Does a person's grammar affect the way you portray him/her?

[sa5m]

First of all I'd like to say: OMG. I have officially started a thread! : O AMAZING! I haven't started a thread in sooo long.

BUT ANYWAY.

If a person has bad grammar, like on forums, does that change your perception of him or her?
For me it depends on the person. If it's someone I know has great ideas, I won't let the grammar flaws get to me. But if I just meet a person and he or she says something like, "i luv ur avitar lik he is so hot", then my opinion of this person automatically drops a few points. (Btw I just made up that line, no one has ever said that to me. xD)
Anyhow I think it also depends on what the person is saying. If it's meaningful, I'll listen.

Share your thoughts?


*is so excited she started a thread*

[Princess Zelda]

yes. even myself.

[Acnologia]

Yes, I tend to think they are either lazy, or just, for the lack of a better word, stupid.

[Jagan Eye]

Yes. If someone doesn't bother typing legibly, I don't bother reading it. And even if its a great idea, if they type awfully, I don't tend to care and it generally makes me make myself a mental note to not associate with them.

[Hideki Motosuwa.]

But what if that person doesn't have good English?? 0.0 Like, what if Chinese was their first language, they introduce themselves and say that their English is not so good, but they're still a smart person?? Sorry, I'm just rambling >.>

Anyways, my opinion would change if they are "purposely" using bad grammar(or if they're too lazy to type correctly), but if it's for other reasons, then I respect that, and their status in my mind wouldn't be affected.

[Jagan Eye]

But what if that person doesn't have good English?? 0.0 Like, what if Chinese was their first language, they introduce themselves and say that their English is not so good, but they're still a smart person?? Sorry, I'm just rambling >.>

Anyways, my opinion would change if they are "purposely" using bad grammar(or if they're too lazy to type correctly), but if it's for other reasons, then I respect that, and their status in my mind wouldn't be affected.

If a person can't speak English then its okay, but when they type in l33t, its not because they can't speak English.

[Kojack]

It's not so much grammar that bothers me, but the way someone types. If someone types like a 12 year old Halo fanboy who just discovered a Samus vs. Master Chief thread then yes, I will tend to think they are less intelligent.

At the same time, if you attempt to type with complete sentences and words but your post looks like your keyboard lacks a backspace key and has every other letter tied together I will usually just skip over your post.

[Memento Mori]

Their spelling affects me.

Their grammar does not.

[Krista Logan]

If one types like: Y R U D00ing that? Then I would automatically just get a negative point of view. But if they can't speak English, and they at least try to type/speak English then that's fine.

[MetalKnight]

Grammar mistakes happen. If they make a few, it’s understandable to me…
However, bad grammar in general implies that one is lazy, in a rush, inept in the English language, or 12 years old. It depends on the situation. Sometimes these implications are acceptable to me, sometimes not.

-When I’m talking to a friend on AIM or someone on a chat, I don’t care if they relax and neglect their grammar a bit.
-When I’m playing a game with someone where time is essential, mistyping “the” for “teh” is understandable.
-If the person isn’t fluent in English, I respect his/her attempt to speak (type) it properly.
-If a person is trying to write a thank you letter or discussing a topic for debate, it makes it appear half-hearted and thoughtless, so I usually ignore them.
-If the person is a 12 year old, I look down on him/her… I hate (most) children.

[Sanosuke23]

Provided the language I am reading is their first, I think they're an idiot. If they're still learning the language, I try to be patient and help them along.

[Jessica Mars]

I don't care about grammar mistakes really. If the person is making a justified attempt to spell properly, s/he's alright in my book.

You must also remember that many people, especially online, don't speak English as a first language.

But if someone intentionally uses n00bsp33k all the time, I get seriously annoyed. Though I am a little crazy in that most of the time I like to treat n00bs like real people. XD

[Eternal_Flame]

I would have to say yes. Unless, like you said, you know that the person has great ideas, but I do judge people by their grammar and things similar to that. To me it shows whether or not the person actually takes them time to think about what they're going to say, and whether or not they care enough to sit down and say it completely and take the time to use good grammar.

[.Seth]

Yes, I care very much about grammar. I hate people who make posts like "hai how r u", but I don't criticize for small things like typos or spelling errors.

[Amarhyllis]

It doesn't really matter to me how they type. As long as I can read it then it's fine, I don't think badly or negatively of them at all. Now if they typed only in 1337 speak, then I just wouldn't bother reading it, or I think that they would have an incredible amount of time on their hands.

[demonplight]

I am not the best at written grammar, in fact there are screen shots of my browser where I am writing. You will notice a lot of little squiggly lines under my type. I am the master of run on sentences. To top that I often do this: "something something, and something else...."

When forums are concerned I could really care less so long as I can read what ever it is smoothly.

In regards to on the street, some times, I ask that act as you speak and think.

When it comes to business it has great influence on me. I will not do anything with a person that does not act professional or speak professionally.

[Gizoku]

Hmm it depends on if I know that they can correct their grammer...and how heavily the grammer is distorted.

[Ugly_Ted]

Well, it only affects how serious I take the person. Weither I consider their point of view of I just flat out think they are a moron.

[Datenshi]

I view it as a matter of being considerate. The only reason you post in an Internet forum is to be read by other people, and it only stands that you attempt to make yourself as easy to understand as possible. If a person neglects to do so, then I in turn will be disinclined to listen.

On that note, I've always thought that the people who speak the language as a learner are easier to understand than some, if not many, natives because they actually try to make themselves understood.

[Lola Granola]

An illustration of my thoughts:

[Yami Chishio]

I dont mind the spelling that much (since I do it a lot) but if the grammar is totally wrong, then i think there's a problem... O__O

[Myrra]

I view it as a matter of being considerate. The only reason you post in an Internet forum is to be read by other people, and it only stands that you attempt to make yourself as easy to understand as possible. If a person neglects to do so, then I in turn will be disinclined to listen.

Exactly my point of view!
Some may think I expect too much, but I personally don't care.
I want and expect some amount of courtesy, online and off.
If you want me to bother reading your post then you will type legibly otherwise I can't and won't be bothered.

[Amray]

If they use bad grammar then I automatically assume that they are a big fat pervert who enjoys shooting Cats with BB guns and likes to eat salt & vinegar flavoured crisps, who also enjoys watching crap sci-fi programmes on week nights and always gets depressed when they think about girls and marriage, and also happens to enjoy trying to make others look stupid whereas they are in fact making themselves look worse.

People with good grammar are alright I suppose. Depends what they write.

[Ire_Hikari]

yep...wrong grammar bothers me a lot...dont care bout the spelling...hehe... XD

[MistressPookyChan]

As an English teacher... yes and no. I understand how grammar can be difficult to use, especially for non-native speakers. I don't hold it against them if they can't use it correctly. Errors and net speak also don't bother me. However, I do have issues if you make the choice to speak incorrectly.