Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I now know that I'm getting old! After finishing a load of work today I finally retreated to my TV room to watch the lovely Carol Vorderman whilst, at the same time, catching up on my reading.Two magazines came today; a free copy of 'Which Motorhome' (WM) sent to all MMM subscribers, and my regular 'Auto Express Weekly' (AEW). On its front page AEW had a picture of the new BMW M3 and I chose to read WM first - my God! What's happening to me!Another confirmation that I'm becoming an old fart is that I spent most of the time reading WM and bitching to myself about the grammar and spelling. MMM and WM must have the worst English in publishing.In this month's editions of both, we've had 'who's' when it should be 'whose', 'complimentary' instead of 'complementary' and my favourite, 'Two many cushions were left over after making the bed'.And of course there are the usual modern horrors such as using past tense all the time as in 'could' instead of 'can' and 'would' instead of 'will'.And finally, the one thing that winds me up more than anything, a complete ignorance of what's singular and what's plural, so you have: 'The Caravan Club have announced ....' and 'Autosleepers are bringing out new models'.Grrrrr! Organisations and companies are singular. 'The CC has announced..', 'Autosleepers is bringing out a new model'.Modern grammar standards make me shudder. I would never criticise anyone on this site as it's irrelevant but these are professional writers and should be setting an example!Ps Who's means 'who is', with the substitution apostrophe standing in for the missing letter! e.g Who's that over there and whose hand is he holding? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Frank , Lol I,m glad you managed to catch my article te he...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mom Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 My pet hates are the incorrect placement of the apostrophe for ownership, and that horrible statement "the both of them"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wingpete Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I concur with the sentiments so eloquently expressed. I would have thought that professional publishers would have some form of spell checker at their disposal. It dismays me at times, to find such poor use of OUR language, when those from elsewhere in the world know and use it so well. My accomplishments in the educational qualifications undertaken roughly 53 yrs ago were not good, but subsequent communications with degree holding subordinates made me cringe. :-( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Many of the errors are caused by spell-checkers, its [sic] easier to run one than proof read an article. See that last sentence is ok as a spell check, innit :-> B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 twooks - 2007-03-07 6:28 PM Many of the errors are caused by spell-checkers, its [sic] easier to run one than proof read an article. See that last sentence is ok as a spell check, innit :-> B-) And that's another one - people who don't know the difference between its (possessive) and it's (it is).Did you know that 'its' is the only possessive noun or pronoun in English that doesn't have a possessive apostrophe? This is to stop it being confused with it's (it is). Here endeth the lesson! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Yeah, I know B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 I dont no wot on erff you is torkin abaht frank. But yous has two much time on yoor hands man. Just reed the flippin mag man and finf abaht how the pore geezer who is riting it tryin to make a livin wiv not much time to rite it rite. Arftur awl he probubly has a degrie in english. Blimey it's more difficult to write it wrongly than correctly. Standards are certainly slipping. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 peter - 2007-03-07 8:08 PM Blimey it's more difficult to write it wrongly than correctly. Standards are certainly slipping. :D Is that why a 'finf' has slipped in there?? :-> I use Firefox on the laptop, and it automatically runs spell check so I get lots of little red lines, including under 'Firefox' (lol) B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 Spell checkers don't work, as this snippet from another forum shows:- "Oh yeah that time the portaloo on the motorhome/caravan field was spotlessly clean and sweat smelling on the Monday morning....." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mel B Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 The spell-checker was fine, the word "sweat" is spelt correctly, it's the brain of the person doing the posting that needed the 'word correctness' checker to be installed! (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 What we need is a word suitability and punctuation checker. It used to be called education. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 It wood seam that this foorum is popoolaited by pedants. Yoo guys tryin to giv Michele an infeeriority complex. Get a life man. (lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twooks Posted March 7, 2007 Share Posted March 7, 2007 'tis nicked - or even knicked, butt hear wee r: Anode two a spell chequer. Eye halve a spelling chequer, It came with my pea sea, It plane lea marques four my review' Miss steaks eye kin not sea. Eye strikes a quay and types a whirred, And weight fore it too say, Weather eye bee write or rung, Eat shows me strait a weigh. As soon as a missed ache is maid, It nose bee four two long, And eye kin putt the arrow rite, It's rare lea ever wrung. Eye halve wrung this ditty threw' I'm shore yore pleased too no, It's letter perfect awl the weigh, My chequer tolled me sew. Anon E Mouse with help from Anne Owed. and ta 4 that B-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Jones Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Frank Wilkinson - 2007-03-07 5:15 PM Two magazines came today; a free copy of 'Which Motorhome' (WM) sent to all MMM subscribers, Hang on a minute... I'm a subscriber to MMM too (sorry, "member" now!) and I'VE not had a free WM. Who do you have to smile sweetly at to get that? Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Tony Jones - 2007-03-08 9:31 AM Frank Wilkinson - 2007-03-07 5:15 PM Two magazines came today; a free copy of 'Which Motorhome' (WM) sent to all MMM subscribers, Hang on a minute... I'm a subscriber to MMM too (sorry, "member" now!) and I'VE not had a free WM. Who do you have to smile sweetly at to get that? Tony I've no idea Tony. It arrived out of the blue with a low-price subscription offer. The only problem with the mag is that it is mainly of interest I think to people looking for a new 'van, and not worth the expenditure for those of us who have no intention of changing.I'm fairly sure that yours will arrive any day, unless of course the amount of your current subscription already exceeds your credit limit! :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leah Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Not getting old at all! I get tetchy++ about Bad Parking in our area, including those who park the incorrect way at night without lighting their vehicles GRRR! I was told by a Police special last week that the Law only applies to Heavy Goods Vehicles (?) (?) (?) As a professional proof reader the bad use of the apostrophe makes me BOIL++ but knowing how kids do not want to learn these days it will only get worse .............. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest peter Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 starspirit - 2007-03-07 8:33 PM What we need is a word suitability and punctuation checker. It used to be called education.We've got one it's called Frank. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Goodness me how lucky we are to have our very own 'Frank'. Thank you Peter for bringing this to our attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Frank Wilkinson Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 peter - 2007-03-08 12:18 PM starspirit - 2007-03-07 8:33 PM What we need is a word suitability and punctuation checker. It used to be called education.We've got one it's called Frank. :D Just a quickie Peter as I'm nipping out but I'd like to reiterate that I've never mentioned anyone on this site re spelling or grammar, as I said, it's irrelevent.My moans are about professional writers who spoil my enjoyment of their publications by their use of poor English. If we pay for the written word, are we not entitled to expect good writing?And I'll ignore our resident Mr. Angry as I know he likes his sly little digs at me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest starspirit Posted March 8, 2007 Share Posted March 8, 2007 Peter - are you by any chance aka 'Pedro the fisherman'? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W3526602 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Hi, Phew, only professional spellers are being criticised. So I don't have to hide in shame. I suffer from a mixture of dyslexia, fat finger, and the inability to spell. One problem I have noticed (on the rare occasion that I look at the screen rather than my keypad) is that I sometimes use the wrong word which sounds the same. I do know the difference between "their" and "there", but my malevelent keyboard does its best to wrong-foot me. 602 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michele Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 oh join the club (lol) dont let anyone anything put you off .If we were all the same the world ouln't go round. *-) sse what I mean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
derek500 Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 Frank Wilkinson - 2007-03-08 1:23 PM My moans are about professional writers who spoil my enjoyment of their publications by their use of poor English. If we pay for the written word, are we not entitled to expect good writing There's an apostrophe or two missing from the welcome on your business site!! Surely it should be "...the Wilkinson Cameras' website..." and "...one of the North West's premier camera...." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
carioca Posted March 9, 2007 Share Posted March 9, 2007 so whats your point derek? read the quote frank wilkinson states that his moan is about professional writers not joe average. too many of these threads start off tongue in cheek & degenerate in to a snipping match with all kinds of people jumping on the band wagon. it was quite funny at first now it's just getting boring, i'm not blaming anybody in particular before all the hate mail heads my way as it usually does when somebody says something it's just a general statement . B-) ps please excuse any bad grammer or spelling mistakes >:-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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