does ones grammer matter?

I hope i am setting this up correctly.Ok i have always wondered what the members on this site opinions where on ones grammer.I have been told on another site that if your grammer is bad then there is no way you can keep or breed reptiles properly:rolleyes: .I will be the first to admit my grammer is bad.I have kept snakes going on 9yrs now and this is my second year breeding.I feel your grammer has nothing to do with caring for your reptiles or breeding them.Now on to the poll if i set this up correctly:oops: .

I voted no. Personally I don't judge someone by their grammar, most especially online. Yes I enjoy a well worded, well spoken person or typed post. However, there are a number of people I know that are quite intelligent, responsible wonderful adults but have dyslexia so their typing skills may not be the best. I think when one sets up a website for a business or prints brochures, etc. then yes you do need to make sure they are grammatically correct but that's easy to accomplish with a good proof-reader.

If someone judged our ability to raise and breed quality snakes, based solely on something like grammar...well personally they can keep their money and shop elsewhere as far as I'm concerned...that's just ridiculous! (IMHO)

Does this really even need to be addressed? I mean....come on, how do the two go together. I think we should all have a decent knowledge of grammer so we can understand each other. I get tired of people going extreme with grammer. In school they make a big deal about grammer, but I work for an insuance company (thier home office) and you should see the e-mails I see. I think as long as you can get your point across effectively then what is the problem? Oh and my spelling is bad too, but I'm a math person not a grammer person....and I would think math is more important to owning snakes (temps, measurements, etc.) then grammer anyways....but if you are not good at math I wouldn't hold that againts you either. Of course I'm a noob snake owner :), so I guess I'm not the best person to address this issue.

In my opinion, being grammatically incorrect does not in any fashion or form have anything to do with one's intellect. If you can gather the necessary information and apply that knowledge to your breeding program successfully, then that is all that matters. On the other hand, if you wan't to do business on a professional level, having a decent arsenal in the vocabulary deparment wouldn't hurt :cool:

Hmmm another thought (just struck me as funny).....

Seems the most effective scam artists are what my grandparents used to call "silver tongued SOB's" LOL They generally have some pretty slick manners and just lovely grammar....but I'd rather look deeper and see the person's message not just the slick package they are delivering it with.

I voted no by the way.

I like a post to be worded well and understandable. Everyone makes grammatical mistakes and spelling mistakes now and then but I like to be able to have an idea of what someone is trying to convey. Just my opinion...

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Originally Posted by jglass38

I like a post to be worded well and understandable. Everyone makes grammatical mistakes and spelling mistakes now and then but I like to be able to have an idea of what someone is trying to convey. Just my opinion...

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I agree.

I like to be able to read ones posts and understand what it is they are asking or making comment on. Nothing frustrates me more than a post that is nothing but a run along half thought out paragraphical mess that has no punctuation. It drives me insane. It is those same posts I tend to either quit reading because my eyes tired out about 1/4 of the way through it, or could not make heads or tails of what they are saying because of lack or punctuation and even things as simple as paragraphs letting you know they are moving onto a new idea or thought.

Spelling is not so very important, however, I like to still be able to read and somewhat get the gist of what a person is saying, when spelling errors are such that you cant make sense of what they are saying, it is frustrating.

Do I feel that lack of these things I have pointed out means they are unable to care for thier reptiles correctly? No, not neccessarily, because thier reading skills may actually be better than thier communication skills.

I'm a dyslexic atheists i don't believe in the almighty dog. One year i got confused and sold my soul to santa, but i think i can keepie my snakies just finie but rember before you singie anythingie read the fineie printie.

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Originally Posted by McAdry

I'm a dyslexic atheists i don't believe in the almighty dog. One year i got confused and sold my soul to santa, but i think i can keepie my snakies just finie but rember before you singie anythingie read the fineie printie.

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What the "hail" did you just say? :D :pinkele:

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Originally Posted by McAdry

I'm a dyslexic atheists i don't believe in the almighty dog. One year i got confused and sold my soul to santa, but i think i can keepie my snakies just finie but rember before you singie anythingie read the fineie printie.

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You are a funny funny man Mike!!!! Even I know you are not that bad off... but great try.

Should I start to type out posts in Igpae Atinlae? Might confuse alot of ppl huh? Problem is, there are so many variasions on it, unless you know which "brand" one is speaking, your toast.

I have seen forums where regular members routinely criticize newcomers (or other established members that they disagree with) based on nothing more than poor grammar or spelling. That's just plain stupid in my opinion, and a very good sign of extreme elitism. Not the sort of place I would want to be involved with.


A person's ability to communicate in a written/typed medium has no bearing in their ability to keep and breed animals of any sort. As has already been stated, bad grammar/spelling is not a sign of poor intellect.

All that being said...there are extremes that make is much, much harder for some people to get basic Internet support, even on a site like this. As Jeanne pointed out, occassionally someone will type out a question or comment that is nothing but a giant run-on sentence without any hint of punctuation or division of thought. Mix in a number of misspelled or misspoken words and it is downright painful to try and read. Like Jeanne, I have a tendency to give up on those kinds of posts. So an attempt to make yourself more clearly understood, even if it doesn't fall within the bounds of classical grammar, is greatly to your advantage.

And if you want to run a successful business, your chances of doing so are much, much greater if you have more than a basic understanding of the English language and how it should be written. But there are always exceptions, even to that. Look at Ralph Davis's website. Highly successful breeder and businessman....but any college English prof. would have fits trying to read his website! Still, the man manages to communicate extremely well, without even remotely trying to follow the standard rules of grammar.

The ability to communicate is the key.

Ack...this post went on much longer than I thought it would. Sorry for being so verbose! :P

To answer your question Raj...

Something about "I am a dislexic athieist who does not believe in the almighty god, sold his soul to santa but thinks he can keep his snakes just fine and read the fine print before you sign"

Yeah I think thats it. But living where I live, you have to be able to pick through hill jack language so I have an advantage cause that was close.. no offense taken Mike, I hope..;)

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Originally Posted by Jeanne

To answer your question Raj...

Something about "I am a dislexic athieist who does not believe in the almighty god, sold his soul to santa but thinks he can keep his snakes just fine and read the fine print before you sign"

Yeah I think thats it. But living where I live, you have to be able to pick through hill jack language so I have an advantage cause that was close.. no offense taken Mike, I hope..;)

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Lol, I know what he meant. I was just busting his chops :rolleye2: I understand "hill jack" quite a bit meself. I used to live in Arkansas ya know ;) :D

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Originally Posted by McAdry

I'm a dyslexic atheists i don't believe in the almighty dog. One year i got confused and sold my soul to santa, but i think i can keepie my snakies just finie but rember before you singie anythingie read the fineie printie.

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Bahahahaah!!! That comes from years of watching the Red Wings. Its called Yzermanitis...

Well yes Judy it was long but so well worded and I didn't need to get the red marker out once LMAO! (I should say anything about long posts being the Queen of the Long Winded Post myself :oops: )


Raj, welcome to the world of my husband's bizarre sense of humour LOL. Good one hon...I nearly spit coffee on our computer reading it! :giggle:

Want a laugh. Back when Mike and I met online and were typing a lot, well Mike has very big hands...large fingers, lil keys....look to the immediate left of the J key...what do you see....now put that letter in my name "Jo" instead of the J...let's just say it was a bit surprising to see that typed by the guy online I really liked (well till I figured out how to read typonese LOL)

I bet your all really meanies at heart and think that your abc are better then my zyx's and on top of that ya'll likely to be the kinda peeps that ruin the beginning of a story too. just kidding thought we all could us a good laugh. Have fun dont take yourself too seriously lest you find others laughing at you.

This is a tricky question. Good Grammar shows education, but you don't need to have it to be smart (does that make sense?). What I mean is that when you have good grammar people are more liable to take you seriously. When you say, "Does it matter?"...I'd have to say no, but if you can't learn something as simple as grammar than others would say you can't learn to take care of, or breed, snakes (or reptiles). This IS false. See, this is a very tricky and complex question. David Hume, where are you? Kant? This is very deep and I will need to meditate on it awhile. :rolleye2:

I know that grammar doesn't have anything to do with breeding ball pythons, but it has everything to do with the selling of ball pythons. If I can't understand what you are saying to me, I guarantee I will move on to the next person. Especially in todays world of the internet, good communication is the key to good business!! ;)

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

I know that grammar doesn't have anything to do with breeding ball pythons, but it has everything to do with the selling of ball pythons. If I can't understand what you are saying to me, I guarantee I will move on to the next person. Especially in todays world of the internet, good communication is the key to good business!! ;)

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OK, say you are at a reptile show.Do you base your purchases on how the person talks or how the reptile looks? Like i stated in the beggining of this poll i was told that if your grammer is bad then there is no way you can breed reptiles:rolleyes: . I told this person who cares how someones grammer is,what matters is how the snakes are cared for and there health.I also told this person last time i checked reptiles could care less as to what we are saying,if they are in the mood then they are in the mood :wuv: lol.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

OK, say you are at a reptile show.Do you base your purchases on how the person talks or how the reptile looks? Like i stated in the beggining of this poll i was told that if your grammer is bad then there is no way you can breed reptiles:rolleyes: . I told this person who cares how someones grammer is,what matters is how the snakes are cared for and there health.I also told this person last time i checked reptiles could care less as to what we are saying,if they are in the mood then they are in the mood :wuv: lol.

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Well, my answer was geared to internet sales and communication. But I do believe everyone is capable of using proper grammar if they at least put an effort into it. I'm not saying people can't make mistakes, I am not an english professor. LOL!! If I am looking at purchasing a snake from 2 different people and I sent them both an email asking questions. IF the emails contained the same information, but one was very hard to understand and the other looked very professional. I think you can tell which way I would lean.

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

Well, my answer was geared to internet sales and communication. But I do believe everyone is capable of using proper grammar if they at least put an effort into it. I'm not saying people can't make mistakes, I am not an english professor. LOL!! If I am looking at purchasing a snake from 2 different people and I sent them both an email asking questions. IF the emails contained the same information, but one was very hard to understand and the other looked very professional. I think you can tell which way I would lean.

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O i understand.If i recieved a reply from someone and it was like " i beba huvng 2 sneaks four sells witch ones yuns wants".I would run away lol.I was told by me spelling a few words wrong that i was to ignorant to be able to have the knowledge to breed reptiles.That is why i asked this question on a poll to see how others feel on the subject.

Like Wild Bill said, I certainly think someone with bad grammer can breed snakes just as well as the next guy, but I think it would be harder to sell them...

It's more about salesmanship and just looking professional. Same goes for websites and so forth. I went with SMR over Kathy Love for my first snake because Don's site was more professional and easier to read and navigate. People feel more comfortable when they can easily and quickly get the information they need. Doesn't mean the quality of animal is any different, that's just knowing how to sell yourself.

Of course, that's mainly just internet sales. As far as breeding and chatting, so long as I got the gist then who cares., and when the snake is right there in front of you... well, that's cheating! I got my Beauties from a guy I'd probably never buy from if Ma-tsu hadn't been sticking her cute little face in my purse. :) More about sales, less about the actual breeding and the snakes themselves. :2cent:

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Originally Posted by joepythons

OK, say you are at a reptile show.Do you base your purchases on how the person talks or how the reptile looks?

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I would say "both."

A person could speak with perfect diction, but if he doesn't know what he's talking about and his snakes are flaking old shed and looking thin...it's a no-brainer. And if a person says "This snake eats real good," instead of saying "This snake eats well," I'm not likely to even notice because I'm busy looking at his lovely, healthy snakes and asking questions that he actually knows the answers to.

But if it comes down to two different vendors...both of whom obviously care about their snakes and know what they are talking about and have a nice selection of animals....I will definitely be more drawn to the one who communicates best and comes across as more educated.

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Originally Posted by joepythons

Like i stated in the beggining of this poll i was told that if your grammer is bad then there is no way you can breed reptiles:rolleyes: .

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With this precise point, I disagree wholeheartedly...and answered the poll accordingly, because I was basing my answer on your original question, and not on whether I believe good grammar is important in other aspects of our lives.

Yes.

If we are talking about just online sales here, then reading/writing is about the only thing you have to base your decision on. If I am buying an expensive animal from someone, I expect them to be professional.

Who here does not have access to a word processing program? Almost every one has a spell checker, and many e-mail clients and BB's have built in spell checkers.

I don't expect everyone to write perfectly in posts... half of the time I am posting I am doing it in my spare time at work and just type it up as fast as I can.... however if I was trying to sell a snake, and was responding back to a potential client, I would make an effort to spell everything correctly and phrase everything in a grammatically correct way.... you don't even need to know how to spell right if you have a spelling/grammar checker.

If I e-mail someone about a snake and they respond saying "Ya, kool, here be the piks you askde for".... I tend to think that this person may not take themselves, or their business/hobby very seriously.

Does this mean that this person raises bad or unhealthy snakes? No, of course not. But it does mean I am less likely to deal with someone who gives the appearance of being unorganized, unprofessional, uneducated, or simply just doesnt seem to care enough to make the effort.