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Pastimes : SI Grammar and Spelling Lab -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Jack Clarke who wrote (948)	3/29/1998 11:56:00 PM
From: AugustWest	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4711

Jack, thanks for the through explanation. Lays it out well. >>Last of all, I will offer a minor complaint about your usage of "alright". Don't you remember hashing it out coulpe weeks ago? Message 3643467 I even looked it up and posted the definition I found. I admit it was unintentionally used. I do use it both ways (right or wrong) depending on the situation. If I'm referring to more than one I say all right. The kids are all right. If I'm addressing one I say alright. Jack, you're alright. Does this make sense?

To: Jack Clarke who wrote (948)	3/30/1998 3:04:00 AM
From: Wizzer	Read Replies (4) \| Respond to of 4711

Hello to all. I was looking through the SI cafe and noticed this discussion. I had hoped that the intention of this discussion was to help others improve their writing skills and felt that was admirable. However, upon reading the introduction and some posts, I am not sure. I felt I had to make a few points that I believe are relevant. First of all, I think that it is a problem that people concentrate so much on grammar on the internet. Grammar includes all components of written language and provides a structure to govern writing. It does not necessarily govern understanding the language. Whether someone uses it's or its, or whatever other linguistic offence is committed, I choose to understand that person. I may have to read a post two or three times, but I still do. Language is about understanding others not feigning a lack of comprehension because of selected grammatical errors. There is an onus on the writer as well as the reader in comprehension, and the communication stops when one or the other ignores this. It is possible that I have made errors in this post, but it does not change the content of what I am saying. Also, the use of the word alright has become part of the English language. It is simply a shortened version derived from "all right" and either is acceptable. Just to illustrate an example: full of thought, thought full and thoughtful transmit the same meaning to me. I use "thoughtful" and "full of thought", personally, depending on the mood of what I am writing. I would not say any one using an interchangeable word or phrase would be considered wrong, especially because of the informal nature of the internet. Outbursts of the "internet language police" are so frequent now it is disheartening. I have had people point out "typos" and then instruct on the use of the English language. A "typo" is not a grammatical error, it is merely a "typo". It does not mean I don't know how to spell. If I have made a punctuation error, it does not mean I don't know how to punctuate. I get tired staring at a computer screen and I often post when I'm tired. [good example here: "typo" is perfectly acceptable to me in informal conversations] It has taken me way too long to write this post. Had I not feared that people in this thread would not understand my post because of a few minor grammatical errors, I would have been able to write a lot more posts. It was a waste of time. The fact that people choose to "split hairs" in an effort to insult, or should I say improve their opinion of themselves, is amusing to say the least. Perhaps, some of you are not like this and to you I apologize. If the true nature of this discussion had been to teach and be constructive, then I would not have made this commentary. I would have chosen to participate frequently in this discussion. Unfortunately, I will not be able to.