Why can't cyclists spell?

[MikeF]

"Your" instead of "You're" is my gripe. I don't even pronounce them the same, so I'm always puzzled why the error is so frequent! However I know some people have difficulty with spelling many words for various reasons, so I have to accept that. I'm not immune to errors either even if I do know the mistake.

[keyboardmonkey]

Who doesn't enjoy sitting down with a hot drink to pour over a map?

[PH]

I wish people wouldn't think of cyclists as some sort of homogenised group.
I'm a cyclist, you're a cyclist, why anyone would think we have anything else in common is beyond me.

[gaz]

Who doesn't enjoy sitting down with a hot drink to pour over a map?

To quote Officer Crabtree,

I have a mop. Would you like to take a leak?

[Bonefishblues]

I wish people wouldn't think of cyclists as some sort of homogenised group.
I'm a cyclist, you're a cyclist, why anyone would think we have anything else in common is beyond me.

Other than our common intent to kerb our instinct to ride into a curb

[Ben@Forest]

Eye halve a spelling chequer
It came with my pea sea
It plainly marques four my revue
Miss steaks eye kin knot sea.
Eye strike a quay and type a word
And weight four it two say
Weather eye am wrong oar write
It shows me strait a weigh.
As soon as a mist ache is maid
It nose bee fore two long
And eye can put the error rite
Its really ever wrong.
Eye have run this poem threw it
I am shore your pleased two no
Its letter perfect awl the weigh
My chequer tolled me sew.

(Sauce unknown)


The above is old and pre-dates the fact that word processing software often 'checks' grammar as well nowadays, which would recognise that many of the constructions do not make sense. But to some extent we're all guilty, recently I saw a sandwich shop sign which stated 'Sandwiches, Baguettes, Toasties and Panini's'. Why the last rogue apostrophe? But also 'panini' is plural anyway - every time we order one such item we should say ''panino' - but (probably excepting Italian tourists) who does?

[mercalia]

well I think the tyranny of dictionaries is a modern thing? in days gone by spelling was more fluid? and any way you cant trust spell checkers I seem to to remember is it surprize or surprise? I seem to read that the Z one is now archaic but why as it writes as you sound it? with a "z" not an "s" sur-price silly, I always used the Z one.



We shouldnt let the BBC/"Educated"/Oxford/Cambridge tyrants cajole us into their versions - eg my home town Lowestoft is pronounced ( by fewer these days due to the said tyranny ) with 2 syllables Lowsss-tugh+f ( with a long s) not low-es-toft with a "t" at the end - I think old maps have it Lestoft. Fortunately even they havent been able to "adjust" Happisburgh a town in Norfolk to happ-is-burg - (Pronounced "Haze-bruh", and spelt 'Hapesburg' in the Domesday Book). As I said else where dictionaries and grammar books should be regarded as scientific theories not rods to beat people with eg "earnt" if it aint in the OED, the dictionary is just wrong?

[Ben@Forest]

well I think the tyranny of dictionaries is a modern thing? in days gone by spelling was more fluid? and any way you cant trust spell checkers I seem to to remember is it surprize or surprise? I seem to read that the Z one is now archaic but why as it writes as you sound it? with a "z" not an "s" sur-price silly I always used the Z one

I think you're right about 'surprize' being an archaic spelling, but I suppose it depends whether you want to conform with what is accepted today. Certainly up to the 18th century we said 'sennight' to describe a week (a shortening of seven nights just as fortnight is a shortening of fourteen nights) but if you said 'sennight' to anyone now they'd just give you a confused look.

[mercalia]

I wish that people would stop saying things such as 'you will be walking up the hills in that gear' or '23mm tyres will rattle your fillings out' when they mean 'I would be walking up the hills in that gear' and '23mm tyres will rattle out my fillings'.

that would be wrong and not say the same thing? the "you" is more like the French "vous" than "tu"? Posh so-and-sos could say "one will be walking.."

[cotterpins]

"Tour De Frances" gets me!

[gbnz]

One regular of course is breaking performance, there are some destructive people out there - must be due to not using their brakes!

To be fair, braking with your breaks appears to be fairly common.

[whoof]

I wish that people would stop saying things such as 'you will be walking up the hills in that gear' or '23mm tyres will rattle your fillings out' when they mean 'I would be walking up the hills in that gear' and '23mm tyres will rattle out my fillings'.

that would be wrong and not say the same thing? the "you" is more like the French "vous" than "tu"? Posh so-and-sos could say "one will be walking.."

I know it's not the same thing that's the point.

[gbnz]

Breaks instead of Brakes is another favourite!

My apologies, I hadn't read that far through the replies

[Vorpal]

How about, why can't people spell? Maybe because some people find it difficult and others just aren't bothered as long other understand them?

Maybe because there are more important things in life for many people?

I'm a professional, so I need to be able to use good spelling and grammar, but outside of professions where that is required, I don't see that it makes any difference unless it interferes with understanding. My mother was a pendant, and I used to be one, but after years of working with people who communicate effectively in multiple languages, I really don't see how it matters, as long as people can still communicate.

I generally find cyclists to be somewhat better at spelling than a random group of people.

[mercalia]

How about, why can't people spell? Maybe because some people find it difficult and others just aren't bothered as long other understand them?

Maybe because there are more important things in life for many people?

I'm a professional, so I need to be able to use good spelling and grammar, but outside of professions where that is required, I don't see that it makes any difference unless it interferes with understanding. My mother was a pendant, and I used to be one, but after years of working with people who communicate effectively in multiple languages, I really don't see how it matters, as long as people can still communicate.

I generally find cyclists to be somewhat better at spelling than a random group of people.

I have noticed as I get older my spelling a bit off some times