alot of company. The immigrants who ARE getting jobs, mostly on the basis of certain degrees or computer skills, often have highly limited verbal skills.
This really shoots a hole in this thread. For instance, I stopped going to an immigrant physician because he was just too hard to understand.
But this is the way the world is turning. And don't bother slamming me, I want to see immigration reform, and I like the proposal of immigrants working in the food industry getting priority (even though they are less likely to speak good English).
I could care less if my examples make you cringe or pull resumes. Did you not understand the meaning of the sentences? The spelling did not change the meaning of those sentences.
Plus, I could care less about you hiring me. I do not want a job at your company, but I excel at communication skills regardless of spelling mistakes due to the idiosyncratic nature of the English language.
Additionally, you do realize that most communication is conveyed through body language, not words on a paper? You should be fired for being such a defunct HR officer and not realizing this.
It is not the spelling of the words that matter in communication, but the context. Communication is always about the context. A human resource officer should know this.
I appreciate the point you are making, but I think that language is about more than simply conveying a message or idea. Language and grammar reflects a culture. The idiosyncracies of the English language give it a depth and color that is unique to the English language. Just as the peculiarities of French and Spanish add layers of meaning and ideas to those languages. We all recognize that in informal situations, like an internet forum, people are going to make mistakes. That is a given. Applying for a job is not an informal situation, and a resume is not just a job application. A resume is a biographical synopsis that tells prospective employers why they would find value in your skills and labor. It should be crafted, and edited. It doesn't just describe your background and skills; it describes you. If you value yourself, then you value yourself enough to take care in documenting who you are. If you value yourself, then you understand the importance of making a positive first impression, and that resume is a first impression.
Yes, we live in a rapidly evolving world, where text-speak and other technological shortcuts are part of a new skills set that we need for effective communication. Context matters. And how we use language, in multiple venues, communicates to the world not just the message we wish to convey, but reveals ourselves. It reveals how we organize information, how we prioritize information, how we feel about the information we are sharing. If it's something important, then part of the context is treating the information with respect, even if that information is a one-page resume.
Last edited by DC at the Ridge; 02-05-2013 at 11:09 AM..
From what I've seen, people who have poor spelling and grammar don't seem to be having much difficulty getting jobs. I cringe at the typo's on the news, which are becoming more frequent. Facebook feeds are the worse. There was one from a local news station that misspelled "Mexico" three times in the same article. One day there was a "TORANDO WARNING!" flashing across the screen. I wrote an email to the station manager expressing my disgust, and received an apology. Doesn't the media have access to spell-check?
I have worked with and known many college graduates who couldn't spell and had no concept of grammar. How did they manage to graduate? I once received a resume from a candidate who stated he was "a upper level graduate student", and have seen on several forums individuals claiming to be "colledge" graduates.
As far as teachers go, I know that there are outstanding teachers out there, I have had several. However, I used to work for a college that offered continuing education credits for K-12 educators, and some of the things I experienced dealing with these individuals was mind-boggling. There was one woman who spelled her own name wrong on her registration form, and was angry when she received her transcript with her name exactly as she had written it. I am not surprised our students can't spell or use proper grammar after witnessing the lack of concern for quality and accuracy in some of our educators.
Don't forget people writing "advise" when they mean "advice". Very popular mistake on this forum, probably because it's a place that people come to ask for advice. Probably running neck and neck with that "loose and lose" thing.
Personally, the epidemic of using apostrophes for plurals drives me the craziest. This just started on a bigtime scale about three or four years ago. Why? Did everyone just forget that they went to second grade or something????
Oh my, yes! I forgot all about advise/advice.
Me too! HOW did the use of apostrophes with a word to designate it as a plural, and vice versa, become one of the most frequent errors?? I know for a fact that the rules about apostrophes and plurals are taught in elementary school because I've browsed through the textbooks my nephews and nieces use, so what's the deal there?
Me too! HOW did the use of apostrophes with a word to designate it as a plural, and vice versa, become one of the most frequent errors?? I know for a fact that the rules about apostrophes and plurals are taught in elementary school because I've browsed through the textbooks my nephews and nieces use, so what's the deal there?
It's taught in elementary school in Sweden as well.
From what I've seen, people who have poor spelling and grammar don't seem to be having much difficulty getting jobs. I cringe at the typo's on the news, which are becoming more frequent. Facebook feeds are the worse. There was one from a local news station that misspelled "Mexico" three times in the same article. One day there was a "TORANDO WARNING!" flashing across the screen. I wrote an email to the station manager expressing my disgust, and received an apology. Doesn't the media have access to spell-check?
I have worked with and known many college graduates who couldn't spell and had no concept of grammar. How did they manage to graduate? I once received a resume from a candidate who stated he was "a upper level graduate student", and have seen on several forums individuals claiming to be "colledge" graduates.
As far as teachers go, I know that there are outstanding teachers out there, I have had several. However, I used to work for a college that offered continuing education credits for K-12 educators, and some of the things I experienced dealing with these individuals was mind-boggling. There was one woman who spelled her own name wrong on her registration form, and was angry when she received her transcript with her name exactly as she had written it. I am not surprised our students can't spell or use proper grammar after witnessing the lack of concern for quality and accuracy in some of our educators.
The places where I've held jobs have been sticklers for excellent English, so the likelihood of someone having been able to retain a job using bad grammar, syntax, vocabulary, spelling, was fairly slim.
I think the generations that didn't do any recreational reading throughout the school year and during the summer have now grown up, and are growing up. They are amongst us now. lol When I was a child, we received a list of summer reading. My parents required me to read nearly every book on the list. After reading each book, I told the story to my mom (she was fascinated, or pretended to be). I'm no genius, so without all that reading, I don't know what would've become of me. lol
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