General Discussion

MineralMan

(146,317 posts) Fri Jun 28, 2013, 02:53 PM Jun 2013

How Much Are You Bothered by Spelling, Grammar, Capitalization, and Punctuation Errors [View all]

on the Internet?

This seems like a reasonable question, and may give us some idea of how much of a problem such errors are or are believed to be by people.

53 votes, 0 passes \| Time left: Unlimited
	Extremely Bothered - They make me discount the content completely.
	4 (8%)
	Very Bothered - They make me seriously question the validity of the content.
	18 (34%)
	Moderately Bothered - Such errors are very annoying, and indicate poor thinking.
	12 (23%)
	Somewhat Bothered - I get annoyed at this, but try to look past them and at the content.
	10 (19%)
	Not Very Bothered - It's the Internet. People aren't as careful with their writing.
	5 (9%)
	Hardly Bothered at All - I not really concerned about people making such errors.
	1 (2%)
	Knot Botheered at Awl - Whut errurs?
	2 (4%)
	I'm Repulsed by This Poll.
	1 (2%)
	I Always Vote in Polls.
	0 (0%)
	Dingbats Rule!
	0 (0%)
	0 DU members did not wish to select any of the options provided.
Show usernames Disclaimer: This is an Internet poll

157 replies

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Highlight:

How Much Are You Bothered by Spelling, Grammar, Capitalization, and Punctuation Errors [View all] MineralMan Jun 2013 OP

Less bothered since smartphones came out jberryhill Jun 2013 #1

this^^ nt arely staircase Jun 2013 #11

I have to 'speak' some of my posts with my smartphone, since sometimes I cannot write. msanthrope Jun 2013 #46

Posting to DU while driving is tough! jberryhill Jun 2013 #146

I've found myself pulling over to the side of the road more than once to answer a DU post. nt msanthrope Jun 2013 #147

I just drive with my knees.... jberryhill Jun 2013 #148

Ah--but I have the 10 year old in the car! And I drive a boat--a big Dodge. msanthrope Jun 2013 #149

I used to drive a stick jberryhill Jul 2013 #155

Leaf off the puns, will ya? nt msanthrope Jul 2013 #157

I guess texting doesn't bother anyone? nt kelliekat44 Jun 2013 #61

Texting doesn't bother me. MineralMan Jun 2013 #75

Texting makes Jesus cry. NoPasaran Jun 2013 #81

dere jesis, MineralMan Jun 2013 #90

The one that bugs me the most is "lightening" instead of "lightning" hobbit709 Jun 2013 #2

I'm always entranced by the lightening sky at dawn. MineralMan Jun 2013 #3

For me it's 'seperate' instead of 'separate'. randome Jun 2013 #12

My fifth grade English teacher, among other things, MineralMan Jun 2013 #16

I'll admit that for many years, I spelt it "seperate" Fortinbras Armstrong Jun 2013 #150

Reminds me of something Mark Twain said: Fortinbras Armstrong Jun 2013 #105

Mine is "loosing" for "losing" treestar Jun 2013 #115

BUT I CAN'T STAND ALL CAPS!!!!!! FarCenter Jun 2013 #4

i dON'T bLAME yOU! MineralMan Jun 2013 #5

Lose vs. loose narnian60 Jun 2013 #6

You can't lose if you maintain a loose interpretation MineralMan Jun 2013 #8

And its variant.. Scurrilous Jun 2013 #17

A 'looser' is someone I don't want to stand behind. nt msanthrope Jun 2013 #47

Especially 'hugh looser.' Scurrilous Jun 2013 #62

My biggest pet peeve! louis-t Jun 2013 #97

I went for a pass because Xyzse Jun 2013 #7

This, exactly. kiva Jun 2013 #13

Yes. This. (nt) Control-Z Jun 2013 #31

It only bothers me if I spot them in regular articles.......... thelordofhell Jun 2013 #9

^^^this^^^ Freddie Jun 2013 #127

I've become more tolerant. Wait Wut Jun 2013 #10

Then he will be "hoist by his own petard," MineralMan Jun 2013 #14

Of course. Wait Wut Jun 2013 #19

It bothers me especially when ........ oldhippie Jun 2013 #15

It is always wise to proofread any rant you write about MineralMan Jun 2013 #18

Double points awarded for this post. ^ TheCowsCameHome Jun 2013 #24

Yeah, I agree with that. TDale313 Jun 2013 #43

I Collect Examples of Errors On the Road Jun 2013 #153

That is so true ..... oldhippie Jun 2013 #154

Thanks for posting this pole TheCowsCameHome Jun 2013 #20

Ewe our wright. MineralMan Jun 2013 #22

"To err is human; to forgive, ovine" pinboy3niner Jun 2013 #41

It doesn't bother me too much. TDale313 Jun 2013 #21

Nearly all my posts will show a 'Last Edited' time on them. randome Jun 2013 #27

What bothers me more is that after decades of reading on the internet csziggy Jun 2013 #23

I believe that should be "apostrophe's." MineralMan Jun 2013 #25

!'!'!'''''' csziggy Jun 2013 #42

Yeah, that drive's me crazy. nt Link Speed Jun 2013 #93

It drives me up a tree when posters use apostrophes with plural nouns. n/t RebelOne Jun 2013 #106

I'm worried that the logic of our language is dis-integrating. It troubles me that it seems patrice Jun 2013 #26

It's a sign of a poor education customerserviceguy Jun 2013 #28

Even well educated people make typing MineralMan Jun 2013 #34

Well, there's education customerserviceguy Jun 2013 #45

It is however, rather easy in most cases to see the difference between a typo and a poor spelling... LanternWaste Jun 2013 #91

I don't disagree with you on those points. MineralMan Jun 2013 #95

In resumes, very much bothered. Elsewhere, not so much. Scuba Jun 2013 #29

I once did not hire a programmer, because MineralMan Jun 2013 #39

As long as he was consistent, the compiler doesn't care usGovOwesUs3Trillion Jun 2013 #107

Misspellings can be significant in computer code Fortinbras Armstrong Jun 2013 #109

Ah, BASIC and its undeclared variables. MineralMan Jun 2013 #113

Extremely bothered. Distracts from content I may not wish to discount. aquart Jun 2013 #30

I don't care that much, but... tridim Jun 2013 #32

Depends where on 'the internet'... RedCappedBandit Jun 2013 #33

This is my stance too. surrealAmerican Jun 2013 #122

I come from a family of editors. RevStPatrick Jun 2013 #35

Poor grammar is the sign of a lazy mind. MrSlayer Jun 2013 #36

Hardly bothered...what they SAY is WAY MORE IMPORTANT than some writing errors... Tikki Jun 2013 #37

Content is what counts. Bluenorthwest Jun 2013 #38

Indeed it is. MineralMan Jun 2013 #64

Were you asked to go somewhere? No, you were not. Bluenorthwest Jun 2013 #116

None of that has anything whatsoever to do with this thread. MineralMan Jun 2013 #118

It has everything to do with this thread. Does X annoy you? No, Y annoys me. Bluenorthwest Jun 2013 #123

Ignore is also a function on DU. MineralMan Jun 2013 #125

So what? Why announce it? Why not just do so? Does the fanfare stoke your jets? Bluenorthwest Jun 2013 #152

I LOL at "Knot Botheered at Awl - Whut errurs?" MotherPetrie Jun 2013 #40

It depends on the context WilmywoodNCparalegal Jun 2013 #44

If there's one or more errors in the subject line, I usually skip the post entirely. nt planetc Jun 2013 #48

I only hold journalists to that high standard. kentauros Jun 2013 #49

The state of editing these days is very poor. MineralMan Jun 2013 #52

That's true. kentauros Jun 2013 #70

I had to turn off the automatic substitution feature MineralMan Jun 2013 #73

I'm the same way with Word and autocorrect. kentauros Jun 2013 #86

You are so correct. RebelOne Jun 2013 #108

Their, there, they're, Mineral Man. Everything will be just fine!! madinmaryland Jun 2013 #50

I won't count on that, as is my wont. MineralMan Jun 2013 #53

I am bothered by the miss use of RC Jun 2013 #51

I must not comment. I must not comment. MineralMan Jun 2013 #54

miss use - misuse moondust Jun 2013 #57

I do know that - Honest! RC Jun 2013 #60

Ok, I screwed up RC Jun 2013 #59

I think the word you want is "betterer." MineralMan Jun 2013 #63

More betterer. narnian60 Jun 2013 #130

Let me add a few: Nay Jun 2013 #139

Using completely the wrong word stands out more. dipsydoodle Jun 2013 #55

That's an excellent example. MineralMan Jun 2013 #58

Also seems to be unique to US posters. dipsydoodle Jun 2013 #68

Well, I'm smarter then they are, I guess. MineralMan Jun 2013 #69

That's a mute point. tridim Jun 2013 #71

Good point. It's just not exceptable. n/t TheCowsCameHome Jun 2013 #82

lol dipsydoodle Jun 2013 #100

Not really. MelungeonWoman Jun 2013 #56

My biggest concern is lack of commas and periods in posts. House of Roberts Jun 2013 #65

Yes. That's a real issue, too. MineralMan Jun 2013 #66

Other: LWolf Jun 2013 #67

30 years a high school teacher... Bigmack Jun 2013 #72

Well, since we are just primates with thinner hair, MineralMan Jun 2013 #74

It says a lot about IQ and attitude Coyotl Jun 2013 #76

Attitude more than IQ, I think. MineralMan Jun 2013 #77

Moran guy is a good example Coyotl Jun 2013 #126

I put on my ignore list anyone ridiculing another just because of spelling. It shows their ... JackN415 Jun 2013 #78

OK. MineralMan Jun 2013 #80

I 100% agree. Assholes mostly. n-t Logical Jun 2013 #141

Who gives a fuck about an Oxford comma? Gravitycollapse Jun 2013 #79

Now, that's funny, hilarious and amusing, MineralMan Jun 2013 #85

Significantly less bothered than I am by people who focus on or correct those errors wickerwoman Jun 2013 #83

Extremely bothered. MicaelS Jun 2013 #84

I have noticed of late the alarming xxqqqzme Jun 2013 #87

Some people have a truly difficult time discerning between the two. Gravitycollapse Jun 2013 #88

There was a brief discussion of that earlier in the thread. MineralMan Jun 2013 #89

I sometimes have to individually damn my fingers kentauros Jun 2013 #144

In newspapers, they bother me a lot Yo_Mama Jun 2013 #92

My therapist says I am obsessed about it.... geckosfeet Jun 2013 #94

I could care less... ileus Jun 2013 #96

We all could, I'm sure. MineralMan Jun 2013 #99

rut roh In_The_Wind Jun 2013 #102

You COULD care less, kentauros Jun 2013 #143

Welllllll....I used to teach the stuff, so I get moderately annoyed. But I HATE "LEAD" for "LED"! WinkyDink Jun 2013 #98

I can't help but be somewhat bothered once I see an error gvstn Jun 2013 #101

There's at least 40 folks here azurnoir Jun 2013 #103

What a completely asinine remark. I hate the condescending "folks," too, so thanks for playing. WinkyDink Jun 2013 #114

asinine? it was hardly condescending but a point in fact azurnoir Jun 2013 #117

I am extremely bothered because I worked as a copy editor 16 years RebelOne Jun 2013 #104

I have had dealings with copy editors. MineralMan Jun 2013 #111

I have a book which infuriates me because of sloppy copyediting Fortinbras Armstrong Jun 2013 #121

The AP style book was our bible for the copy editors at the publishing company where I worked. n/t RebelOne Jun 2013 #136

Makes me crazy, but I don't correct SheilaT Jun 2013 #110

The kindest, wisest and most talented man I have ever known was practically illiterate siligut Jun 2013 #112

This country needs a bag grammar lobby in Washington npk Jun 2013 #119

What you said... MineralMan Jun 2013 #120

LOL. I am the worse offender. npk Jun 2013 #124

Little or no concern bigwillq Jun 2013 #128

the purpose of communication is to be understood Johonny Jun 2013 #129

Not very bothered unless a poster is criticizing my errors with a post full of errors. BlueCaliDem Jun 2013 #131

I had to pass. While the mistakes others make hardly bother me at all, MY mistakes stand out cherokeeprogressive Jun 2013 #132

I am more bothered by those who think savalez Jun 2013 #133

+1000 n-t Logical Jun 2013 #142

It drives me demented. nt sibelian Jun 2013 #134

Mine- A LOT! loyalsister Jun 2013 #135

Never. hunter Jun 2013 #137

I can forgive one or two errors as everybody makes mistakes. mythology Jun 2013 #138

I think anyone who is very bothered is someone I would not enjoy spending time with. n-t Logical Jun 2013 #140

I can forgive people online for the most part, kentauros Jun 2013 #145

Ever since the advent of smart phones, I gave up caring... Democracyinkind Jun 2013 #151

may i share why i type in all lower case? hopemountain Jul 2013 #156