Do poor spelling and grammar matter as long as the message is communicated?

Question

I see many examples of poor spelling and grammar on Answers, however, the questions and answers are almost always understood..........should we bother with spelling and grammar or just let the written word take it's natural course?

Answer 1

I think that spelling and grammar is important in ANY situation, not just here on Answers.com.

Yes, the message may be communicated, but how EFFECTIVELY is it being communicated, if the grammar is poor? Doesn't the credibility of the person suffer as a consequence of poor grammar? It sure does when communicating face-to-face, so why shouldn't it matter when communicating via a computer?

Answer 2

Of course it's important. I am a good reader and like others of my kind, I do not read one word at a time. My eye will scan entire sentences in one go. This is a skill you are taught, not born with, and it will only work if everbody plays by the same rules. This is why so many people complain about bad spelling and grammar; reading poorly written prose is like wading through treacle and I, for one, will not be bothered with it. Anybody who does not take the trouble to talk to me properly has nothing I want to hear.

It is not enough to "understand" poorly constructed pidgin. Good grammar is the essence of communication. Anything else is like talking to somebody hiding under a burka - you cannot get the feel of what someone is trying to say or how they are reacting to what has been said to them.

Answer 3

it is thrilling. I in basic terms asked an identical question some days in the past. An blunders or 2 is acceptable, yet while it gets to the ingredient which you haven't any longer have been given any concept what's being asked, then it truly is undesirable. easy words are misspelled and that i take a seem on the keyboard to work out if it develop into in easy terms a typing blunders. it is not. Letters are no longer any the place close to a minimum of one yet another. Spell examine exists, yet i do no longer think of spell examine ought to decipher the words I certainly have considered on right here. I observed somebody spell would desire to like this(shood). it truly is humorous, yet contained in the comparable experience it truly is amazingly unhappy. cyber web lingo is somewhat diverse. it truly is in certainty shorthand. people wherein English is a 2d language write extra effective than countless the sh.. i've got considered on right here. it truly is truly pathetic. I understand that no longer everybody has the comparable coaching point, yet once you're in school now, there is not any clarification why you shouldn't be waiting to spell easy words wisely. Grammar isn't as enormous a controversy with me as spelling is. in case you may examine, you may get previous grammar blunders.

Answer 4

I think we shouldn't worry about spelling and grammar on Answers. I can understand most questions and even the best spellers can get finger-tied. My grandmother is probably rolling over in my grave as I type this but I think proper grammar can be a hindrance to communication. Agonizing over whether staff is considered singular or plural just interferes with the flow of ideas. Similarly, typing he or she gets repetitive and tough on the fingers but I hate using only he, especially when I'm answering a question not knowing the gender of either the asker or the person they are asking about. I look at Answers as being more like a radio call in answer show like Car Talk than a school assignment. Let the words come as they may.

Answer 5

That will depend on the person. I am an editor for a computer website, so having to sort through bad typing is what I do. As long as you can understand what the question is then there should be no problem in answering it. Making it understood is better so we can get the true answers for the written questions.

Many people use this chance to lecture people on proper grammer and sentence structure. So they can show how much more educated they are than other people. It makes me feel sad when the only thing people have to do in their day is correct grammer on internet posts. Tut tut.

Answer 6

It does for a few reasons:
1. Whilst for the majority, the questions and answers are almost always understood, there is a small percntage, where the intepretation can be improved by a little more clarity.
2. Subtleties and nuances evoke emotions which bland plain communications do not - note the difference between prose and poetry.
Why do you sleep on a bed when sleeping on the floor serves the same purpose?

Answer 7

The spelling and grammar carry another message. They tell you whether the answer is written by an intelligent and educated person and that helps you to decide whether you can trust the answer.

Answer 8

I think we should bother because it irritates me, and probably a lot of other people, to see the poor grammar and spelling on this site.

Answer 9

It does matter. I don't believe that the spell check tab on the screen was placed there just for laughs. I think we should all take the time to make sure our questions and answers are communicated to the best of our ability.

Answer 10

Ina proffesional sense it matters very much. To me it at least bad spelling and grammar conveys a general lack of knowledge and intelligence. Write me a rxt msg lik dis all u want, but anything other than that isn't acceptable.

Wouldnt you be shocked to receive mail from your bank etc in slang? And Im sure you'd soon loose confidence in them...

Equally, these rules of langauge are laid out for consistency and 'correctness' - we have the first dictionary and rules of grammar etc to thank for that!