<p>
</p>
<p>do you know what a tweet is?</p>
<p>by nature, it contains errors to be effective. </p>
<p>Look, I’m a widely published writer and I worked as a copy editor, and quite frankly, it is no worse now than it ever was. Just no more secretaries to punctuate the dictation. Hence, Dragon. It’s vaguely more important than knowing how to make change.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I work for a government contractor that, among other things, manages the social media accounts of several federal agencies. There had better not be errors in our clients’ tweets.</p>
<p>On the other hand, I can see what you mean about putting errors in personal tweets. I would hope, though, that those who are doing this for effect know that they’re doing it, rather than having it happen accidentally.</p>
<p>Accurate spelling can be important in other media as well. Billboards, for example. </p>
<p>[Billboard</a> reads “pubic” instead of “public”](<a href=“http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/indiana/billboard-reads-pubic-instead-of-public]Billboard”>http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/indiana/billboard-reads-pubic-instead-of-public)</p>
<p>the number of employment opportunities available for the highly facile punctuater and speller are minuscule compared to the number of effective editors and writers among us.</p>
<p>Sorry, I don’t see the shortage.</p>
<p>“The demise of phonics in early elementary ages is a lot to blame for this. Back when our kids were younger many schools were looking at “whole language” where they got to write “creatively” and it wasn’t wrong to spell a word out phonetically because we can’t use red pens on papers you know.”</p>
<p>LOL - I said something to my 17 year old daughter about working in some phonics books with a 4 yr. old she’s looking after. </p>
<p>The reply: “What’s phonics?”</p>
<p>They’ve never even heard of phonics. Fortunately she does quite well in reading, writing, spelling, grammar, etc. But that comes from having read A LOT.</p>
<p>But yea, couldn’t agree with you more.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Most white collar workers, not just editors and writers, need to be able to write.
I work in R&D and periodically write reports on my work. So do my colleagues.</p>
<p>Most white collar workers, not just editors and writers, ** NEED** to be able to write.</p>
<p>(couldn’t resist given the topic)</p>
<p><a href=“couldn’t%20resist%20given%20the%20topic”>quote</a>
[/quote]
Bravo.</p>
<p>Typically, correction of grammar and spelling on a message board is annoying. In this case, the OP painted a grammatical bullseye on his posts with that opening gem.</p>
<p>For those who missed it before the hasty edit, here’s the jewel in its original format-</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Pot, meet kettle.</p>
<p>It is much more important to be able to make an effective presentation, easily translatable into a nice “paper.” Really, the emphasis on written work in colleges, these days, is misplaced. It is. I would be the last to tell you that it didn’t matter if someone could write, but I will also say that if you believe it is “worse” today, it might be because the forms of communication used today are very different than the ones we used. Look, there’s a generation that bemoans the loss of the beautiful caligraphic script written thank you note, too.</p>
<p>My getting subject-verb agreement wrong in a forum message does not mean I am unfamiliar with the concept. There is a higher standard for written work submitted for a class than for a message board posting.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I believe that being able to write clearly, with very few mechanical errors, is a skill that practically everyone needs, like being able to drive a car. </p>
<p>If I understand you correctly, you view it as a specialized skill that only some people need, like being able to repair a car.</p>
<p>I agree with you that few employment opportunities are available for people whose only skills are in spelling and punctuation. However, many people who were hired primarily for other reasons need to be able to spell and punctuate, and not all of them have access to professional editors who can assist them with this aspect of their work.</p>
<p>No, I believe that most business writing is setting specific and re-learned anyway. There are plenty of mechanisms by which spelling and punctuation are easily corrected. There are very few mechanisms by which the uncreative and sloppy thinkers will elevate beyond a classroom. </p>
<p>Reasonable people can disagree on this, though. I just think the colleges are behind in terms of teaching what is really useful. Just my opinion.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I’d never have done it otherwise ;)</p>
<p>So I don’t hit-and-run with only that contribution…I think being able to write well is a skill most people need at some point whether it’s a key part of their work or not. I’m a web developer and most of my time is spent coding. But to get a job coding, I usually have to write a convincing proposal, or at least send coherent emails to clients.</p>
<p>I wince when I read grammatical errors. Typos…not as much. I can overlook “hte” when “the” is meant because I am sure the writer knows how to spell the word but simply transposed the letters typing in haste. I may, however, forgive it more because I do it a lot myself…never really learned how to touch-type and I tend to think faster than my fingers move.</p>
<p>I think most of us don’t even try that hard on a bulletin board, I know I only occasionally go back and correct minor errors when I post here.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>However, those are relatively easy to correct. Grammar is a somewhat more complex aspect of writing. Even more complex is the ability to put together several sentences or paragraphs that correctly and coherently state and support the idea that one is writing about.</p>
<p>Yes, there are differences in writing about various subjects like business, science, history, literature (the main focus of high school and college English composition courses), politics, etc… But spelling, punctuation, grammar, and putting together sentences and paragraphs correctly and coherently are useful in all of these contexts.</p>
<p>Reading is also a fundamental skill. Even those going into jobs where a bachelor’s degree is not needed often have to read documentation relating to their work. For example, consider the service manual for a car, which often has instructions that must be followed exactly to maintain and repair a car correctly and safely.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>LOL - you took the words off my keyboard! There’s such an obsession on Beliavsky’s part to ensure that “just the right” people get to take advantage of opportunities. “Right” as measured by SAT scores, of course, because They Are The Measure of Humanity. Relax, already.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Perhaps there would be no controversy about phonics if English were phonetically consistent.</p>
<p>Gaining thorough knowledge of English as needed through advanced levels of education can be tough, though.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>First, you have to get a job.</p>
<p>During the summer between her first and second years of college, my daughter had an internship at a nonprofit organization. At the time, the organization was recruiting for a job that was not particularly writing intensive. Nevertheless, my daughter’s supervisor, who was responsible for hiring the new employee, scrutinized each applicant’s resume and cover letter carefully, and if she found even one error in spelling, grammar, punctuation, or formatting, she threw the applicant’s paperwork in the trash. Her rationale was that if an applicant wasn’t conscientious enough to make sure that his/her application paperwork was perfect, that person couldn’t be trusted to do good work on the job.</p>
<p>Seeing this made a permanent impression on my daughter – and on me.</p>
<p>Yes, well, writing a resume and a cover letter are really not the same thing as writing a paper, anyway, which is why most college students benefit from going to the career center for some assistance, since it is a very specific skill set.</p>
<p>But, I belabor the point. We will simply have to agree to disagree.</p>
<p>In terms of getting a job, though, once again, let me restate that making a good presentation is more important. there are all sorts of resume editing services out there, and, yet, nobody can teach you how to speak well and present yourself well when there is no emphasis on this in school. My experience has been that some people’s great resumes and CVs belie the fact that the applicants lack the basic communication skills necessary for the actual life of working with others.</p>
<p>I’ll agree to disagree, but I also want to draw attention to another occupation where accurate spelling is crucial – tattooing.</p>
<p>There are many examples online. Just Google “tattoo spelling error.” I’ve chosen this link because it’s one of the few that doesn’t include any “adult” words in the tattoos.</p>
<p>[5</a> Terrible Tattoo Typos](<a href=“http://www.dailywritingtips.com/5-terrible-tattoo-typos/]5”>5 Terrible Tattoo Typos - DAILY WRITING TIPS)</p>
<p>I taught myself to read at an early age by memorizing words – what we now call the “whole language” approach. My siblings and children learned to read early as well, by associating words in books with what they heard being read to them, not by using phonics. We range in our writing and spelling skills from good to excellent, so not learning through phonics didn’t hurt us at all. However, some children don’t learn to read so easily, and for those children phonics may be exactly what they need. That is why teachers typically use a combination of both approaches to teach reading.</p>
<p>I agree with ucbalumnus. Not only are words in English phonetically inconsistent, an individual word may be pronounced differently in different regions. For example, in my part of the country the words “dog” and “log” do not sound like “bog”. :)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>you win. :D</p>