Having been a member of ISR for around two years, I have read many, many school reviews. I never fail to be amazed at the sheer number of educators who cannot spell the word 'morale'!
I have lost count of the number of reviews I have read which say things like: [i] staff moral in the secondary school is really low; this is starting to affect staff moral; or the moral in the primary school is going down. [/i]
It is driving me mad, and it instantly makes me question how much store I can set by a poster's opinion if they can't spell. These are teachers after all!
So, anyone who's planning to write a review of their school, please, please, please learn to spell morale!
Posters - please learn to spell the word 'morale'!!!
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aussiechick
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:37 pm
Maybe all those posters really did mean ¨moral.¨ I would avoid any school where the teachers have both low morale and low morals.
But seriously, I understand your point. It really doesn´t speak well for professional educators who can´t be bothered to proofread their work before submitting.
And Ichiro, the use of ¨they¨ as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun is acceptable usage. Even the Oxford Dictionary folks concede that point. I know, it bothers me too, somewhat, but hey, who am I to argue with the OED??
But seriously, I understand your point. It really doesn´t speak well for professional educators who can´t be bothered to proofread their work before submitting.
And Ichiro, the use of ¨they¨ as a singular, gender-neutral pronoun is acceptable usage. Even the Oxford Dictionary folks concede that point. I know, it bothers me too, somewhat, but hey, who am I to argue with the OED??
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calciodirigore
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:16 pm
- Location: Europe
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aussiechick
- Posts: 30
- Joined: Fri Dec 10, 2010 4:37 pm
ichiro, haven't you got anything better to do?
If I wrote, "how much store can I set by a poster's opinion if he or she can't spell the word morale?" would that be better? Do you seriously think that in an informal forum posting, 'he or she' sounds better than 'they'? And does it really matter?
The original point was that 'morale' would be the most frequently misspelled word in ISR postings. You only have to read a couple of reviews to see that. When you read a lot of reviews and see the same word misspelled over and over, it becomes frustrating. But clearly you don't have a problem with spelling mistakes, only with antiquated grammar differences of opinion.
And incidentally, this is from www.oxforddictionaries.com:
•You can use the plural pronouns ‘they’, ‘them’, ‘their’ etc., despite the fact that, technically, they are referring back to a singular noun:
If your child is thinking about a gap year, they can get good advice from this website.
A researcher has to be completely objective in their findings.
Some people object to the use of plural pronouns in this type of situation on the grounds that it’s ungrammatical. In fact, the use of plural pronouns to refer back to a singular subject isn’t new: it represents a revival of a practice dating from the 16th century. It’s increasingly common in current English and is now widely accepted both in speech and in writing.
If I wrote, "how much store can I set by a poster's opinion if he or she can't spell the word morale?" would that be better? Do you seriously think that in an informal forum posting, 'he or she' sounds better than 'they'? And does it really matter?
The original point was that 'morale' would be the most frequently misspelled word in ISR postings. You only have to read a couple of reviews to see that. When you read a lot of reviews and see the same word misspelled over and over, it becomes frustrating. But clearly you don't have a problem with spelling mistakes, only with antiquated grammar differences of opinion.
And incidentally, this is from www.oxforddictionaries.com:
•You can use the plural pronouns ‘they’, ‘them’, ‘their’ etc., despite the fact that, technically, they are referring back to a singular noun:
If your child is thinking about a gap year, they can get good advice from this website.
A researcher has to be completely objective in their findings.
Some people object to the use of plural pronouns in this type of situation on the grounds that it’s ungrammatical. In fact, the use of plural pronouns to refer back to a singular subject isn’t new: it represents a revival of a practice dating from the 16th century. It’s increasingly common in current English and is now widely accepted both in speech and in writing.
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calciodirigore
- Posts: 155
- Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2009 12:16 pm
- Location: Europe
[quote] ichiro By whom? And it what realm? [/quote]
1. See aussiechick's latest reply.
2. The English language is not regulated by a single body (like say Spanish is by the Real Academia). So, when self proclaimed (and universally respected) experts such as the Oxford English Dictionary or Merriam-Webster say it's widely done and accepted, then I would say that it's cool.
1. See aussiechick's latest reply.
2. The English language is not regulated by a single body (like say Spanish is by the Real Academia). So, when self proclaimed (and universally respected) experts such as the Oxford English Dictionary or Merriam-Webster say it's widely done and accepted, then I would say that it's cool.
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teacherlady
- Posts: 6
- Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 12:43 pm
Principal versus Principle
I would also like to note that many posters mix up principal (the person) and principle (the attitude) ... it is driving me nuts.
Thanks! :)
Thanks! :)