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ESL forum >
Message board > Spelling Errors
Spelling Errors
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maddie2
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Spelling Errors
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I love scrolling through and looking at all the great work that has been contributed - however, I am often concerned to see spelling errors appearing on worksheets and in ppts. What should I do? Contact the contributor or not worry? |
9 Oct 2008
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Vickiii
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Hi suzanne from downunder...
When I first came on the site i would let people know if they had made a serious error. But I found out really quickly that many people do not appreciate this - so now I just spell and grammar check all printables. I think it is important to check any printable thoroughly before handing to your students. I was in a hurry one day and in front of my class found several sentences in a printable were grammatically correct - but made no sense in real life english. I of course was at fault for not having checked first.
Now I only ever mention anything if the printable has a fatal flaw that is actually teaching the completely wrong thing and the worksheet is popular. If I see a mistake being made that i think is a really good discussion point I post it in the grammar and linguistics discussion forum - it is a wonderful place to get feedback on grammatical rules (which I am learning all about!) and also to provide feedback to others on what a native speaker says.
This is of course just my opinion, some people on the site believe we should comment on errors - Its just that I hate it when you do this and someone takes it as a personal insult - i don�t like upsetting people most of the time. Welcome aboard. |
9 Oct 2008
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Logos
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This is a difficult and obviously sensitive issue as no one likes to hear any �criticism� about their work - but only praise. Whilst I would be the first to concur that good comments and appreciation should indeed be expressed, I do not think that pointing out mistakes is necessarily a bad comment or insinuating that the worksheet is of �inferior quality�. Criticism, can be both constructive and destructive - unfortunately, most people tend to think of the destructive part rather than the former.
I have also downloaded many worksheets and have had to check them for grammar and spelling errors. Please do not misunderstand me here, but many contributors - whilst being extremely proficient in the English language - are not native speakers and even the most proficient teacher is still a learner. If there are genuine mistakes in a worksheet, then why should they feel any shame or disgust at these being pointed out?
Surely this will help the contributor and those who are subsequently downloading the worksheet to make the appropriate corrections. I have written many things and reviewed them to make sure that they are grammatically correct and the spelling is okay, only to have them published and when they are in print, there are mistakes that I missed. Despite my very careful checking.
If the comment is about style and presentation, then this is a matter of taste and can either be ignored or considered by the contributor.
So please, let us all be �adult� about this and point out mistakes and errors with sensitivity, whilst accepting and learning from these errors with humility.
So please go through all my contributions (and this reply if you wish) and point out any mistakes - I will be glad to receive them, because I am sure you will find many. |
9 Oct 2008
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sindelll
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I quite agree to this, because at first i just handed the ws to my Sts and they were asking me some questions about the mistakes appearing in the papers(((So the only possible way out is to spell check and grammar check all the thing we download!!!!And do the same with all the things we upload as well!!!!!
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9 Oct 2008
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frenchfrog
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Hi, Suzanne!
Thanks for your comment on my two Halloween powerpoints!
- Spelling errors occur when you are so absorbed in what you are doing that you can�t �see� what you are doing anymore.
- Sometimes they occur because you are influenced by your mother tongue (I made a powerpoint about the present perfect, using the word �tarantula� which I wrote �tarentula� because in French, it is �tarentule�; unfortunately, we cannot make any change in the powerpoints we send).
We should always have it in mind that many members spend quite some time (sometimes a few hours) to prepare a nice worksheet. So we should always be thankful! They did 98% of the work! Why should we not do the remaining 2% by reading carefully and making the change(s) if necessary? We should not always expect perfect and ready-to-be-used worksheets (and that�s why I am not always in favour of including the answers; if the answers are not included, we are, at least, forced to read the worksheet before doing it with our students).
So, if you decide to report the spelling mistakes, try to do it very nicely! You will see it is not an easy thing to do because you never know how the member will receive your remark!! We all have our bad days!
I think a nice compromise is to point out the mistake(s) [so that the member who created the worksheet can upload a new version if necessary, and the other members can be aware of the mistake(s)] while telling YOU can change them very easily (see the post I sent a few weeks ago: http://www.eslprintables.com/forum/topic.asp?id=113&page=1) I am sure you would not like to have a comment like �There is a typing mistake here, another one there � God, you cannot even master your own mother tongue!� It is also very annoying to read comments like �Are you sure that �?� because when you reread your own worksheet and see the mistake, of course you are sure it is not correct!
Frenchfrog |
9 Oct 2008
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Vickiii
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I think my meaning was misunderstood. I actually think constructive comments are wonderful. I just choose not to give them anymore because of responses i have had when I have done so. I would never be negative about a persons worksheet and when I have given someone feedback it has been done so in a supportive way. I just don�t like seeing people upset - as intent is often misinterrpreted.
If there are any errors in any of my works - I would prefer someone told me. I type to fast for my own good and sometimes my left hand beats my right hand to letters - therefore I get letter confusion going on, and also - i am only human and make mistakes. But - for now- I don�t say a thing about errors - unless the person has asked for feedback or on the forum - because if you are making comments on the forum you are engaging in conversation where people can express opinions.
With respect - Vickiii |
9 Oct 2008
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maddie2
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Thanks everyone for your comments - I personally would like people to point out my mistakes, but can understand that some people may take it personally - I love the contributions that are made, they give me lots of ideas and save me lots of time. I think the problem arises when people are not native speakers - I admire their ability to speak another language anyway! I am still struggling with a few Korean phrases. |
10 Oct 2008
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frenchfrog
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I totally agree with you Vickiii! I also think constructive comments are wonderful. But we are talking of CONSTRUCTIVE comments. You have never left a negative comment.
I am always very grateful when native speakers tell me that what I wrote is grammatically correct but that it is not what they would say spontaneously. And I am also very grateful when they tell me that what I wrote is not correct at all or very awkward!!
What I meant was, instead of focusing on the mistake(s) FIRST, let�s thank the creator of the worksheet for what he / she did (i.e. 98% of the work). The remaining 2% is OUR job: we can reread and point out the mistake(s) indeed, but I think it is nice to add something like: �There is a typing mistake on page 3 BUT WE CAN EASILY CORRECT IT!�
Vickiii, I am only trying to see the bright side first!! I think this is what you advised me to do, right? 
Frenchfrog |
10 Oct 2008
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