h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have to say that when someone says 'that's not what I meant' makes me wonder why they didn't take more time to make sure their posting was clearer.

I tend to think that when someone uses this as an excuse they are simply trying to switch the onus onto the reader.

Whenever I've posted something stupid - and someone has called me on it - I tend to apoligise for being either overly emotional or somewhat drunk at the time (or perhaps both). I don't ever say - OH, YOU JUST DIDN'T UNDERSTAND ME!

I have sometimes seriously cringed the day after making a very emotional posting, but I still have to take responsibility for having posted it. I'd never say that I had been 'misunderstood' since I obviously said what I wanted to say at the time (even if I regretted it later).

Hands up! Who has never written a totally cringe-making posting here on hootoo?

az

I have never written a posting that made me cringe in retrospect. This is probably because of my incredible integrity, wit, intelligence, and general superiority and self-belief. With a brilliant intellect like mine, it's impossible for me to look at anything I've written without a sense of swelling pride.

So no, I've never, ever written anything here I'd look back on and think "I wish I hadn't written that."

H.

Apart from that last posting of course.

H.

az

Anyone else?


az

Well now you've put it that way, it's obvious what puts me off posting on h2g2. It's fear of sgharing the same space with an intellectual giant like Hoo...

I've just had a thought when I put my latest badly spelt piece into Peer Review.

H2G2 has made me care about my spelling. Now when I see something that I've written and spelt badly I cringe. I hate the fact I can't tell if my own writting is spelt right or not. I can easily tell if someone elses is, but I can't tell my own.

So if you want to learn nore about English and improve your spelling as an adult, where on earth do you go?

'sgharing', eh? Whatever that is, I can only imagine it might put you off . . .


az

You'll wish you hadn't said a few things on F116054?thread=251925 when I get my hands on you! (Hoo)

Yeah I think I swore once when I was conversing with Master B, after a few beers. It was my first yikesing. If you met me in RL I swear all the time.

Of course, I am also put off by having my p*ss poor typing skills ridiculed.

As will be readily apparent to anyone who knows me or my postings. That I don't make.

"Where else, Mina? I'm curious."

Um, pretty much everywhere, although mostly on the one site I use that I can't link to from here (for more than just BBC reasons!). I've seen word games, off topic conversations, 'role playing' threads, arguments about how the site is run, arguing about what happened at the last meet up and who was to blame, arguing about what the moderators have been up to, people posting up problems and getting support, people talking about real lifes, etc. Everything I've seen on h2g2 I've seen on that site.

On my new site there's pretty much all the same thing as well - even comments damn near identical (why won't they do something about this trouble maker etc), and comments about how the site is run (which also happened at a meet up with the poor Community Manager).

I think they're all the same really. People get excited about the same things, all over the internet.

If I've missed the point somewhere, feel free to tell me...

Oooh! Will there be tickets?

"Mine, perhaps? I've certainly done it."

Yeah, it was yours.

I'm very disturbed by what seems to be the new Hoo.

"So if you want to learn nore about English and improve your spelling as an adult, where on earth do you go?"

Learn Direct? Bloody ads are everywhere.

<> (Blues)

I would never ridicule a person's poor typing skills, but I would wonder at their inability to use the Preview button

<> (Z)

And well it should! Okay, just kidding. But why can't people spell anymore? I mean in general, not talking about you, Z. I remember having spelling bee classes when I was a kid and we all wanted to be the 'winner' - to know how to spell things properly.

Does this not happen anymore?


az

I know I just can't quite reduce myself to do that! It's not although I'm illiterate. I just can't spell.

Maybe I should just get some books aimed at people trying to learn English. Eats Shoots and Leaves was great, I learnt lots about puncutation from that book.

"I'm very disturbed by what seems to be the new Hoo."

Um... Why?

H.

um, 'it's not that (or as if) I'm illiterate' . . . (not although)

Goodness, where to start with you!

az

Er, no not really.

We did have some spelling tests at school, but I had decided that 'spelling was boring and pointless' so I just refused to take part in them.

I don't remember ever being taught grammar or puncutation at school, English classes were about reading books and writting stories.

There was a period in English Eduaction from around the 1970s until the late 1990s when English Grammar just wasn't taught in schools. Now they have a literacy hour everyday in Primary schools and I think they are taught at lot more formally. When I sat my exams only 2-3 marks were given for spelling puncutation and grammar, and it was possible to do very well academically without having the slightest grasp of them. As I did.

I found it interesting when one obviously educated researcher, who is at a good university, said she never thought about capital letters at the start of sentences because her word processing software put them in automatically.

Az er, forgive me for being stupid, but what is wrong with 'it's not although I'm illerate'?

Ok, perhaps we should take this thread elsewhere.