Grammar Discussions

[Mal]

Re: Scams like these

In Australia, I expect that prison is still used in common vernacular, but Correctional facility is used in legal circles.

Jail is also known (eg boggo Road jail), but apart from that and monopoly, I wouldn't expect it to be used frequently.

 

[coco50]

Re: Scams like these

Hate to be a pedant but unless you in the USA I think you will be gaol if you are here in Oz.

The spelling of gaol as jail in Australia is now quite acceptable.

 

[coco50]

Re: Scams like these

Using a word a lot doesn't make one an expert on the english language. Happy to be corrected but I don't expect police do a degree in advanced english. I'd expect they learn more about the law and such like.

I use "ain't" a lot. I use "Ionizing" a lot, because that is part of my profession. But that doesn't make either is correct english spelling. In the case of "Ionizing" internationally we pander to the USA.

Ahhh. You're in the laundry business! I came home yesterday and my wife was in the laundry ionizing blouses and shirts.

 

[coco50]

I don't feel comfortable either.

There's a guy at work who continually types "would of", "could of", "should of" in comments to users. Feel like saying something to him but feel embarrassed as I don't know him that well. He will never learn if no one tells him.

And he is a dinky die Aussie.

I had to correct this type of basic error in my job as a high school deputy principal. You would be amazed at the poor speeling and grammar of most teachers - especially on reports. Many is the time when I have asked teachers to redo their comments because:
(a) there is incorrect spelling
(b) the grammar is atrocious
(c) the comment is downright libellous

 

[love_the_life]

Is it poor spelling or are they speeling on something, Coco?
It's the typos that get me every time - my fingers seem to just miss the correct letter.

I was in education for a very long time and can concur that the standard of written English by teachers (esp the young ones) declined over the time. I too had to proof read reports before they went out :shock:

 

[love_the_life]

Re: Scams like these

The spelling of gaol as jail in Australia is now quite acceptable.

And in fact the etymology is from the Middle English which included both gaiole and jaiole as well as jaile. Both from Old French.

 

[prozac]

Re: Scams like these

And in fact the etymology is from the Middle English which included both gaiole and jaiole as well as jaile. Both from Old French.

It is also said the word goal comes from the Anglo-Saxon gaelan, which means “to hinder or impede,” as in the case of a boundary. As an aside it is said if you can speak olde English (Anglo-Saxon), you can speak the Frisian language of Friesland also a Saxon language.

 

[coco50]

Is it poor spelling or are they speeling on something, Coco?
It's the typos that get me every time - my fingers seem to just miss the correct letter.

I was in education for a very long time and can concur that the standard of written English by teachers (esp the young ones) declined over the time. I too had to proof read reports before they went out :shock:

You got me LTL. I am a rotten typist. I can't type properly - just two fingers and yet they have typed more than 800 000 words writing books. It made me sad that the standards were so low. What made me cringe was one day when I was discussing a teacher's poor grammar and spelling with him, he said: "What's wrong with that?"

 

[medhead]

You got me LTL. I am a rotten typist. I can't type properly - just two fingers and yet they have typed more than 800 000 words writing books. It made me sad that the standards were so low. What made me cringe was one day when I was discussing a teacher's poor grammar and spelling with him, he said: "What's wrong with that?"

I find it's the proof reading that stuffs me. I can't be bothered, which is lazy and slightly embarrassing that the boss is having to correct my writing. I'm working on the proof reading now that I've started doing some consulting. How could I ask for $100s for something full of errors?
I'm surprised that you can't type after all those words. I did the mandatory typing class at school, maybe just passed, and was at 2 fingers for a long time. That has increased over the last 15 years to about 8 or 9 fingers fairly consistently now.

 

[anat0l]

I had to correct this type of basic error in my job as a high school deputy principal. You would be amazed at the poor speeling and grammar of most teachers - especially on reports. Many is the time when I have asked teachers to redo their comments because:
(a) there is incorrect spelling
(b) the grammar is atrocious
(c) the comment is downright libellous

Well I got called out today whilst we were in a teaching class and I was the scribe. As I was writing up our group's answers on the board, I wrote, "resiliance".

I still have no idea why I thought that was correctly spelled.


I have to admit that even though I frequently regard myself as a good speller, I am probably relying a bit too much on those squiggly red lines. I mean, usually they are more picking up my typos (i.e. a slip of the fingers) more than misspellings (i.e. the "intended" typing was still incorrect).


As for comments being downright libellous... ummm, what the? There is a line between unprofessional and libellous; I am postulating that it is not a fine one.

 

[love_the_life]

You got me LTL. I am a rotten typist. I can't type properly - just two fingers and yet they have typed more than 800 000 words writing books. It made me sad that the standards were so low. What made me cringe was one day when I was discussing a teacher's poor grammar and spelling with him, he said: "What's wrong with that?"

I did some lecturing to primary teaching students (i.e.doing a B.Ed). I was absolutely shocked at the poor standard of English of many of them and a sense of entitlement, if that's the correct word, when I did not mark their work at the level they had been used to. I set an essay as part of the assessment for the unit and there was almost a riot as they had been used to presenting folios of group work! My view was that some theory of educational practice was important and would allow them to reflect on their own approaches to the use of ICT in the classroom. Anyway I was the lecturer and my word was law so essay it was.
I always remember the student who was developing a geography application for use in the classroom who included the Medditeranian Sea and she was in her final year.

Coco, I thought you might have misspelled the word on purpose to make a point.

And medhead, I knew a teacher who once spelled proofread incorrectly in a student report - she said the student needed to profread more carefully.

 

[medhead]

And medhead, I knew a teacher who once spelled proofread incorrectly in a student report - she said the student needed to profread more carefully.

One might posit that she got that correct. Profread - to get the Prof to fix the spelling.
This is similar to my approach at work, except the Boss isn't a Prof.

 

[prozac]

...
I always remember the student who was developing a geography application for use in the classroom who included the Medditeranian Sea and she was in her final year.
...

Is it just me or did others also hear a number of young journo's telling viewers about PM Turnbull calling a "double disillusion (or was it dis-allusion) election"?
Perhaps they are as disappointed as I about politics generally.

 

[wandering_fred]

Did I "hear" that one of the discussions relating to university education/admission was going to be a review of standards?

Here's a "suggestion". Incoming education majors must pass the same level of English exams that foreign / non-English speaking students must attain to enter the vocational education (TAFE) streams. :shock: Fails will require taking and passing remedial English classes. In the spirit of supporting the advancement of educational attainment, the remedial classes should be free for the first year...

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[anat0l]

Did I "hear" that one of the discussions relating to university education/admission was going to be a review of standards?

Here's a "suggestion". Incoming education majors must pass the same level of English exams that foreign / non-English speaking students must attain to enter the vocational education (TAFE) streams. :shock: Fails will require taking and passing remedial English classes. In the spirit of supporting the advancement of educational attainment, the remedial classes should be free for the first year...

I don't know about incoming education majors, but teaching students will eventually all be required to pass a Literacy and Numeracy competency test. The current iterations of the exam are prioritised for students who are about to finish their degrees at the end of this year.

I would guess that the level of difficulty compared to foreign / ESL students English level assessment tests (e.g. IELTS) is comparing chalk and cheese. There's enough cheating and controversy around IELTS that undermines much of its integrity, although admittedly the "cheating" is confined to a limited number of unfortunately stereotypical "usual suspects".

As a pre-service teacher who is going to graduate this year, I'll have to take the Literacy and Numeracy test. Personally, if I don't pass, I don't deserve to live.

 

[JessicaTam]

<snip>

As a pre-service teacher who is going to graduate this year, I'll have to take the Literacy and Numeracy test. Personally, if I don't pass, I don't deserve to live.

And your posting rights to this thread will be revoked. :mrgreen: :shock:

 

[anat0l]

And your posting rights to this thread will be revoked. :mrgreen: :shock:

I don't think you appreciate how serious I am.

 

[wandering_fred]

I don't think you appreciate how serious I am.

I really can't imagine that you will have a problem.
OTOH I occasionally deal with the educational attainment of vocational apprentices...

Happy wandering

Fred

 

[cove]

Ok I hope you don't turn into a grammar fiend once you pass that test. I do see lots of grammar errors and I have learned to do nothing to fix them. Spelling is an optional skill that I wish schools would teach.

 

[coco50]

I did some lecturing to primary teaching students (i.e.doing a B.Ed). I was absolutely shocked at the poor standard of English of many of them and a sense of entitlement, if that's the correct word, when I did not mark their work at the level they had been used to. I set an essay as part of the assessment for the unit and there was almost a riot as they had been used to presenting folios of group work! My view was that some theory of educational practice was important and would allow them to reflect on their own approaches to the use of ICT in the classroom. Anyway I was the lecturer and my word was law so essay it was.
I always remember the student who was developing a geography application for use in the classroom who included the Medditeranian Sea and she was in her final year.

Coco, I thought you might have misspelled the word on purpose to make a point.

And medhead, I knew a teacher who once spelled proofread incorrectly in a student report - she said the student needed to profread more carefully.

I lectured in Macroeconomics 101 while teaching at a local high school. The uni students were almost illiterate compared to my Year 12 Economics students.

No - I didn't misspell "spelling" and I made the error of not proofreading, and I am a rotten typist - but with that pre 21st century implement called a pen, my spelling is immaculate!