# Bad grammar **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 23, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919 "2006-08-23T18:22:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![username\_taken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c0e974/32.png) [@username\_taken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/username_taken)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/1 "2006-08-23T18:22:05Z")
I was perusing another board when I came across a post by someone who used neither capitols at the beginning of sentences, nor a space between them. I understand how not capitalizing can become second nature if you’ve been Instant Messaging your whole life, but not adding a space makes it almost impossible to read. Add to that a bunch of sentence fragments (at best) and numerous spelling errors, and one has to wonder where the person who wrote it came from. I don’t see such horrible writing on this board (as surely Dopers would have a field day with a mass pile on that’d scare the offender away for life), but on other boards such writing is more and more common. As one example, try reading through some of the messages on the IMDb board- some of it makes absolutely no sense. Is the human race just getting dumberererer? I think it’s even spreading beyond mere message boards. I’m even getting work emails that are just as unreadable. WTF? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/2 "2006-08-23T19:13:20Z")
> [@username\_taken](#): > > I was perusing another board when I came across a post by someone who used neither _ **capitols** _ at the beginning of sentences, nor a space between them. Gaudere’s Law strikes again. ---
**Author:** ![username\_taken](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/c0e974/32.png) [@username\_taken](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/username_taken)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/3 "2006-08-23T19:15:53Z")
**Dr. Drake** : Ahh! Save yourselves! ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/4 "2006-08-23T19:17:26Z")
There always have been people who wrote unreadabe stuff due to poor spelling & punctuation. However, in the past (i.e., before the Internet), they didn’t have a big public that they could thrust their material upon. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/5 "2006-08-23T19:52:34Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > There always have been people who wrote unreadabe stuff due to poor spelling & punctuation. However, in the past (i.e., before the Internet), they didn’t have a big public that they could thrust their material upon. Sure “They” did. They Could MAKE hand priNted signs “for” their storeS!!! ---
**Author:** ![Pixisis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@Pixisis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixisis)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/6 "2006-08-23T20:02:32Z")
> [@twickster](#): > > Sure “They” did. They Could MAKE hand priNted signs “for” their storeS!!! umm … you forgot a couple of apostrophe’s … :: ducks and runs :: ---
**Author:** ![Tikki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5daacb/32.png) [@Tikki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tikki)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/7 "2006-08-23T20:17:15Z")
Occasionally, I will decide to expand my horizons beyond the SDMB and will check out some random bulletin boards. The poor grammar, often coupled with the “you’re a poopyhead” attitude that exists at many sites, soon has me running back here. ---
**Author:** ![Merhouse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5a626/32.png) [@Merhouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merhouse)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/8 "2006-08-23T20:38:10Z")
> [@Tikki](#): > > “you’re a poopyhead” Oh, c’mon, you know as well as I do that they wouldn’t know you’re from your or yore 🙂 [sub](which is why I s’pose it was in quotes, but still, I couldn’t resist!)[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/9 "2006-08-23T20:45:29Z")
> [@Tikki](#): > > Occasionally, I will decide to expand my horizons beyond the SDMB and will check out some random bulletin boards. The poor grammar, often coupled with the “you’re a poopyhead” attitude that exists at many sites, soon has me running back here. Me, too. There’s another message board that I read that has to do with a hobby of mine where the grammar and spelling are just atrocious. Some People Type Like This, Capitalizing Every Word Of Their Posts. Others have no typing or writing skills at all, or seem to be written by a drunken toddler. Many threads descend into petty name-calling and the “Am not! Are, too!” shouting matches that are just ridiculous. It just makes me appreciate the SD that much more. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/10 "2006-08-23T21:02:06Z")
> [@username\_taken](#): > > I think it’s even spreading beyond mere message boards. I’m even getting work emails that are just as unreadable. WTF? This is when it gets really frightening and depressing. World-class professionals and people who should know better writing in stream of consciousness with no punctuation or spelling review. It’s politically bad but also just painful, and it lowers the person in my estimation. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/11 "2006-08-23T21:07:46Z")
> [@gigi](#): > > World-class professionals and people who should know better writing in stream of consciousness with no punctuation or spelling review. Dagnabbit! That sentence fragment wasn’t there when I posted. Gaudere begone! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rebo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rebo/32/13005_2.png) [@Rebo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rebo)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/12 "2006-08-23T21:07:46Z")
I am a member of a few other message boards, and it’s hard to read some of their posts. Poor grammar, punctuation (or lack thereof), incoherence - I come running back home very quickly! I hate that they are ignorant of message board terms, too. “Site” instead of “post” or “thread.” Aren’t those terms universal on message boards? Or am I completely spoiled by the Dope? ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2006, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/13 "2006-08-23T21:42:17Z")
> [@BiblioCat](#): > > …a hobby of mine where the grammar and spelling are just atrocious. What kind of hobby is that? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2006, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bad-grammar/369919/14 "2006-08-24T06:31:06Z")
This is one of the few message boards where you are not allowed to edit your posts. In spite of this the SDMB still has the highest standard of spelling and grammar I know. Compare this with some other message boards where you are free to edit and they are still crap. You would have thought that after realising that their many errors are there for everyone to see, these people would be shamed into correcting their mistakes. It must be either laziness or ignorance.