Why People Can't Spell?

[Ghostleader]

I have a daughter in Primary school, Jolly phonics they get taught as part of the curriculum, teaches them to sound out the letters to then say the word........ So spell "night" then! You should try to explain to 6 year old why where's a "silent" g & h in there.

 

[Channel Hopper]

I have a daughter in Primary school, Jolly phonics they get taught as part of the curriculum, teaches them to sound out the letters to then say the word........ So spell "night" then! You should try to explain to 6 year old why where's a "silent" g & h in there.

 

[Archive7]

So for healthy adults in their twenties, is it mainly laziness and lack of practice from their school days, or a brain thing?
How can they improve their spelling capabilities going forward?

 

[Topper]

So for healthy adults in their twenties, is it mainly laziness and lack of practice from their school days, or a brain thing?
How can they improve their spelling capabilities going forward?

I doubt they actually care or want to, but in this case I doubt technology is the answer

 

[Archive7]

I doubt they actually care or want to, but in this case I doubt technology is the answer

They should care. I doubt if any university would let them in as they will not pass the English test.

 

[Archive7]

I have a daughter in Primary school, Jolly phonics they get taught as part of the curriculum, teaches them to sound out the letters to then say the word........ So spell "night" then! You should try to explain to 6 year old why where's a "silent" g & h in there.

The same way we learnt about silent letters.
But perhaps making it like a game and these are the rules of the game would help. Every time they get it right, they get a little prize.

 

[2cvbloke]

I'm one of those who has difficulty with handwriting (causes pain after a couple of sentences, my scrawl looks like it was drawn by a spider on crack, and I make so many mistakes you'd think I was a politician), it's a known condition called Dysgraphia, I've apparently had it all my life, but at school I was called "lazy", and I "wasn't trying hard enough", and "always lacking concentration", meanwhile my hand was in agony and I was concentrating more on that than what the teachers were waffling on about...

I only learned of Dysgraphia last year and how it affects so many people worldwide, and makes me feel angry at how I was treated at school when it's been a known disability for decades, but they refused to pick up on it!!! But, like others have said, I'm so glad of computers, I can type freely without worrying about hand pain, my spelling is decent enough (sometimes I get all the letters, just not necessarily in the right order!!), and having a printer, I can happily print out everything I've typed...

As for peeves about spelling, "asterisk" and "asterix", former is *, latter is a french comic character, oh, and "axe a question", ugh, I blame Futurama for that one as they were taking the piss out of people who said that, but inadvertently made kids start saying axe instead of ask!!!

 

[Archive7]

Sorry if my thread has brought bad memories.
Thanks for telling us about the term Dysgraphia I didn't know about it.
But the case that triggered my question is with regards to healthy persons who can write perfectly well but their spelling is so bad it just sticks out.
"writte" is just one example. I would expect "rite" if they are lazy, so why the double tt?

 

[2cvbloke]

Sorry if my thread has brought bad memories.

Nah, those memories were brought back up last year when researching "pain when handwriting", still bugs me, but, can't dwell on the past...

As for the spelling, maybe it's a form of Dyslexia for some, others, lack of paying attention in school I'd say, that and ignoring the little red squiggly line under misspelled words highlighting where they fluffed up...

 

[Ghostleader]

View attachment 116163

I love that episode "Do Not Stick Your Head Out The Window" lol

 

[Ghostleader]

I don't get why people use "Brought" instead of "Bought" - "Pacific" instead of "Specific"
Is it really that difficult?

This only started happening a few years ago, I notice it a lot with AVForums, all England based members with sentences like "I brought the Samsung..." I've always thought to myself how can they be coming out with this? If you use the word "bought" then that's the past tense for buying something from a shop ect, If you "brought" something then that's past tense for taking something from somewhere like "I brought that drill over for you, it's in the boot mate" If you "brought" a TV from a shop then I hope you bloody paid for it in the first place! lol

 

[Captain Jack]

When I was learning English, I watched all TV with subtitles - and still do because of my hearing. This was, I think, contributed massively to my ability to spell!

I have a friend who is dyslexic (but otherwise intelligent) and she can't spell to save her life. "Siri, spell insodent (incident)", she says.

 

[Ghostleader]

When I was learning English, I watched all TV with subtitles - and still do because of my hearing. This was, I think, contributed massively to my ability to spell!

I have a friend who is dyslexic (but otherwise intelligent) and she can't spell to save her life. "Siri, spell insodent (incident)", she says.

I worked with a Czech guy a few jobs back and remember he told me he learnt English from watching Friends and then his added confusion when he came to Scotland to work/live with our heavily bastardised version of the English language! lol As a footnote he said when he was at school the only two foreign language options for them in school was Polish and Russian, but he was in his 40's so he was in school during that whole cold war era.

 

[Jeetendra Bhatt]

We should have understanding for those who cannot write and spell properly due to some disability. But those who have no such issue and do so are merely careless and lazy.

 

[PaulR]

This a difficult one for me to comment on.

On one hand seeing something misspelt or so badly phrased that the grammar is a nonsense irritates me almost as much as a real itch would do. Imagine wearing a woollen pullover without a shirt underneath. That's what it's like for me when I see an apostrophe where one shouldn't be or missing where one is needed. Or a confusion between they're, their or there. All of these (and much more!) irritate me and I want them to be corrected. My schooling emphasised correct spelling and grammar and I am a child of that time.

And then there's the other side of me knowing that many people simply can't help the way that their brain works or muscles refuse to work the way that they should. I used to work in a school for children with extra needs and spelling was far from a priority. There are also people for whom English (either American or British) is not their first language. Their background needs to be taken into account when they post.

I try to always give the benefit of the doubt in all cases and, unless I really can't understand what's being posted, won't correct things.

In turn I try to spell correctly (what I was taught that is) and absolutely HATE it when my brain runs ahead of my fingers and an error appears.

I don't have to tell you that I have read, and re-read, this post hoping that nothing untoward has crept in!

 

[Archive7]

There is this old joke about "My Resimay". Just look it up on Google.
Starts like this
To hoom it mae cunsern,

 

[Channel Hopper]

This a difficult one for me to comment on.
.......snip....
I don't have to tell you that I have read, and re-read, this post hoping that nothing untoward has crept in!

Your post makes the first sentence superfluous.

 

[jeallen01]

I'm with Paul R on what he said in #35 , and have many regrets about the thoughts I had in Primary School about a girl who just could not read or spell almost anything (although her older brother was far more " intelligent", or, at least, did not have her mental issues (that's my latest "edit" of this post! - and hopefully achieved more than I did over the years). That said, if you see changes to my posts (as you may well just have!) ), then you will understand why I did it (just can't stand poor "English" or "English grammar" - just "grates" ).

 

[Lazarus]

I have mild dyslexia, so many of my Posts are edited after it dawns on me that I have erred.

That said the Windows 10 Soft Keyboard is so crap that it's virtually impossible to type sense anyway.

 

[RustySpoons]

I'm one of those who has difficulty with handwriting (causes pain after a couple of sentences, my scrawl looks like it was drawn by a spider on crack, and I make so many mistakes you'd think I was a politician), it's a known condition called Dysgraphia, I've apparently had it all my life, but at school I was called "lazy", and I "wasn't trying hard enough", and "always lacking concentration", meanwhile my hand was in agony and I was concentrating more on that than what the teachers were waffling on about...

I only learned of Dysgraphia last year and how it affects so many people worldwide, and makes me feel angry at how I was treated at school when it's been a known disability for decades, but they refused to pick up on it!!! But, like others have said, I'm so glad of computers, I can type freely without worrying about hand pain, my spelling is decent enough (sometimes I get all the letters, just not necessarily in the right order!!), and having a printer, I can happily print out everything I've typed...

As for peeves about spelling, "asterisk" and "asterix", former is *, latter is a french comic character, oh, and "axe a question", ugh, I blame Futurama for that one as they were taking the piss out of people who said that, but inadvertently made kids start saying axe instead of ask!!!

I never knew this was an actual condition! I was shouted at in school because of my handwriting etc, called lazy, a trouble maker, all sorts of awful things. Even as far as being told you won't make anything of yourself!

Life changed for the better when I went to college and university, I could do everything on a computer.