# I won't buy anything from you, because your spelling and grammar skills are atrocious **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 24, 2002, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567 "2002-07-24T14:13:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Syzygy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Syzygy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Syzygy)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/21 "2002-07-24T20:16:27Z")
This makes me think of the architect I deal with who, although he is perfectly lucid and intelligent during conversation, could not compose a comprehensible e-mail if his life depended on it. Not to mention the fact that he doesn’t know that there are two “Shift” keys on the keyboard, so his poor grammar and spelling are entwined in a sea of lower-case letters. Gah! ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/22 "2002-07-24T21:17:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Bosda Di’Chi of Tricor \* > \*\*My apologies to **gigi** and any primates I may have offended. 😉 \*\* –refined development of the hands and feet, check –a shortened snout, check –a large brain, check minus OK, make that “ **gigi** and any _other_ primates” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [July 24, 2002, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/23 "2002-07-24T21:21:57Z")
One more that **DanielWithrow** missed. “Sept” in the last line should have a period after it. ---
**Author:** ![happyheathen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5e925/32.png) [@happyheathen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/happyheathen)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/24 "2002-07-25T00:30:09Z")
> [@](#): > > “… the bank has always kept there important IT information in an actual bank vault…” when it really should be “…kept THEIR important IT information…” Or, maybe, “the bank has always kept **its** important…”? ---
**Author:** ![Essured](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/278dde/32.png) [@Essured](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Essured)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/25 "2002-07-25T00:59:04Z")
**Bricker,** I liked your reply. While my tolerance for this sort of thing is possibly a little greater than yours, (it would probably take five or six very bad spelling mistakes for me to not buy something) I agree with the main argument. I’m amazed at how often I see shoddy spelling in ads. They are too lazy to run a spell-check ? [aside] **Bosda,** the first line of your sig has me intrigued 😃 [/aside] ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 11:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/26 "2002-07-25T11:54:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Goo \* > \*\ ***Bricker,** I liked your reply. While my tolerance for this sort of thing is possibly a little greater than yours, (it would probably take five or six very bad spelling mistakes for me to not buy something) I agree with the main argument. I’m amazed at how often I see shoddy spelling in ads. They are too lazy to run a spell-check ? > > [aside] > **Bosda,** the first line of your sig has me intrigued 😃 > [/aside] \*\* Go to the _Mad Magazine_ website. Look for the Sobe’ promos. Type in the first line of my sig–all caps. $15 for a year. Expires soon. ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/27 "2002-07-25T12:02:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Goo \* > \*\ ***Bricker,** I liked your reply. While my tolerance for this sort of thing is possibly a little greater than yours, (it would probably take five or six very bad spelling mistakes for me to not buy something) I agree with the main argument. I’m amazed at how often I see shoddy spelling in ads. They are too lazy to run a spell-check ? > \*\* There shouldn’t be much tolerance for this sort of thing in professional emails at all, IMO. After all, if someone called you up and couldn’t express themselves clearly and professionally, you wouldn’t buy anything from them (i.e., they slurred their speech, left out verbs, etc.). Although email is a step below a formal letter, it certainly should be held to a standard of no spelling mistakes. ---
**Author:** ![BiblioCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@BiblioCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BiblioCat)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567/28 "2002-07-25T12:14:23Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by SmackFu \* > \*\*One more that **DanielWithrow** missed. “Sept” in the last line should have a period after it. \*\* Not to be too anal, but I think “Sept” should be completely spelled out “September” in a business letter. Otherwise, yes, it needs a period. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-wont-buy-anything-from-you-because-your-spelling-and-grammar-skills-are-atrocious/120567.md?page=1)