# Is spelling important in these threads? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 2, 2000, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768 "2000-09-02T09:39:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/21 "2000-09-02T20:27:24Z")
**’Enery** (cool name, BTW): It wasn’t a nasty response, and the Pit is not a punishment of some sort. It’s just the designated place on this message board for complaints of the nature of the OP. There’s nothing “wrong” with such a complaint – it just belongs in the right place. Again, that’s true only _if_ it’s a complaint. If it is not, than ba-da-bang ba-da-bing, we’ve got an answer. Capice? ---
**Author:** ![Fonz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7ba0ec/32.png) [@Fonz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fonz)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/22 "2000-09-02T20:52:33Z")
Manhatten, your rite this is the rong palce for speling errers. Why not sent thes pupy to MPSMS ? ---
**Author:** ![darkcool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@darkcool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/darkcool)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/23 "2000-09-02T21:31:18Z")
Mannny, I did not capriciously post this here. I did not mean to rant. I later responded to a veiled question disguised as a rant by jab 1. I absolutly did not intentionally encourage any else to rant, nor will I ever in GQ. I just thought since we, GQers, run across this occasionally. This was the correct place to get a consensus and establish a standard. I realized I was on shakey groung, but I stand by my call. I think there is more to this than meets the eye. I think vouguevixen has the right idea. You are the moderator and I’ll stand by your call. This was not meant to be a complaint and I did not mean to offend. I do appreciate your letting this thread take its course. Capice. BTW, Has anyone asked before, is ‘Manny’ O.K. or do you prefer Manhatten? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/24 "2000-09-02T21:47:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by darkcool \* > \*\*BTW, Has anyone asked before, is ‘Manny’ O.K. or do you prefer Manhatten? \*\* One would think he would not prefer a misspelling of his own name (manhatt **a** n). Just a thought;) ---
**Author:** ![Trion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ccd318/32.png) [@Trion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trion)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/25 "2000-09-02T21:56:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by KneadToKnow \* > \*\*Sorry, that was supposed to be brief. And for the record, none of this is related to the fact that **Trion** misspelled my username in his sig. \*\* _Good Lord!!_ Did I do that?? Sorry KTK. Consider the situation fixed. And I agree with everything else you said too. -Trion ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/26 "2000-09-02T22:44:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by iampunha \* > \*\*If people can’t understand what you’re saying, spelling, grammar, etc. make a difference (if that’s the reason they can’t understand you). \*\* Very true. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/27 "2000-09-02T22:52:52Z")
“If people can’t understand what you’re saying, spelling, grammar, etc. make a difference (if that’s the reason they can’t understand you).” Not sure I undestand that, could your rephrase it? ---
**Author:** ![iampunha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/74df32/32.png) [@iampunha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iampunha)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/28 "2000-09-02T23:16:59Z")
handy: Things such as spelling, grammar, punctuation, and semantics can, when used incorrectly (as in a misspelling or a misplaced piece of punctuation), confuse people as to what the hell you mean. In those cases, it’s okay to, in my opinion, ask people if they meant (for example) except or accept. When it’s a question of their or thier, I don’t really care, except if the person is going on about people who can’t spell. It’s mostly in the cases when a mistake in spelling, grammar, etc cause confusion that people get annoyed. That do it for you? [this post not checked for spelling errors] ---
**Author:** ![darkcool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@darkcool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/darkcool)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2000, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/29 "2000-09-02T23:25:52Z")
Impunhu, It was a joke in reference to Fonz’ post pryor to mine. And, yes, I’ve seen my mistakes in my last post. Geez, I’m hopeless. Too much caffine? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/30 "2000-09-03T00:11:58Z")
[QUOTE] \*Originally posted by Wonko The Sane \* > [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by TomH \* > \*\* > > > [@](#): > > > > > [@](#): > > > > > > Manny, please give this question it’s due > > > > That’s “_its_ due”. > > \*\* > > perhaps “it’s” was used in the possessive, that being the due of the question. I think the apostrophe is used correctly in this instance. You’re half right. It is in the possessive case. But the rule is that _it’s_ is short for _it is_ while possessive _its_ has no apostrophe (there’s a newsgroup with that name: alt.possessive.its.has.no.apostrophe – no doubt inhabited by anal-retentive grammarians). As far as I can tell, this is the second most common misspelling (not counting typos) in the various Internet fora (Usenet, SDMB, etc.). The most common is using _your_ when it should be _you’re_. I don’t have any statistics about this, it’s just the way it seems to me. As far as I’m concerned, the main reason to spell correctly is that it’s easier on the readers. It’s a lot more efficient for the writer to take a couple minutes to proofread and correct errors than it is for numerous readers to spend a couple minutes each deciphering what the author is trying to say. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/31 "2000-09-03T02:01:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dtilque \* > > You’re half right. It is in the possessive case. But the rule is that _it’s_ is short for _it is_ while possessive _its_ has no apostrophe (there’s a newsgroup with that name: alt.possessive.its.has.no.apostrophe – no doubt inhabited by anal-retentive grammarians). > \*\* Ok. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/32 "2000-09-03T03:13:25Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Trion \* > _Good Lord!!_ Did I do that?? Sorry KTK. Consider the situation fixed. No hard feelings at all. I was too flattered to even think of mentioning it to you “in person” as it were. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2000, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768/33 "2000-09-03T17:41:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by darkcool \* > \*\*Mannny, > I did not capriciously post this here. I did not mean to rant. I later responded to a veiled question disguised as a rant by jab 1. I absolutly did not intentionally encourage any else to rant, nor will I ever in GQ. > \*\* I appreciate that, and that’s what I thought. This issue having been settled, I’ll close up the thread. Any yeah, manny’s cool. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-spelling-important-in-these-threads/31768.md?page=1)