A forum with the language of 10 year-olds.

calvin_0it is me or cuccio123 just dont get it, that this is a casual forum, not some up-tight forum use by UN.

It jus sooo hapen thta spellings and grandmar is part of the 4um's Role.

- Proper English must be used, spelling errors are, naturally, allowed but abbreviating words such as please, thanks and sorry is not accepted. If you can't bother to make an effort then don't bother at all. This type of language is often referred to as SMS language.

its not rly Nforcd tho.

Replying to #41

Depends where, most topics I am in I see it enforced well enough.

Natewlie · #41its not rly Nforcd tho.

It is. Just through via PM as Tirith said. Users being corrected in a post is not conductive to a good flow, and it's just plain annoying to people reading the thread for information. So we PM the users and expect them to improve in future instead.

snebbersI do give leniency to people who's whose original nationality isn't English

Delicious irony indeed.

Replying to #43

Perhaps making an example of someone should be prioritised over "good flow". If someone sees a post filled with bad grammar, they may be led to believe that it's acceptable, and thus the cycle continues.

Replying to #44

Damn it Tehuber you saw what I did thar. I was hoping they would spot it instead.

As a mod, I find it blindingly obvious when someone has a poor grasp of English, or when they're just being lazy. Grammar mistakes are acceptable, and understandable, especially when the person in question has English as a second, or even third language. What isn't acceptable is people who know proper grammar, and cant be bothered to use it, resulting in their post being an unreadable mess. While my own grammar is slightly more relaxed on forums (I tend not to use capitals, for example), I do try to ensure it is still readable.My experience is, that those people who apologise for their English skills, or lack of, more often than not have very little wrong with their English, and even the ones that do have problems are generally very comprehensible despite those issues. Some people may need to use online translators because their English skills are virtually non-existant; with these people I find that even though what comes out of the translator is a complete grammatical disaster, it is clear that it has come from a translator and not from a person, and so the lack of readability is not the fault of the poster.Maybe its just me, (Most of the people I was at school with had very poor English skills) but laziness with grammar just sticks out like a sore thumb, whereas poor English skills don't.

Replying to #46

I Completely agree with you Loony.

I PROPOSE GENOCIDE.

You can't force people to use proper grammar. If it annoys you then too bad. Don't come to the internet then.

Replying to #49

If you can't use grammar and keep getting warned/shouted at/in trouble then don't post on forums or in chatrooms. Mmkay?

Loonylion · #46Maybe its just me, (Most of the people I was at school with had very poor English skills) but laziness with grammar just sticks out like a sore thumb, whereas poor English skills don't.

Not just you, anyone with a decent grasp of the English language.

tonysmallzlol seriously you are having a go at him and your the one that feels the need to come onto a online forum and slag people grammar off what how touchy can a person get, you have waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay to much free time..let people get on with it relax. its just a forum not the army.get a job

lol'd.

I blame rap for the death of punctuation. Also for bad writting.

Actually, the influence of the internet is killing kid's english skills.

klaimoreActually, the influence of the internet is killing kid's kids english skills.

No surprise... ::)

Replying to #55

Nope, no surprise at all.

We're talking about the kids as a whole, not that the kids have a possession.

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-ApostrophesThe rules for apostrophes vary with the type of word. Learn where to put apostrophes so that your writing is clear and correct. In short, apostrophes are frequently used to indicate possession and in contractions, but generally not to pluralize

http://www.wikihow.com/Use-ApostrophesPlace an apostrophe after the "s" when you are dealing with a possessive plural case that has an "s" at the end (e.g., book to books, tree to trees). But if the word is plural without an "s" at the end, this rule does not apply; add an apostrophe and an "s" as if the word were singular

Seeing as though this is something that kids lack, then it's something they don't have. Thus possession is out of the question, simply because it doesn't exist. I didn't pick up on the word English. Too busy thinking about my own typing.

klaimore · #54Actually, the influence of the internet is killing kid's english skills.

Despite what I said before, I wanna note that a recent study found that people who use 'text language' generally have a higher level of written English than those who don't, this is because it takes special knowledge of the English language, and the sounds to which letters correspond in order '2 ryt lyk dis' lol... But hey, I'm not bothered 'cos I'm fluent in text ;)

snebbers · #57We're talking about the kids as a whole, not that the kids have a possession.Seeing as though this is something that kids lack, then it's something they don't have. Thus possession is out of the question, simply because it doesn't exist. I didn't pick up on the word English. Too busy thinking about my own typing.

Whether or not they lack it, English skills are a possession and thus a "possessive plural case", as your quote calls it.

tehuber1337Kids possess (arguably) English skills, do they not? This is a "possessive plural case", as your quote calls it.

I was subtly going along with the title of the topic with the fact that 10 year olds, who use forums, lack full English skills. So yes arguably this could go either way. There is also the point that most 10 year olds haven't learned sufficient English skills to pick up on how English should be typed/spelt. Maybe "10 years old" is a bad example, taking into account the poor learning of 10 year olds in... Say England, which is also arguably bad, as an example.