Rank: Super forum user 
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Is it only me who despairs at the poor English on display in many posts on this web site (including, incredibly, people who are "job seeking").
I am thinking of wording such as "should of" and "is there any jobs?" or "the Government are wrong to....." which are just plain bad English; also poor spelling is also seen (doh, we have spellcheckers!)
I would personally not employ someone who could not write a tight, grammatically correct report.
For those who think that the content matters more than grammar and spelling, I can tell them that there is no better way to have a report to senior management thrown back at you than to have elementary mistakes of fact, grammar, or spelling................................
This is after all a forum (although open to anyone) which is dominated by safety professionals. (Or am I wrong on that?)
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Rank: Forum user 
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Rank: Guest 
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Rank: Super forum user
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:-) Happy days
I never use spell checker whilst using this forum
However I do everytime I write method statements etc
I have noticed I make more mistakes the older I get even with spell checker
No hope for me then it is only going to get worser I'm afraid
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Rank: Super forum user
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Pikeman.
I agree with you to a certain extent. If the spelling and grammar when posting for work was not to a decent standard then it would not look good on the person posting.
However, there are some posts here that use a certain amount of text speak and poor grammar, mine is not the best in the land! But the content of the posts are informative, and I find helpful. I would not like to see these people change the way they post. IMHO
PS. And some of them are downright hilarious!
Andy
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Motorhead AKA Andy my sediments eggactlie
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sean wrote:Motorhead AKA Andy my sediments eggactlie Nice one!! :-) (First and last time I use text stuff) Andy
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Maybe I am just getting old. Next thing I will be reading the Daily Mail...................
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Pikeman please accept my apologies, I couldn't face the fact that I drove someone to read that paper, honestly I didn't mean it!
I have used spell checker, I hope my grammar is up to scratch?
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Rank: Super forum user
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Pikeman wrote:Maybe I am just getting old. Next thing I will be reading the Daily Mail................... Daily Mail??? I really hope things don't get that bad. Andy
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what about daily express is this ok or should I just retire now
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Alan good question, I personally think all newspapers beginning with the word "Daily" should be avoided at all cost.
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sean wrote:Alan good question, I personally think all newspapers beginning with the word "Daily" should be avoided at all cost. Even the Daily Planet??? Andy
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Andy I'm afraid so, look at the consequences of our actions could have caused today, think long and hard!
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Rank: Super forum user 
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I have some sympathy with what you say, I suspect that some of us are posting as 'quickies' at work and I understand that a couple of posters to my knowledge, suffer from dyslexia!
I've also noticed a couple of times that the spell check sometimes has a wobble and doesn't always pick up 'spellers'.
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Pikeman - I share your concerns about poor spelling and grammar but in making your view so assertively you do need to check your own posting before submitting it.
At the end of your first sentence you have omitted a question mark. The use of 'personally' in your third sentence is a redundant word.
Please pay more attention to detail before making such an observation or it could make you look rather silly.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Rank: Super forum user
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torkee878 wrote:Pikeman - I share your concerns about poor spelling and grammar but in making your view so assertively you do need to check your own posting before submitting it.
At the end of your first sentence you have omitted a question mark. The use of 'personally' in your third sentence is a redundant word.
Please pay more attention to detail before making such an observation or it could make you look rather silly. Haha. I also hate people who seem to have their caps lock button on...just to shout at people ;)
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I am with Pikeman on this one. Pedants rule okay?
I don't use spell check that much as I type so slowly, I can see the errors as they occur. I have "followed" a fellow consultant on sites, where his reports included Construction Phase Plant and Weekly Plan Inspections, because spell check does not know the difference between plan and plant for instance. He was a very quick typist, but still produced the above errors after spell checking. I even found reference to the correct stool for the task in hand--would that be for milking?
A road traffic safety sign near my work had the following message for 6 months, which made me wince:
Slow Down, Better Late Then Never.
I could go on, but if the wife finds out, she'll put me in my room again.
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Rank: Super forum user
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Despite usually being very pedantic about spelling, English and grammar, on the forums I don't really care as long as I can read it. I have to admit to being lazy myself and not bothering with spell checker. Sadly I can spell but I can't type very well and so I always have lots of typos. However, 3 exceptions:
- When writing posts asking for work it is plain lazy not to use spellcheck. You want work then put in the effort. If English is not your first language then use translate facilites on line and spellchecker.
- I'm very dubious about those that spell abbreviations to the Regs wrong. Things like 'LOLAR' make me wonder how much they actually know the Regs.
- Finally, get my name right! ;-)
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Your not wrong Clare, we should of got it right ;)
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Bearing in mind the subject of the thread the last post has got to be tongue in cheek; hasn't it?
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Phil Rose wrote:Bearing in mind the subject of the thread the last post has got to be tongue in cheek; hasn't it? Err...yes
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Don't worry Hally, I got it!! ;-)
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I often wonder how these headmasters of society would broach the problem of incorrect spelling to an employee or interviewee who may have dyslexia - would they be so harsh then? Remebering that this is an open forum and open to all; even those who can spell!
Yours
Grant
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I could not agree more ! I have seen reports by quite senior managers riddled with poor grammar, spelling and punctuation etc There again I am a scouser and they don't speak inglish like what i do !
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Agree with Clairel
Wtih rgeadrs to spilleng: Aoccdrnrig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. So bcuseae of the phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid slpeling is not taht ipmorantt.
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Rank: Forum user
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It's all so sad that we distinguish candidates on their ability to work within the confines of a rule based on standards (?) made or laid centuries ago.
To quote Star Trek, "To Boldly Go" works for me irrespective of this supposed split infinitive. These language "rules" are why I gave up school french & german decades ago yet can converse happily in both now as I learnt the spoken language. This also now helps me with spanish, greek & italian yet I couldn't tell you an adverb from a non-verb and proud to say so.
This approach is as archaic as Latin (which I was also forced to do at school, poor old Marcus & Sextus always getting stuck in fossa on the via appia!!).
I agree grammer and spelling in your CV should be good but what is wrong with "should of" as per the original post?
Me parlie vo words innit!
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Rank: Super forum user 
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Nothing wrong with a bit of Latin, especially in our line of work. A wee smattering helps with English spelling as well.
Yes, some of the howlers do tend to grate a bit.................
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Rank: Super forum user
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................"what is wrong with "should of" as per the original post?
The correct English is "should have"!
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Pikeman wrote:................"what is wrong with "should of" as per the original post?
The correct English is "should have"! It's sad how many people wouldn't know that "should of" (or as it tends to be pronounced "should've") is wrong. I love the English language and it saddens me that whole generations are losing the ability and the desire to use it correctly. I guess that makes me an old fart really. But surveys suggest that employers are equally dismayed that employees cannot write quality reports etc.
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Clairel wrote:Pikeman wrote:................"what is wrong with "should of" as per the original post?
The correct English is "should have"! It's sad how many people wouldn't know that "should of" (or as it tends to be pronounced "should've") is wrong. I love the English language and it saddens me that whole generations are losing the ability and the desire to use it correctly. I guess that makes me an old fart really. But surveys suggest that employers are equally dismayed that employees cannot write quality reports etc. To be pedantic, you are wrong Claire. There is no official standard for the use of English - so we can't say that "should of" is right or wrong. Merely that it is current English. Many accept the Oxford English Dictionary as the standard for spelling and use, but in reality they merely reflect common usage (hence the addition of such words as twitter getting a new usage). Our English usage differs from that of even early 20th Century. We are currently in the midst of a vowel shift too - where a language takes a change in sound. Great thing the English language - but we can't nail a single part of it down without following other countries and stiffling development :-)
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Word usage may change Tabs but not the correct use of grammar. "Should of" is incorrect grammar.
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Clairel wrote:Word usage may change Tabs but not the correct use of grammar. "Should of" is incorrect grammar. Agreed. "Should of" has simply developed owing to people being used to hearing "should've" spoken and writing down what they think is being said.
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The one that annoys me the most is misuse of "as" & "has". The amount of reports that I've come across with this error is unbelievable, although i think this is generational and restricted to a certain geographic area.
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Rank: New forum user
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I have studied hard to gain the level of knowledge I have now and it did not come easily. I have had to work hard to achieve a reasonable standard of grammar in report writing.
I often read and review risk assessments and work instructions which have been completed by employees in my organisation. I will always raise issues regarding the quality of the content, but very rarely the grammar and the spelling. Some of our operatives understand good risk control measures, however they struggle to convert that knowledge into a written format, especially when their first language is not English.
IMHO good standards of written English are important however they are not the only thing we should focus on. As individuals we all have strengths and weaknesses.
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Rank: Super forum user
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buster74 wrote:IMHO good standards of written English are important however they are not the only thing we should focus on. As individuals we all have strengths and weaknesses.
No one is suggesting that it is the only thing to focus on just that sometimes it is important; in this case when someone is job hunting.
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