When having a conversation online, would you rather read relaxed text that more resembles how we speak to each other in real life, or would you rather read strictly proper, severely correct, sentences like those you'd find in a formal essay?
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My husband makes very few mistakes when he writes and I don’t know one person who would call him unimaginative.
just sayin’
Gee, @Dutchess_III, I somehow get the impression that there exists an ulterior motive behind your asking of this question. Would you be so kind as to explain, please?
A chat-room is different from what I would I would expect to be posted here. In chats time is of the essence. Here you can spend the time to at least reread it what you type.
“read strictly proper, severly correct, unimaginative sentences like those you’d find in a formal essay”
That is pretty much your problem. I enjoy those.
We tend to attract the readers we deserve. My view (not a big secret) is that this is not an either/or issue.
Look at Woody Allen and David Sedaris who manage, somehow, to do both. They use a breezy and informal style that can still be diagrammed and parsed.
Either your use of English is correct or it is not. Nothing to do with severity.
I pull up short on Fluther when I read something several times and am not sure what the writer means.
@bob_ It came about due to nit-picking little details of writing that some members do. I’m not talking about gross spelling errors or gross grammatical errors, I’m talking about little things that make a sentence technically incorrect, but at the same time make it more like how you’d say it IRL. Like, if you respond “Oh, hail no!” someone is liable to jump in, stick their nose in the air and say, “That sentence was a fragment. Please learn to write full and proper sentences.”
@johnpowell Again, I’m not talking about errors of ignorance. I, and most everyone else, I’m sure, do take the time to proof read, so usually we’re saying it exactly how we mean it. Often you’ll see the writer of a post make a correction with ^^^ marks after the edit window has closed.
@gailcalled corrections:
1) ”One tends to attract…”
2) Your 6th sentence was a fragment. Corrected would be ”It has noting to do with severity.
Having to read something several times and still not being sure of what is being said pulls everyone up short.
It came about due to nit-picking little details of writing that some members do
Kind of like nit-picking when someone mentions a record, but what they really meant was a near record?
Gotcha.
@jonsblond When I made my first comment in that thread I did not make it to you personally. I wasn’t even thinking about you. You took it that way, though, and carried it from there and started the debate.
The nit-picking never happened until you specifically asked for me to clarify my statement, @Dutchess_III. Go back and take a look.
I’m not upset, just pointing out the fact that you can be a nit-picker too.
“Nit-picker?” Now we’re discussing lice? Eewww!
There is no difference between “Oh hail not!” and “Oh hell no!” except for a misspelling, which I use intentionally to mimic the Kansas accent you hear in this neck of the woods when some one says, “Oh hell no!” There is no difference in the meaning of the two sentences.
On the other hand, there is a difference between a record, and near record. When you refer to something being a record, it suggests, or implies that it is an all time record. That is misleading.
One way to decide is to choose whom you want to be either your ghost writer or your editor.
I rite real good. I dunno watcha talking bout
I sort of alternate between writing how I speak and writing very properly. It all depends on the day, my mood, and the situation. Plus, some days I speak very properly, some days I talk a liddle more redneckish, and some days are somewhere inbetween.
Quite a lot of people type differently from day to day, or so I’ve noticed. The writing style also depends on what’s being written. I’ve written proper college essays that received high grades, but I’ve also written some pretty raunchy erotica, and my writing style varied greatly, haha.
@Dutchess_III It’s not misleading when I was only discussing weather extremes. A record or near record are both examples of weather extremes in relation to average or normal weather patterns. I’m so tired of this argument because we keep going in circles. You were nit-picking my example to try to prove whatever your point was. Maybe my example here about your nit-picking is not a good example, so my apologies, but you can’t deny you never nit-pick. I’ve seen ya’ do it.
I would prefer to type in a more casual, relaxed manner, but I live in fear of @Augustlan.
There is certainly a subtext here but in my mind there is no conflict between casual, relaxed writing and good grammar. Penguins do it all the time.
(Although I think this penguin might be having an identity crisis.)
Yeah, you’re a weird lookin’ penguin.
And you’re a weird lookin’ mean old cat.
All these mouses is confusing me!
I hate you meeses to pieces!
Did you say Reeses Pieces? I’m there.
I would prefer a breezy vernacular, but it’s far to difficult to assure that my point is understood during persuasive writing to take the chance.
Readers seem to leap at the opportunity to misunderstand a post written during a high-tension thread.
I type as I talk; loose, and occasionally offensive.
If you care too much about grammar, I am going to assume that you care less about the content of what I have to say. If you don’t care what I have to say, then I’ll just end the conversation with “fuck off!” and seek to end/prevent any/all future interactions with you since you care more about having things your way than about what others have to say.
“Strictly proper, severely correct, sentences like those you’d find in a formal essay” – I can’t remember that last time I read anything of that ilk. Perhaps the last time I read an essay.
I see the opposite multiple times a day; the whole “their, they’re, there” confusion, for example. I find that annoying to the extreme, to the degree that I lose the point of the statement due to my irritation with the inaccuracy.
I prefer proper writing, occasionally in an informal style.
One of the things that I like about Fluther is that people use proper, standard English and not text speak or other ultra casual ways of getting their points across. Still, I find it annoying and distracting when someone posts a question or people are involved in an interesting debate, and one may make a trivial error and another Jelly feels a need to point it out. Is it really necessary to constantly show your superior education and knowledge to the rest, when that is besides the whole point?
@augustlan Perfectly said. When I say “casual” I don’t mean stupid sloppy. I mean just that, “casual.” If I wanna say “wanna” instead of “want to,” then leave it alone. If I want to say “Perfectly said,” which is a fragment and I know it, leave it alone.
@jca ”I find it annoying and distracting when someone posts a question or people are involved in an interesting debate, and one may make a trivial error and another Jelly feels a need to point it out.” Right. Why would someone even feel that they have to do that?
I’m guilty of correcting (but not as bad as I used to be,) but I take it to PM instead of chastising the person in front of the the whole classroom. It’s usually over the “there, their, they’re” issue. If they continue to do it after that, I let it go. I done did tole’ them it distracts from their argument and brings their intelligence and education level into question. If they don’t mind that, so be it.
@syz :) I kin due write writing, see.
Personally, I find cutesy writing irritating and distracting; I don’t see the point. Why bother with “wanna”?
I have the same problem with the all-too-predictable phonetic retorts in threads such as this. There may be many, however, who find it charming.
That is far different from breezy and casual.
As for the word “wanna,” specifically, it depends on what I’m responding to. I usually use “wanna” when I’m imitating a querulous 4 year old…“I DON’T WANNA PANCAKE!!” Saying, “I do not wish to partake of a pancake,” just doesn’t have the same effect. Sounds more like a stuffy 60 year old with a corn cob up his butt.
And yes. I know. It should read ”...it depends UPON what I’m responding to.” I’m still in my edit window, but I’m not a stuffy 60 year old yet.
And yes. I know. <<<Are not full sentences and, ergo, they are not correct .
Yes. I know. The word “and,” does not belong in front of the word “ergo.” (I was actually typing something else when I changed my mind in mid-sentence.)
Can we go back to fighting about religion, please?
NO! God will strike us dead! He does not like that. I wish supermouse could come back.
@janbb . . . The Bible is grammatically correct . . .
The only language, duh.
God’s.
Yeah, and that would be English, duh!
If I’m not mistaken, God speaks American.
those barbarians across the pond speak english
Yeah, American English, but pacifically Kansas American English, ya’ll.
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