# Should the topic of spelling be off-limits? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 4, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002 "2002-09-04T18:18:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/21 "2002-09-05T16:10:00Z")
Well, by the time Havel.2002 got called on spelling in this thread: [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=133527](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=133527) it was more than deserved. But in general, nitpicking on spelling or grammar when the point is clear is nitpicking. Especially when the errors rate is relatively low. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2002, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/22 "2002-09-05T16:27:21Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by zut \* > \*\* And most people will cut non-native speakers, or 13-year-olds, or MS-sufferers, some slack. \*\* I’d cut slack to nonnative-English speakers and to people who are handicapped in some way, such as MS sufferers. But 13-year-olds? No way. Assuming they don’t fit into either of the first two groups, they should be held to the same standards as the rest of us if they want to post here. The thing is, I’d say most if not all of the teenagers who post on this message board are exceptionally intelligent anyway, and wouldn’t make several egregious spelling errors in one post. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/23 "2002-09-05T16:57:10Z")
Spelling errors–even huge, preposterous, easily-misconstrued ones–don’t bother me too much and are really not worth my time to nick-pick…EXCEPT when someone is proclaiming their intellectual superiority over a significant portion of the human population. In such an instance, you better damn well expect me to jump on their backs! ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/24 "2002-09-05T18:30:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dangerosa \* > \*\*Well, by the time Havel.2002 got called on spelling in this thread: > > [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=133527](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=133527) > > it was more than deserved. > > But in general, nitpicking on spelling or grammar when the point is clear is nitpicking. Especially when the errors rate is relatively low. \*\* I agree; I’m not bothered if the error rate is low. Everybody makes mistakes, after all. But what if the number of errors is astounding? In the example you linked to, I believe that the meaning is clear, but the extremely poor spelling and grammar betray the ignorance of the writer. In this case, it’s not just that his position is extremely controversial, but the poor presentation makes it obvious that he is probably just trying to bait people. In this case, is it o.k. to bring it up, or does one still have to ignore the mistakes and focus only on the “content”? > [@](#): > > women of today demand to have the same opportunities as men, but they are still a lightyear from men when it comes to creating something new. > > About every invention and innovation in the world are made by men. > > under 2% of the nobel-prize winners are women > > The big question is: are women capable to compete with men, are they as skilled as men ? > > My opinion is no. Women seams to destroy more than they create when they got power. > They have had a long time to prove it, but I don’t see any positive results. If we look at this post objectively, the meaning is clear, and there are actually a couple of examples given to back up the assertions. So why do we shudder when we read it? For one thing, it’s controversial; but controversy is not the only issue. It’s just really poorly written, and virtually screams: “flame me”. So, is it o.k. in this case, or still taboo? ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/25 "2002-09-05T18:42:34Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by DanielWithrow \* > > But if it helps, you overuse hyphens in your o.p., your use of commas is (like every other English writer’s) problematic, there’s a sentence fragment somewhere in there, and “o.k.” should either be spelled “okay” or capitalized and sans periods. “Really,” contrary to what I originally thought, is used correctly. > > Is that better? 😉 > Daniel Better - I see you caught the hyphen thing, but you left out “ending a sentence with a preposition”. > [@](#): > > P.S. Note that there was nothing in your o.p. that made it difficult for me to figure out what you were saying; in that respect, there were no “errors” in your writing. But I figure one good smartass retort deserves another. For the record, I believe yours was the first smartass comment.😉 ---
**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:** [September 5, 2002, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/26 "2002-09-05T18:53:14Z")
[slight hijack - **blowero** , the preposition rule isn’t an actual rule, so don’t feel you can’t finish a sentence with a preposition.] ---
**Author:** ![Siege](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dbc845/32.png) [@Siege](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siege)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/27 "2002-09-05T20:06:10Z")
NO-O-O!!! I just got out of the ending a sentence with a preposition debate over on the Hell’s Mensan list!!! I’m not going back into this here!! Oh, the humanity! CJ ---
**Author:** ![ashtayk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@ashtayk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ashtayk)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/28 "2002-09-05T20:32:26Z")
> [@](#): > > believe it shows some disrespect for one’s audience if a writer is unwilling to take minimal efforts to at least cut down on the most “eggregious” misspellings. I have been waiting for this to happen. I am not sure whether the misspelt word was a result of a sticky key or a otherwise. Either way, it seems inexcusable from the author’s point of view. I do believe that when one is communicating in a voluntary fashion (this is not a school or office situation where one has to speak up or write memos compulsorily), one does leave oneself to flames if their written skills are not acceptable. If you particpate in a basketball game for example and cannot even dribble properly, please do not expect the others to let you through nor call you for travelling. ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/29 "2002-09-05T21:00:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*[slight hijack - **blowero** , the preposition rule isn’t an actual rule, so don’t feel you can’t finish a sentence with a preposition.] \*\* Those are words to live by.😉 ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/30 "2002-09-05T21:45:09Z")
**blowero** , I definitely started with the smartassosity – no argument there! And it was [Churchill](http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/churchill.html) who famously (apocryphally?) wrote, in response to an editor who changed one of his sentences so that it didn’t end with a preposition, “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.” Well said, in any case. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2002, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/31 "2002-09-05T22:11:19Z")
Since we have the option to preview our posts, I don’t think it is unreasonable to ask the poster to preview it and correct any spelling errors that jump out. I’m not saying proofread it like it’s your college thesis, just fix the obvious ones. Other than that, the focus should be on content, not grammar and spelling. ---
**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:** [September 5, 2002, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/32 "2002-09-05T22:34:52Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by DanielWithrow \* > \*\* > And it was [Churchill](http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/churchill.html) who famously (apocryphally?) wrote, in response to an editor who changed one of his sentences so that it didn’t end with a preposition, “This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.”_\* I’m pretty sure it’s apocryphal; we covered the subject (among others) in the Ask the Copy Editor thread. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/33 "2002-09-06T13:13:08Z")
I’m sure you’re right, **dantheman** – I looked around a bit after posting that, and read that the anecdote predates Churchill. Still, if it’s not true, it’s a good story, eh? Daniel ---
**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:** [September 6, 2002, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/34 "2002-09-06T13:16:20Z")
Yep, it’s a great one. Stupid “rule,” though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![blowero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/41988e/32.png) [@blowero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blowero)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2002, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/35 "2002-09-06T17:29:05Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Yep, it’s a great one. Stupid “rule,” though. 🙂 \*\* That’s the good thing about a living, evolving language; stupid rules tend to get dropped eventually. ---
**Author:** ![g8rguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@g8rguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/g8rguy)\ **Post date:** [September 7, 2002, 12:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002/36 "2002-09-07T00:04:08Z")
> [@](#): > > Hmmm; If somebody makes a post that, with the exception of a **sinlge** typo, is coherent and well-formatted, then it is petty and pointless to make an issue of it. > > But if somebody makes a post that is littered with poor grammar and spelling, as well as being ill-informed or logically unsound, then I think it is reasonable to include the presentation as possible extra evidence (if such is needed) that you are dealing with an arsewit. **Mangetout** , please tell me, as I’m dying of curiousity… did you do that on purpose? 😉 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-the-topic-of-spelling-be-off-limits/127002.md?page=1)