I'm fed up. Fed up with my bad English. My English is terrible. I failed English at school in part due to bad behaviour I think caused in part by my then stammer and dyslexia. I only got an 'F' in GCSE English and had to retake it at Bracknell and Wokingham college, doing an extra year there. I still only managed a very low mark in English but the college kindly let me take a national diploma course as they saw my potential in other areas. I love them for that.
I also blame myself for not improving. Why the hell can't I do it. I'm not stupid. It should be bloody easy, Damn it! I hate it. Did I write that correctly? I have no idea, no bloody idea!
I have tried to improve but I never see it, I just can't do it. I still have no idea how to use a bloody comma or use words like their or there or they and they're. Just basic errors. I find the English language a so so difficult. I have been using http://www.gcse.com/english/ to help me but it takes too long to go over every word again and again only to find errors.
This blog has been a great help to my English but it has also highlighted errors. Errors that I am frankly embarrassed about.
So it's been fun. this blog has opened up doors for me. I love replying to comments and geting a chance to break stories (only a few I know) and write opinion pieces. But now keeping track of my own errors is becoming a real hassel.
So thank you one and all for reading, it's is your interaction that gave me the most enjoyment from blogging.I will still be on Twitter and if you do wish to follow mw my account is http://twitter.com/dazmando.
Todays link is to Green blogger Steve Gabb, who I promised to link to for Bracknell the Movie. Enjoy!
Shame. Why not do what I do now and only blog a few times a week (sometimes only once a week). The problem is for bloggers, as I have found, is that it becomes a pain to do it.
ReplyDeleteDon't you dare give up. As a fellow dyslexic and victim of the grammar and spelling police (when they don't know the facts), i refuse to give up and stop blogging!
ReplyDeleteI know how you feel if you care to read a recent blog of mine 'I'm annoyed I splet it anoid' http://elliotsampford.blogspot.com/2010/10/im-annoyed-i-spelt-it-anoid.html , but I'm not stopping blogging.
ReplyDeleteDamn I even got a spelling error in my comment!!!!
ReplyDeleteYou cannot give up. If a child can do it you can.
ReplyDeleteDon't give up. Nobody gives a monkey's about spelling and grammar. It's what you have to say that counts. This is the internet, after all, not The Times leader column. Nobody cares, seriously - or, rather, those that will criticise you for the odd error aren't worth bothering with. Be yourself, warts and all.
ReplyDeleteDon't you DARE give up!
ReplyDeleteI have spent 25 years as a writer and journalist. Apparently, what with my Dyslexia, that shouldn't have happened. But, somehow, it did.
The standard of your English is not THAT bad. Really. You should see some of the submitted copy I have to correct! And my boss is an old fashioned publisher. Apprenticed typesetter in the days of hot metal type. He has his staff use paper galleys and real red pens! Great fun!
I recommend Dragon Dictate version 11 premium, with the wireless microphone. It is very good at working out whether you mean their or there, and heck, if it gets it wrong you can blame the machine. It is shockingly accurate - I have written 10s of 1000s of words using it.
ReplyDeleteHello Darren
ReplyDeleteI noticed that your use of English wasn't perfect. It is something you can learn. Try the book "Eats, Shoots and Leaves" and do 1 chapter a month.
Your grammar has never stopped me reading your blog and you have the intelligence to get it right in time.
Also remember, I find errors in many of the most popular blogs.
Good luck!
Seriously man, being aware of the need to maintain a standard is half the battle. I work in HR and get stuff submitted...
ReplyDeleteEverybody makes mistakes, posts up stuff and then looks later and wonders how the hell did I miss that? Stop blogging when you don't give a damn anymore, but until then, keep going. You're putting up good material here.
Thank you all for your kind comments. I am still considering my next move. I will let you all know soon. Thanks again.
ReplyDeletei love your blog
ReplyDeleteSome 'leading' bloggers have set unreasonable expectations about frequency and content that the majority of us could never live up to. A blog can and should in some cases serve mainly as a stable, multi-purpose web presence, and with that in mind I would suggest that you consider engaging with Twitter and keeping the blog in reserve for detail.
ReplyDeleteI understand your frustration, but readers should understand that people who are good communicators (like you) aren't always great spellers or punctuators or whatever. If some people don't get that, you have to rise above it and ignore them as best you can.
ReplyDeleteWhat you have said here is clear, concise and very readable. Personally, I don't see any reason why one should give a flying f about whether it's their, there or they're. It is the issues which are important.
ReplyDeleteIf the Grammer Nazis need to pick up every single flaw and mistake, that's their problem. Grammer nazis are sad people. They don't seem to understand that it is the issues which are important. Anyone who needs to pick over someone else's spelling with a fine tooth combe is simply a sad, sorry and sick individual.
I put it down to inadequate potty training and having parents who didn't love them. Grown ups know that language is for expressing ideas. Being a whizz with punctuation is all very well. However, it is not the be all and end all.
Keep on blogging! That's my advice. There's a special corner of hell reserved for the Grammer Nazis. Pay them no heed. None whatsoever.
Regards
Richard Gillard
Dont give up Darren.
ReplyDeleteWho cares about the grammar police?
Caz x
I'm inclined to believe that everything I find easy, is important. Things I find difficult, are not.
ReplyDeleteI know this is nonsense, but it's understandable. At least I recognise it, sometimes.
So I'm one of those who have judged people by their spelling. But it's me who has the problem, not you.
The English language is an utter mess. The grammar police want to keep it that way, because it makes them, (us), feel superior.
Communicate. Ignore people like me. Be proud.
This is the approach I take to the many other everyday skills that I personally lack. :-)
Incidentally, in my defence, I don't pick over with a fine toothed comb. It's just a pattern recognition thing. Mistakes leap out of the page. They actually hurt a little.
ReplyDeleteBut that's my problem, not yours. In the internet age, I'm getting used to it. It's worth it, for the opportunity to hear from real people.
Seriously, it doesn't matter!