Grammar/Vocabulary ??? (1 Viewer)

[Jeff Gatie]

It's a speech. It has a rhythm. Capitalization sets the beat to the rhythm. Without the beat, the measures mean nothing. Without capitalization, the paragraphs mean nothing. Besides, is it really so hard to capitalize, or are you just doing it to be different and "hip."

Be honest . . .

 

[Marianne]

Why did you shout the word "never"? Isn't using all caps considered to be shouting on the web?

I would never do that.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Diallo: That response makes your choices seem rather arbitrary. Which, I suppose, by nature, they are.

And if you are comfortable with the perceptions that people will make based on your actions, that's your prerogative.

All that Jeff & others here are pointing out is that capitalization is just as useful and important a tool as punctuation and spacing. Whether you think so or not, others do.

My son is completely amused that whenever I send him text messages, I use full capitalization and punctuation. My wife told me that one day when she was with him and he received a text message from me, he exclaimed, "WHO uses punctuation when texting?"

It is what I do and probably says something about who I am...and I'm happy about that. And I'm glad my son recognizes that!

 

[Holadem]

and then there are those who for some strange reason believe that every sentence
(and sometimes every proposition)
deserves it's own line

typically they don't capitalize either.


and the spacing doesn't begin to make sense
you're lucky if you even get a period at the end of every sentence

a couple of frequent posters are guilty of this abomination.
frankly i don't get it

do they think it's cool?


or do they just not care?

--
H

 

[troy evans]

Diallo B, after starting this thread about grammar/vocab, you have to see how funny it is that you chose not to write with correct capitalization. I mean, come on man, you have to be pulling our legs with this stuff.You are a funny, funny guy, my friend.

 

[Diallo B]

honestly, i didn't think my lack of capitalization was such a big deal. obviously, here on htf i am wrong. and i am definitely not pulling anyone's leg. the only funny thing is the amount of venom being spewed concerning this issue; stemming from pot shots about education level, having an elitist complex to being a teenager. anyway - water, quack.

apparently the lack of activity on htf is making this thread a hot topic.

 

[Marianne]

Diallo, there have been lots of different threads about grammar, and everyone always picks on the thread starter, especially if that person has exhibited incorrect grammar in his or her post.

Anyone who starts a thread about grammar or, indeed, anyone who answers had better make sure that their grammar is perfect, or they will be attacked. It's all in good fun, usually.

I apologize in advance if any of my commas are incorrectly placed.

Or, should that be "placed incorrectly"?

 

[KurtEP]

On the other hand:


Maybe there is something to it...

 

[JeremyErwin]

Many of the questions asked in the "Basics" area can be answered by reading the relevant user manual. This process is not as simple as it might seem, however.

First, the poster's speech has to be interpreted. Non standard dialects may be used, with strange deviations from conventional orthography and grammar. Certain words may used with little regard for their actual definitions.

A manual must be found-- though clues may be found in the original message. Amazon is often the best place to "shop" for manuals.

The manual must be interpreted, often with a special attention to Asian variants on the english language. If written well enough, this provides a certain insight into the psychology of the designers, and a working mental model of the device.

Finally, the correct answer must be phrased in a way that answers the question specifically enough that it does not prompt more followup questions.

Well crafted prose is always welcome on these forums.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I'm with Marianne. I think this thread has really just turned into "Well, ya know what MY pet peeve is?"

I've seen venom spewed in other HTF threads which makes this one seem like a walk in the park.

When you put yourself out there, you run the risk of being seen.

 

[BrianW]

Diallo, if you had simply said, "screw you guys i don't use uppercase, so deal with it," I honestly don't think anyone would have given you a hard time about it. We all have our quirks that we confess. But since you attribute your anti-capital usage to your coding experience (something you are obviously intelligent enough to overcome) while at the same valuing things like proper punctuation, sentence structure, and paragraph structure, your refusal to use uppercase letters strikes us as willful, yet arbitrary. That's just a little bit strange.

You remind me of a guy I tried to help once on the computer. At one point, I told him to right-click on something, and he sharply responded, "I don't right-click."

"Huh? You have to right-click to get the proper menu to come up."

He was insistent. "I don't right-click."

I said, "Well, you can ether right-click, or you can stare at your monitor the rest of the day."

He stared at the monitor the rest of the day.

His refusal to right-click seemed to be so arbitrary, yet so steadfast. I never understood what motivated his choice, and I see your refusal to use uppercase letters as a similar -- though far less self-destructive -- willful, arbitrary choice. I think we're just trying to make sense of it.

 

[drobbins]

Shirley, you can't think I was taking a pot shot at your education level after what I brought up in post #62 about myself.

Sorry, I will stop calling you Shirley (Another Airplane joke)

 

[Mike Frezon]

I've been thinking about this remark.

Instead, I see the response to this topic as one that shows just how interested (passionate, maybe) people within the HTF community are about the issues of grammar, punctuation and vocabulary.

 

[troy evans]

You should have told him to turn the mouse upside down and left-click it then, asshole. That's what I would have done. I guess I'd be a poor technical advisor

 

[Chris Lockwood]

> "I don't right-click."

He probably doesn't know what the term means.

Years ago I was doing tech support & asked a woman to reboot her PC. She informed me that she "doesn't boot", like I had asked her to snort a line of coke or something.

 

[BrianW]

He knew what it meant. When I reached down to do it for him, he covered the right mouse button with his hand to block me. Like I said: weird.

 

[Jeff Gatie]

OCD. Probably thought something bad will happen to him, his family or the world in general if he right-clicks. Like Howie Mandel and the string around his wrist.

And yes, it is weird.

 

[Lew Crippen]

I switched to a Mac for the purpose of avoiding right clicks.

And then came the Mighty Mouse (allowing right clicks in Windows apps).

 

[Mike Frezon]

I've been part of many discussions about why people have switched from PCs to Macs. That's the first I've ever heard it was because of "right-clicking!"

 

[Marianne]

I use a pen tablet to avoid right clicking. Theoretically the function is the same but there is no right or left on the pen and there is no click sound. There is a programmable button on the pen, and I set it to "open menu".

So, in my mind, it is not a "right click".