Lurkers

[Woody]

Thanks for your testimony LynnDel.

But, I am not asking them to share a lot. I thought we could break the ice by just having them say HI !!! I would be happy with that. It would be a gentle start for them.

What do you think ? ...

[Neil D]

I remember my first post here. I felt as shaky as if I were stepping up to a microphone in front of a crowd of well-dressed intellectuals.

[Woody]

Neil ... I see you are no longer lost but have found your way here ....

[LynnDel]

Neil, you'd better be running - gotta get more than a state away from imminent danger! I'm not your typical teacher, and often am deficient in the words department because I want to say it right the first time, and by the time I get my words organized, the moment has passed. I believe, however, that a teacher who isn't always talking gives the students a chance to do more thinking; it's a plus in my opinion -- at least some of the time.

Quote:

LynnDell, I love you to death, girl..you've always been able to keep me humble, as I am sure I deserved every smack you gave me

I'll have to tell all your old and new girlfriends about that first phrase, and then you'll really have to run! (ha)

Oops. Are we off topic here?

LD

.

[Woody]

I am going to bump this in hopes of de-lurking some one. Any takers?

[phkrause]

Bump away Redwood, bump away.

pk

[Woody]

Hey pk .... I have to catch up with dgrimm somehow. I am just following in the footsteps of a certain friend of ours.

[phkrause]

pk

[LynnDel]

Quote:

AN WHOM would that be some youngest here????

Translation required!

LD

[max]

Here is one of your readers. I have things to say,but I am not good at typing and spelling, so I just sit on the sidelines and read. Any way I made a comment on another site and one of the head guys was not very nice.

[phkrause]

max just take your time you'll get to posting and really enjoy it. Some do get carried away sometimes, but I think you'll find your experience to be OK. Good to have you here.

pk

[Woody]

Here is one of your readers. I have things to say,but I am not good at typing and spelling, so I just sit on the sidelines and read. Any way I made a comment on another site and one of the head guys was not very nice.

Praise God you spoke up. Now we have a new friend. And your typing and spelling looks A Okay. But please don't worry about it. Many of us here do have trouble with spelling and typos. Don't let that stop you.

We look forward to the things you have to say. And we look forward to 'doing you good'.

Welcome.

[Gail]

Oh, yes! I don't know how many times I've seen church spelled, "chruch"! They say that as long as the first and last letters are correct that the brain can decipher the rest :)

[Liz]

Great big ((((Max)))), I'm glad you're here...

[Jeannieb43]

Gail, I thought I was the only one who noticed those typos.

I guess I'm just a born proofreader, because those typos seem to jump off the page right at me. Including misplaced apostrophes, commas, etc. I usually try to use good manners and refrain from commenting.

[Planey]

Not all mistakes are typos.

Some are just laziness.

For instance, in the thread relating to the Texas governor, people treated "secession" and "succession" as if they were synonyms, likewise "secede" and "succeed" - often within the one sentence.

A little proofreading goes a long way. After all, we do have the "Preview reply" button available.

Graeme

[GreatLakesGramma]

That isn't always laziness, Planey. There are a lot of people who don't know the difference. They know the meaning of the one word, and the spelling of the other looks like it is pronounced the same, which sometimes it is. So they really think it is the right word, as they don't even know about the other.

Sometimes I have felt like compiling a list of misused words and posting it for the education of those who are unaware. Maybe some day I will.

[Morning Glory]

How about using spell check??

[Liz]

Just tagging on here, but the preview reply button doesn't spell check, it just shows you what your reply will look like on the forum. Also, I don't have a spell check button, and the only way I could spell check would be to first open up a window in Word, and type out all my replys in that, then copy and paste them to this site. Which technically I could do, but good grief I am too lazy for that.

Then there is the dyslexic factor, where it looks right at first, but then a day or so later you notice it...

Also I wanted to let all the other lurkers and especially Max, know that you shouldn't let typo's or misspellings (sp? I tried with one s and with two s's and they both look wrong) prevent you from posting. So just post away.

[Bravus]

Spell check won't help in the case of choosing the wrong word: when you use 'succeed' instead of 'secede', you have still spelled 'succeed' correctly.

And yeah, what Liz said. We compulsive pedants might correct someone's spelling, grammar, expression or word choice, but when we do we're really trying to be helpful rather than have a go at you.

[Bravus]

I guess I'm just a born proofreader, because those typos seem to jump off the page right at me. Including misplaced apostrophes, commas, etc. I usually try to use good manners and refrain from commenting.

It definitely depends on situation and relationship, and it's not necessary to pick up every last little thing, but do you really think it's a kindness to keep letting someone write 'succeed' when they mean 'secede'[1]? I think a correction or suggestion in the right spirit at the right time can be valuable rather than ill-mannered.

[1] I've used this example a couple of times both because Planey used it and because I know it was my friend Shane who did it and I know he knows he sometimes struggles with word choice and appreciates help with it.

Edit: And I always thought the 'Gramma' was 'Grandma' - maybe it has a pun on 'grammar'?

[Planey]

And even if you have a spell check it would not pick up the times when you use the wrong word but spell it correctly (like "succession" and "secession".)

By the way, when I'm typing within the "Reply" or "Quick Reply" boxes and I misspell a word, as soon as I hit the space bar a red line appears under the word I have just written. This might give you a clue...

Graeme

[Woody]

Quote:

Edit: And I always thought the 'Gramma' was 'Grandma' - maybe it has a pun on 'grammar'?

I think that is meant to be the 'Grammar Grandma'.

[Planey]

PS to the last post:

I notice this feature when I write words like "colour" or "plagiarise" and spell them correctly (as just shown) and the dangburned spell checker still puts a red line under them.

I'm guessing this is because the checker is programmed with poor quality American spelling rather than the correct, high quality English spelling as used in countries like Australia, New Zealand, and the actual home of the language, Englnd.

/tic mode off.

Graeme

[Gail]

Don't forget Canada... I thought you spelled those exactly correct!