Gr8 Blog Post
 

The comments section will fill in an afternoons reading.

http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/07/i_wo...referral=00563

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

Muphry's Law aside, as I scrolled down the comments I found errors in virtually every one. Now, the quick format of a replies section to a comment like that understandably will contain errors but I found the situation very ironic.

We do have to accept though, that many people read and reply to blogs using handheld devices with small screens and badly laid out comment reply entry boxes.

EDIT: and of course, that shortening which is utterly hilarious, but I'll leave someone else to point it out.

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

Even Murphy's Law;)

I go along with the position of the blogger. If, in a formal, written context you are not able (or, more likely, careful enough) to use correct grammar and punctuation, then there's a fair chance you'll apply the same lack of attention to Dettol in your work. And especially in B2B communications where conveying an idea precisely and understandably is central to the business in hand.

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

The writing discussed by the author is, of course, in an 'academic' context and as such the numbers of potential writers decreases. If we take a negative statement as a logical assumption, then: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/20...-exam-spelling should surely ring bells that spelling, punctuation and grammar has not generally been marked down for some years in English schools at GCSE level. You might ask how any student could take GCSE English and not get marked down for writing effectively in their own native language in such an exam.

A number of schools where there were problems have been put in special measures and marked for such though, as a number of traditional university students have informed me. I happen to know of a secondary school near to me that had a below 25% pass rate at five GCSE's scoring C and above. A non-educator (from what I understand) was brought in to shape the school up, which he has, reaching approximately 95% now. Utterly amazing considering the pupils it takes and the area it is in. Although I hardly think that two traditional GCSE's, plus PE, PE+ and PE++ is appropriate to academia and certainly cannot be very helpful to employers.

I could expose a native speaker language ability problem in HE but I'm not allowed to. I've specifically been told not to do anything that would harm the poor/deprived reaching HE.

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

A guide on how to write good:

1. Always avoid alliteration.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. Avoid clichés like the plague -- they're old hat.
4. Employ the vernacular.
5. Eschew ampersands & abbreviations, etc.
6. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are unnecessary.
7. Parenthentical words however must be enclosed in commas.
8. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
9. Contractions aren't necessary.
10. Do not use a foreign word when there is an adequate English quid pro quo.
11. One should never generalize.
12. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
13. Comparisons are as bad as clichés.
14. Don't be redundant; don't use more words than necessary; it's highly superfluous.
15. It behooves you to avoid archaic expressions.
16. Avoid archaeic spellings too.
17. Understatement is always best.
18. Exaggeration is a billion times worse than understatement.
19. One word- sentences? Eliminate. Always!
20. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
21. The passive voice should not be used.
22. Go around the barn at high noon to avoid colloquialisms.
23. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixed metaphors -- even if a mixed metaphor sings, it should be derailed.
24. Who needs rhetorical questions?
25. Don't use commas, that, are not, necessary.
26. Do not use hyperbole; not one in a million can do it effectively.
27. Never use a big word where a diminutive alternative would suffice.
28. Subject and verb always has to agree.
29. Be more or less specific.
30. Placing a comma between subject and predicate, is not correct.
31. Use youre spell chekker to avoid mispelling and to catch typograhpical errers.
32. Don't repeat yourself, or say again what you have said before.
33. Don't be redundant.
34. Use the apostrophe in it's proper place and omit it when its not needed.
35. Don't never use no double negatives.
36. Poofread carefully to see if you any words out.
37. Hopefully, you will use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
38. Eschew obfuscation.
39. No sentence fragments.
40. Don't indulge in sesquipedalian lexicological constructions.
41. A writer must not shift your point of view.
42. Don't overuse exclamation marks!!!
43. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.
44. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.
45. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.
46. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.
47. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.
48. Always pick on the correct idiom.
49. The adverb always follows the verb.
50. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be by rereading and editing.
51. And always be sure to finish what

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

Totally agree with the article, and full marks to him for carrying his view through to his recruitment policy.

I do wonder though - does he mention the good spelling and grammar requirement when he advertises for staff? How does he word that?

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

Anyone PM'ed this to Adriancharles after his little posting frenzy last night?

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

To this priceless list (especially numbers 38 and 45), I can only add:

Ignore all axioms.

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

I wonder if the author realises that plenty of people who mix up its & it's are not gramatically lacking, rather are just oblivious to the mistake they have made; it happens in casual typing.

Now ofcourse the author would find such absent minded persons non employee material, but I just wanted to point out that not all who are wandering are lost:rofl:

Re: Gr8 Blog Post
 

http://networkedblogs.com/AhxrD A good LanguageLog posting on the article. Includes mention of that shortening I mentioned earlier.

Geoff Pullum is arrogantly hilarious at times, I love his: "I have come to the conclusion that the value and content of a blog post on grammar is inversely related to the number of comments below it. Take a look at how many Kyle Wiens has right now, and compare with how many you see here below my post. I think you'll see an interesting difference." Of course, he had turned comments off :)