Small rant: arms vs cups
Language is something I feel very strongly about. It's both my profession and hobby. Remember prof. Higgins?
I certainly have a respectful attitude towards the language and try to use it properly, in accordance with the situation and purpose.And I also want to live in a language -friendly atmosphere. And certainly I want to help my friends and colleagues to do better at language and writing.
Overall, the level of language competence of the members of the Wealthy Affiliate is very high to compare to other online forums and communities. But still there are things that can be improved.
In our blogs and websites we rather use an informal language because we talk with the reader through our writing, or we use a mix of formal, scientific, informal,persuasive, poetic, humorous. It depends. We all are writers and creators of our own style.
But whatever our style might be, there are certain rules we are to follow in order to be professional and not to annoy and distract the reader.
Here is a good algorithm, or the two acronyms as to how we can revise and edit our writing.
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Though , I wouldn't maybe separate these two because while revising we can edit things we have written.But this or that way,all these things need to be done.
We can't overestimate the importance of ARMS, and here it's equally important to add sentences to get across the message to the reader and remove sentences in which we repeat ourselves. Yes, we need to remove empty , unnecessary sentences. It's not the quantity, but the quality that counts, right?
We move and substitute, we do magic. We do everything so that our text can sound intelligible and beautiful.
My favourite Stephen King:"You have to have a taste for words. Gluttony.You have to want to roll in them"
And of course, CUPS.
I sometimes have an impression that my fellow WAers don't take pains to even read once what they have written. Not everyone, and not every time, but the language is often abused in many posts.
Read your post, it can't be that you don't see:
"TOO" written as "TO"
"MAYBE"instead of "MAY BE"
"ITS" instead of "IT'S".
"THERE" instead of "THEIR"
We can go on, and on.
I am not speaking now about some extreme situations where people doing this business will have to hire copywriters because they don't know the language at all.
I am speaking about careless writing with some typical errors appearing now and then, or rather, quite often, unfortunately.
If you know that "too " and "to" is your weak point, check it. Stop, think.
We are all in a hurry. Where? To more errors and losing trust of our readers or to a better and more professional content?
Have a good day, develop gluttony for words.:)
Recent Comments
42
Good evening Vera,
How I agree with you! It has happened a couple of times where reading my comment here on a post I saw a stupid mistake, Grammarly had not been a help either. I could have slapped myself but I had pushed the button so it was too late. I can come with I am a foreigner and English is not my Mother's tongue, but that excuse one can only use once or twice and then...
Good post.!
Greetings from the south of Spain, Taetske
Yes, I understand. I am not a native speaker either , but this should not be an excuse since we decided to get involved in this business. People globally want good products and services and good presentations of them. :)
My biggest problem with reading back what I have written is finding that auto correct has put a randomn word in because I missed a letter when typing . For example in this post the word missed became may shed ? I need to slow down when I type but my brain works quicker than my finger.
Hey, Karen. Our brain is always quicker than any other part of ours.
Just slow down your fingers then.
Though good speed of typing is actually an advantage.
Some people suggest that we should type quickly, following the flow of thought with a lot of typos, etc. But I guess this is good for the people with strong language skills, for those who easily see the errors and can easily correct them.I might be wrong, though.:)
Very well said, Vera. We could really raise the bar if more of us did a better job at this. My old rule was that if it was important enough to publish, other eyes should proof it - I can't do that now, as many of us cannot. To me, that means extra effort to try to see the post through other eyes. Also, a grammar checker can help, but it is not enough IMHO.
Thanks again, Vera. This is really needed.
Steve
Yes, we could do it for each other , at least sometimes. Just look at somebody's post with the fresh eyes.:)
If they could program in a formalized channel for proofreading each other, that would boost quality across the board IMHO. It could be modeled on feedback or comments, probably, and would have similar multiple side benefits.
I think a bit of training would be needed, so it would probably require work by both Kyle and Carson... Worth it in my opinion, but then that's easy for me to say.... :-)
My opinion is that it even doesn't need to be organised from above. Just normal human interaction can work.
"Hey , could anybody spend a couple of minutes looking at my post?"
There sure can be found people who can.:)
That is undoubtedly true. Sadly, the people who need it the most are unlikely to bother. I see lots of obvious mistakes right in blog titles. If they don't have time to read over a title, I can't see them asking for proofing or editing without a nudge...
It's even worse. I quite a few times PMed people saying this and that was wrong.Mostly people are thankful. We all are human and we can miss some things. But can you believe some people didn't like it!
I mean I didn't go public about their errors, I PMed them trying to help with no thank you or something, sometimes they responded with a note of irritation even.
Yes, you are right. Sometimes even the titles look terrible.And this all constitutes the image of the community.
This doesn't surprise me in the least, Vera. I generally avoid giving feedback unless it is specifically requested for that very reason. Even when people ask for comments or other input, I usually leave out remarks about sloppy typos and poor grammar, because so many just don't want to know. Many people are very sensitive or bothered by insecurities, and I learned the dangers of offering constructive criticism at a very early age.
However, as for myself - when you see me publishing something sloppy or foolish (and you will, I'm sure), PLEASE let me know, and I will be grateful. If you want feedback, criticism, proofreading or editing, I'll gladly do so, and ask for the same.
I know I'm imperfect, and I'm OK with that fact, but I have thick skin and lots of confidence. This is not true of everyone.
Agreed, Stephen,. We can even make a further agreement- you can help silly me with technical things(All my brain is languages, writing and poetry, no room for technical stuff..lol),
And I can sure help you reading whatever you want me to read when I have time. Not sure I will always be able to see the discrepancy, if any, in factual things, but will easily see wrong language usages again, if any.:-)
That's how it should be in a community. No war, no hurt ambitions, just helpful attitudes.:)
Perfect. I'm up for it.
Let me know about any tech-check you need and I'll find time.
Whenever you want to have a look at one of my posts, please go ahead. My latest four posts are pretty non-tech for the most part, so if any are of interest, they should be easy to understand. When you need a break, take your pick, or check back when you have the time.
I'll PM you the site link, or you can check my profile page.
Cheers,
Steve
The worst tripping point I encounter when proofreading my own work is that I tend to see what I *meant to say* rather than what I *actually said*. I find that a minimum one-hour (preferably longer) break between writing and proofreading lets me see my writing with "fresher eyes".
Yes, I think you are right.It can be really helpful.
And I think you can erase the difference between what you "meant to say" and what you "actually said " learning to use a lot of synonyms. Play with the meanings of words, with the shades of meanings. Feel the word, taste it, touch it.You will like it. :)
So true Vera.
If we don't check our work for proper language, grammar, and punctuation, we lose credibility with our viewers. Viewers translate to buyers (we hope).
Yep. That's what I mean. No trust- no conversions, and no clicks even. Why waste time?:))
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Hi Vera! Thank you for this reminder. Proofreading is important and many times seriously overlooked. I really like Ms. Tippy Tappy too! :)
Glad you liked it, Sue. Thank you.:)