Punctuation rant

Why do people think it's okay to write in such an illegible fashion?!? Argh!

I received this response to my inquiry regarding a local car for sale that I found on CL.

the car is what the call a box stock it is a begenning class or a class to have fun in i dont know the hp i put a spring buckit in the left front to make a stiifer spring rate the passanger door needs weld back on it is rce ready outher then that im a skinny guy it has a 14 1/2 seat kirckey every thing has one season on it i have a spare motor and trans axle the motor is torn apart but is all there i was going to shave the head and the flywheel to make itget of the coners it is a double over head cam 16 valve 4 cyl ive won 3 or 4 heat races and finshed 2 a couple of times chang the oil every 2 races and run water wetter in the raditor my dad was the machinc and i drove it soo thats it you can call me at 904 827 9689 if you have any more questions

I cannot stand trying to read this garbage.

I only made it through the first line before my eyes started to glaze over.

Why didn't I think of shaving the head and the flywheel to make it get of the corners? Geez I can be so stupid sometimes!

Thank you.

If you can read this thank a school teacher............if you wrote it hang your head in shame

It's very sad how few people out there are able to write a coherent sentence.

Huge pet peeve of mine.

An attempt to translate it in to "English, Motherberkeleyer, do you speak it":

The car is mostly box stock. It is for beginners' classes or to have fun. I don't know the horsepower, which is to say it has very little power. If it was fast, I'd have an outrageous horsepower claim. I put a spring bucket in the left front to stiffen the spring rate. I'm sure you can guess that was a dangerously bodged job. Also, the passenger door needs to be welded back on. It is is race-ready other than that. I'm a skinny guy, so it has a 14 1/2" Kirkey seat. Everything has one season on it, and I have a spare motor and transaxle. The motor is torn apart but is all there. I was going to shave the head and the flywheel in a misguided attempt to get it out of the corners, but luckily for you I never began that butchery. It is a double overhead cam, 16-valve 4 cylinder engine, which of course tells you nothing about the engine and doesn't differentiate it in any way from millions of econoboxes sold everyday, but it sounded neat to say. I've won three or four heat races and finished second a couple of times. I change the oil after every other race and run water wetter in the radiator. My dad was the mechanic. He has an awesome set of tools. I just drove it, albeit not very often or very well. That's all the information I have about this poor little unloved car. You may call me if you have questions you think I may actually be able to answer.

"Oh sterwardess, I speak jive"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-xHPU6NulM

The only reason I might pursue this is as a Lemons car. The price is too high as advertised, but there's always hope, given his lack of command of the English language, that his negotiation skills are equivalent.

Every time I see something like that I can only imagine it being read by Boomhauer from "King of the Hill."

J

^LOL!

The reason so few people can write these days is because so few people bother to read. You can't spell a word if you've never seen it in print.

Perhaps I'm alone here, but when people who ought to know better allow themselves to sound illiterate I go nuts. I forget which cell company runs the "Where you at?" ads, but dammit, I want to find that ad exec and flog him while screaming "Verb, motherberkeleyer! Your sentence lacks one!" Literate people say "Where are you?"

Our language is doomed because people that write like the one in question feel no shame for not knowing any better.

The proper answer to "Where you at?" is "I am right behind the preposition, why can't you see me you stupid motherberkeleyer?"

Here, I entered it into the redneck Dialectizer for you:

th' car is whut th' call a box stock it is a bejunnin' class o' a class t'have fun in i dont knows th' hp i put a sprin' buckit in th' lef' front t'make a stiifer sprin' rate th' passanger dore needs weld back on it is rce ready outher then thet im a hideny guy it has a 14 1/2 seat kirckey ev'ry thin' has one season on it i haf a spare moto' an' trans axle th' moto' is to'n apart but is all thar i was a-gonna shave th' haid an' th' flywheel t'make itgit of th' coners it is a double on over haid cam 16 valve 4 cyl ive won 3 o' 4 heat races an' finshed 2 a couple of times chang th' oil ev'ry 2 races an' helter-skelter water wetter in th' radito' mah Paw was th' machinc an' i drove it soo thets it yo' kin call me at 904 827 9689 eff'n yo' haf enny mo'e quesshuns

Shawn

Trans_Maro wrote: Here, I entered it into the redneck Dialectizer for you: th' car is whut th' call a box stock it is a bejunnin' class o' a class t'have fun in i dont knows th' hp i put a sprin' buckit in th' lef' front t'make a stiifer sprin' rate th' passanger dore needs weld back on it is rce ready outher then thet im a hideny guy it has a 14 1/2 seat kirckey ev'ry thin' has one season on it i haf a spare moto' an' trans axle th' moto' is to'n apart but is all thar i was a-gonna shave th' haid an' th' flywheel t'make itgit of th' coners it is a double on over haid cam 16 valve 4 cyl ive won 3 o' 4 heat races an' finshed 2 a couple of times chang th' oil ev'ry 2 races an' helter-skelter water wetter in th' radito' mah Paw was th' machinc an' i drove it soo thets it yo' kin call me at 904 827 9689 eff'n yo' haf enny mo'e quesshuns Shawn

Ironically, that didn't make it that much worse.

I have a customer in Antigua. Very bright young man, well spoken in person. Has 85 employess, so his business smarts must be OK. When he sends me e-mails, I have to spend a lot of time translating them. Horrible mis spellings and grammer. Almost unintelligble. From this I can only assume that the education system on his island really sucks. Hear me, Margie?

GRM in hacker

http://sites.gizoogle.com/index2.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fgrassrootsmotorsports.com%2Fforum%2Foff-topic-discussion%2Fpunctuation-rant%2F6395%2Fpage1%2F

Have you ever asked a question and not expected an answer?

Will wrote: I forget which cell company runs the "Where you at?" ads, but dammit, I want to find that ad exec and flog him while screaming "Verb, motherberkeleyer! Your sentence lacks one!" Literate people say "Where are you?"

The person responsible for "Where you at?" is Darryl Cobbin but he is no longer with Boost Mobile. He is now Exec. VP of Marketing for Fox Movies. http://www.fox.com/diversity/press_releases/2007-11-07_darryl_cobbin.htm

The original ad to feature "where you at?" was this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TLLewkpKZNI&feature=related

Then it expanded to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ilHt1gorOI&feature=related and this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ew94okDkCwU&feature=related

But it has run it cycle and "Where you at?" is not part of the marketing moving forward.

The correct answer to "Where you at?" is; "Its all good." The question is not about a physical place but rather a state of mind and being.

As far as reaching out to flog and scream verb you may want to direct that anger at Caralene.Robinson@boostmobile.com or call 949-678-0120. She is the Dir of Mrktg Svcs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd00vEqMmIY&feature=PlayList&p=F3644C5182B930A3&playnext=1&index=22

Wow...actually yes, I was not expecting any answer, let alone that one. I think I'm too in awe to actually start flogging just yet.

You would not be the first to not like "Where you at?"

Maybe this version would appeal to you?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pd00vEqMmIY&feature=PlayList&p=F3644C5182B930A3&playnext=1&index=22

I have never seen or heard of the "where you at" ads...time to crawl out of my cave and click on the links I guess. On second thought, I think I won't.

I helped my uncle jack off a horse.

I helped my uncle, Jack, off a horse.

Punctuation, proper capitalization, and spelling is very important even if it is on the internet!

I see "Texting" as the cause of this. Someone posted a question on a forum I follow once. I forget if it was this one or another. Anyway, it was punctuated/capitalized as above. Whatever board it was jumped on him and the answer was "Oh, well, I so used to texting and that's just how we do it." So, expect a generation of people unable to capitalize or punctuate coming behind this generation with the 5 minute attention span from video games.

My friends are freaked out when I text the same way I write.