Do you use correct spelling and grammar?

RobertM · Post by **RobertM** » 05 May 2014, 14:34

I turn off the option in Word to check 'colloquialisms, jargon' etc and ALL Style options. Grammar only, and one space after a sentence. If you don't turn off the Style options, Word will constantly attempt to beat you into political correctness.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 05 May 2014, 15:52

Agreed, Robert. I turn off all Word options and let it fly. The best error checker is between your ears.

mommyofmyne · Post by **mommyofmyne** » 11 May 2014, 15:42

I think "correct grammar" as in widely acceptable and professional use of the English language is appropriate when writing a professional piece, essay, or business letter. Typically, I write how I think. I am organized when I would consider the work final and spelling is important to me. Spelling can make and break a piece in such a way that two people can read the same piece and for one it aligns the idea portrayed and for the other it shatters everything they have in their mind and now they are left with pieces of what they just read to piece back together all due to the interesting way words are spelled. Visual reading or the auditory listening of a piece would vary the piece because there are times you need to see how the word is spelled to catch the meaning of the authors intent. It could send you searching for that intent or it is an obvious intent that changes the assumed meaning of the word. I don't usually like to see words and grammar being misused accidentally because the grammar nazi in me is flagged and my criticism sets in but at the same time, a deliberate intent to misuse is a different story because that tone/lingo sets the stage of the piece you are reading/writing.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 11 May 2014, 16:53

In my novels I try to avoid constant use of slang and toss-off phrases. I particularly avoid ethnic stereotypes. They're not only boring but offensive.

Nevertheless, I do add some non-English phrases and words as necessary, such as an Hispanic gang leader calling a friend "ese" and intermixing English and Spanish words. This isn't stereotyping, it's authentic and adds flavor to the writing. But I try to keep it to a minimum else it becomes trite.

Since I'm writing modern American private detective fiction, some of the characters we come across speak poor English and use bad grammar, and on occasion I write their dialogue that includes grammatical errors "Him and me" and such. Nevertheless, having reviewed many books for a website, I've read sections where it's all slang and bad English and that becomes boring. So I do my best to minimize this.

mommyofmyne · Post by **mommyofmyne** » 11 May 2014, 18:27

Writing for a book review requires grammar and spelling. Writing the book for the review requires characters that hold true to their nature and spell and speak as they would if they were alive, therefore, calling for the 'mis'use of it. Depends on what you're writing, I agree. Dialogue would typically include errors that are kin to the person speaking.

emilyxwebster1 · Post by **emilyxwebster1** » 16 May 2014, 13:29

Yes! I guess you could say I'm a grammar freak, I'm constantly correcting my friends and family in their grammar and making sure they spell correctly. Punctuation bothers me, too. It's like, how hard can it be to use a comma or full stop?

CrescentMoon · Post by **CrescentMoon** » 17 May 2014, 16:16

I do use correct grammar and spelling. Whenever I read books, I really don't like reading parts that have extremely poor grammar and spelling. It irritates me very easily. Because of that, when I try to write, I make sure to use proper grammar and spelling as much as possible. Also, when I review what I have written, seeing misspelled words and poor grammar also irritates me, so I make sure to fix that.

mommyofmyne · Post by **mommyofmyne** » 17 May 2014, 22:16

emilyxwebster1 wrote:Yes! I guess you could say I'm a grammar freak, I'm constantly correcting my friends and family in their grammar and making sure they spell correctly. Punctuation bothers me, too. It's like, how hard can it be to use a comma or full stop?

Fellow grammar nazi...it's the difference b/t us uniting or untying. Unite, untie.

it's important lol

Post by **quiltingrose** » 19 May 2014, 10:50

I prefer correct spelling and grammar. Reading material that has a lot of spelling and grammar errors is distracting to me. English grammar is a heritage that I think should be embraced so that we don't lose it. Thanks, this is just my opinion.

Alexandra Bayer · Post by **Alexandra Bayer** » 19 May 2014, 22:23

I always use correct spelling and grammar. It really irks me when I see people who don't.

moderntimes · Post by **moderntimes** » 20 May 2014, 11:33

Agreed, Alexandra. It's one thing for errors to pop up in things like forum posts and email -- nobody expects perfection for that. But for written matter that's intended for publication or for any other sort of "formal" presentation, it's incumbent upon the author to be meticulous and to ensure (not "insure" ha ha) that the text is perfect. Any less indicates a lack of knowledge, a lack of concern for the reader, or both.

Of course, if you're writing fiction and your character uses bad grammar, then the dialogue should reflect this.

A word of warning, however: It's now considered bad writing to continually resort to stereotypical dialogue, such as pandering to racial styles, where all Asians have trouble with their "r's" and African-Americans use ghetto-speak. Having characters speak in stereotypical slang or broken English is not only shameful, but is boring and irritating to read. Of course, if the character is grossly uneducated the speech patterns will indicate this, poor grammar and slang. Just don't overdo it. Be judicious in its use.

kasi33 · Post by **kasi33** » 20 May 2014, 12:18

I use correct grammar when I am concerned about ill judgement. If I am texting a close friend, then I will just pound the message out, and to the wind with the grammar and spelling! If I am trying to leave the reader with a positive image of my writing capabilities, then I will pay close attention to everything, right down to the format.

Girly3323 · Post by **Girly3323** » 21 May 2014, 15:17

Yes, I try to make my manuscripts as perfect as possible. And I mean while I'm writing. I don't like writing badly & then going back to correct the mistakes. I like to be able to find as few misspellings as possible when I review it. Especially since I send it to my beta reader next.

sammi8764 · Post by **sammi8764** » 22 May 2014, 17:50

Of course. Obviously the first draft of anything will have many mistakes in it, no matter how hard you try to make it perfect. So when it comes to the obvious grammar details, like proper spelling and usage of punctuation, I will do it right, all the time, but sentence structure and other, more picky grammar details I will deal with later on, in the later drafts. It's important to focus on getting the actual story down first instead of focusing on the little minor details.

David Dawson · Post by **David Dawson** » 22 May 2014, 21:03

I agree in theory with those who say they just get things down and amend later, but it ends up irritating me too much when I can see typos above while I'm writing.