Job Discussion Forums

[newtefler]

I've been picked up on the standard of my English on one of my posts. I tend to write posts as I would emails to friends so the English can sometimes be technically incorrect.

It prompted me to think of a potential new thread... TEFL teacher clangers! It annoys me when people nitpick, and I am not a pedant, so generally I wouldn't bother commenting, but I have spotted some dreadful examples of English on TEFL forums. It is quite worrying as many of the posts come from gainfully employed TEFL teachers! For example:

"Hi

im also interested in teahcing in poland, im currently gone through ucas to get a dgeree as i need it to apply. Im also goingto do a 4 week sonite course too. sooner sept 2006 come sthe bloody better i will feel."

The above was from a newbie and his posts are consistently awful. People have picked him up on it saying they don't think he should be teaching English. I agree, but suspect he may be dyslexic, so didn't have the heart to comment.

Anyone seen any howlers?... I don't mean sloppy mistakes or e-speak, I mean examples of should this person be let loose on a class?!?!

p.s Mr Cowell go wild with your green pen on this post - I've included lots of lazy English for your perusal :0)

pps I'm not having a pop - your comment got me thinking :0) I guess true masters of the language enjoy correcting posts in the same way actuaries love suduko :0)

[mongrelcat]

i cant understand people freaking out on MBs about spelling and grammar mistakes....really, its just a MB. who cares.

when im not in class teaching i dont feel the need to comment on or correct such things. We make awful mistakes when speaking or chatting on messenger even....

so to me its not a big deal.

only, when the mistakes are funny, sometimes a comment is required....

[dmb]

[mongrelcat]

[capricious]

"Aoccdrnig to rscheearch at Txes M&A Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe." (Anonymous)

[newtefler]

understood it perfectly... but I am a native speaker... try having your french lesson jumbled up like that (unless your canadian!)... springerism:soooooooo not gonna happen.. mind you makes a change from gap fills.. could give that para to a class as homework and they may have worked it out by the end of term :0)

[billybuzz]

Newfefler ,don't worry too much about your use of English on this forum ,its expected to be informal .However some people just can2t switch off,a bit anal infact .Henery is one of them .Quite sad really .

[newtefler]

Thanks Billybuzz, I think Mr Cowell was teasing rather than being mean (I hope :0)). I wonder if he is any relation to the famous Mr Simon Cowell (he of the high waisted trousers persuasion?!?) I tend to agree with you and Mongrelcat - I was thinking of posts which have such bad (funny) English it makes you chortle.

[mongrelcat]

heh heh

he said chortle

heh heh

[newtefler]

she not he :0)

I like chortle... much prefer it to chuckle. Wonder if titter would raise sniggers in a class?

[Golightly]

how about a guffaw?

[Henry_Cowell]

All you need to do is google my name.

[tinkerbell]

Is this a record?

[Henry_Cowell]

[tinkerbell]

Thank you for the constructive criticism. What's a comma splice? I have never heard that term before.

I don't remember it in "Eats, shoots and leaves".

PS I thought I should check the punctuation of aforementioned book title so did a quick google search - Amazon uk has it without the comma while Amazon com has it with! If Lynn Truss were dead she'd be turning in her grave!