Job Discussion Forums

zeke0606 · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 2:43 pm Post subject: mispelling and bad, bad, gramar

Is it just me or has anyone else noticed that the speling and gramar is getting worser and warser in the job adds these days? Even in the fourms the mispelling and pooor choise of words is also geting woreser.

The American adverts are becoming the worst!

I have often thought that if a student were to read these posts from teachers in the same country. what would s/he think of the teachers that were teaching in the same school they were studying in............

Zeke

wildchild · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 519 Location: Puebla 2009 - 2010

jwbhomer · Joined: 14 Dec 2003 Posts: 876 Location: CANADA

It is insulting to point out the spelling and grammatical errors of EFL teachers. As any fule no, if you are a English teacher, you're speling and gramar is beyond reproach.

Glenski · Joined: 15 Jan 2003 Posts: 12844 Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN

jwbhomer · Joined: 14 Dec 2003 Posts: 876 Location: CANADA

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

There is a parody [part of englishdroid] of Dave's ESL Cafe out there in cyberspace. It does a very good job with poster illiteracy. Sometimes I have to check that I haven't logged in there by mistake.

But no, don't dare point out errors, unless you enjoy being savaged by a pack of feral dogs.

TheLongWayHome · Joined: 07 Jun 2006 Posts: 1016 Location: San Luis Piojosi

But can you TEACH? Some of the best teachers I've seen had horrendous spelling but the students loved their classes. I would cringe watching them but they gave great class. What do you do?

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

eslstudies · Joined: 17 Dec 2006 Posts: 1061 Location: East of Aden

And some posters are really, really like that!

Ahchoo · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 606 Location: Earth

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

I think it depends on what he means by poor spellers. I myself seem to recently mix up the order of letters, though this is more often due to poor typing skills than recognizing the correct spelling of a word. I will sometimes tell students I am unsure of the spelling of a word, and ask them to please check it in a dictionary.

As to giving great lessons, I hope we all can do that. Spelling is only one part of a language, but if the spelling is so far off that the word becomes unrecognizable, than it becomes a problem.

Illegible handwriting is another issue. I often think that students (I'm thinking of particularly Chinese and Japanese) too often learn to write the Roman alphabet using kanji strokes, and often end up with letters and Arabic numbers that don't match ones taught in other parts of the world.

zeke0606 · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 3:25 pm Post subject: what?

OK Guys -

Do not start attacking one another over this minor and trivial topic. We all make mistakes in our native tongue when speaking or writing or typing.

It just seemed to me that more and more adverts are getting more and more worser an worser! ha ha he he

I do agree that some bad spellers (know something isn't right, but can't put thier finger on it) and those that don't remember ALL the stupid grammar rules in English sometimes make the best teachers. They can hold the attention of the students and get the fundamentals of the language to their students in the most pleasurable way. I have found that as teachers they understand their shortcomings - SOMETIMES! Where a very competent teacher that spells correctly and knows all the grammar rules usually is a bit boring.

I look for a balance -- a very competent goof-ball -- when I need a teacher.

In one country that I have taught both students and their teachers, I found that the teachers could not practice their verbal English skills together at all. Not even to become more proficient in teaching this English language that was not their native tongue. One teacher finally told me that they would destroy one another if any small mistake was detected in their 'friendly conversations'!!! Go figure?

Zeke

rusmeister · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 867 Location: Russia

zeke0606 · Posted: Fri Dec 21, 2007 6:34 pm Post subject: what?

rusmeister -

Thank you so much for correcting my grammar. Far it be for me to offend any strict or slack grammarian in the crowd.

Now, tell me that 'is usually vs. usually is' is a major mistake in grammar construction or a usual conversation construction in English. Does it really make any difference in a class that needs to just communicate in basic English language or do we beat the students into submission with inflexable grammar rules and no humanity right from the start?

If students are comfortable talking in their newly acquired language and making mistakes, do you rusmeister, condem them to purgatory for those mistakes or do you allow them to practice these new language skills and correct in a more genteel way a few days later?

Zeke