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Does good spelling make a good report?
7

Does good spelling make a good report?

Does good spelling make a good report?

(OP)
In several threads in this forum the comment has been made that good spelling or good grammar is a sign of a "professional" report.  My initial feeling was to agree, but now I'm not so sure.  The ideal is to have it letter perfect, but how realistic is this?  In the "good old days" one had reports written by committee, and typed up by the typing pool.  The fierce old battle-axe in charge was always a stickler for spelling and grammar (not always right , but always formidable).  Today, we have been right-sized, down-sized, excised and computerised and have to do it ourselves in a fraction of the time.

And when I look back on paper copies of newspapers, magazines and technical papers of the past, they are no better than today, and often far worse.  So how much should it matter?  When should we send a report back for correction because it has offended our sensibillities, but is still clear in its outcomes?

Bung
Life is non-linear...

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

It's along the same lines as haircut and clothing choices.  It's presentation.  Even I, the poster child for informal dress, put on a pair of decent shoes and a shirt with real buttons on it if I'm going to go out and make an impression.  Handing in something full of mistakes (in this day and age of standardized spelling and grammar) says to the reader, "I didn't care enough to have someone spend all of 10 minutes proofreading this."

There are contexts for everything.  I really don't care what people spell wrong in their email, and the day-to-day short letters we write and receive aren't a big deal.  On the other hand, publication is a formal context.  A report to one's superiors or one's clients is a formal context.  And if I have to put on decent shoes and shirt, you have to spell your stuff right.  It's only fair.

Hg

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

4


Good spelling doesn't make a bad report good.

But bad spelling makes a good report bad.

John

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

Bung asks how much should spelling matter, and I agree with Hg: it depends on the context.

In a "formal" document, there's really no excuse, especially with the ubiquitousness of spell check. Content remains the most important factor of course.  But mistakes in spelling, grammar and puntcuation are a sign of at best, haste, or at worst, ignorance--both of which are bad signals to send.

However, in less formal writing (emails, eng-tips posts, etc.) I'm much more willing to overlook minor mistakes. Probably because I make them myself.  Also, depending on the particular format, running spell check may be more of a hassle.

The question then becomes one of defining formal vs. informal.

Marketing documents such as brochures, catalogs, data sheets: definitely formal. Should be 100% perfect. Bung, send 'em back if they're not.

Reports to customers and clients: formal. But one minor error on page 13 of 50 may not warrant a revision.

Reports to management:  those guys probably won't even notice.  Less critical than customer reports. Fix it if it's glaring, otherwise let it go.

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

With tools such as Microsoft's Word, spelling shouldn't bee an issue.  However there software doesn't catch hononyms (spelling?), such as be, bee, there, they're, or their. (examples above)

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

I agree with harrisj,

"Good spelling doesn't make a bad report good.
But bad spelling makes a good report bad."

On a side note, I have seen several reports, notations, logs, etc. from the turn of the century (1900).
They were always written with impeccable penmanship yet were full of misspelled words. It was quite clear that the writer took great time and effort to produce these documents and also clear that they were usually knowledgeable about what they wrote. They just couldn’t spell.

 In today’s computer aided world there is no excuse for poor spelling.

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

Good grammar and spelling always go together. You can have good spelling and poor grammar and have a poor report.

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

Harris has gotten it pretty much right on.

A report with poor content, but impeccable spelling and grammar is still a poor report.

Poor spelling and grammar will, at the very least, lessen the effectiveness of an otherwise good report.  At the worst, poor spelling and grammar may actually alter the writer's intent, possibly to the point where the reader cannot even grasp what the writer was attempting to convey.

On the issue of poor spelling and grammar being more acceptable in "informal" communication, I will say this:  If you take the time to practice proper spelling, grammar and style in everything you write, it will be less of a challenge (or burden) when preparing something formal.

RE: Does good spelling make a good report?

It matters because the able engineer in the next cube who also writes well, uses proper grammar, and can spell will get a bigger slice of the merit raise pool. It doesn't take much time or effort to spell check, proof read, and revise. It sends the wrong message when you don't.

Then again, managers are often the worst offenders, so it may not matter.

Rob Campbell, PE
Finite Monkeys - www.livejournal.com/users/robcampbell

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