Losing patience to read deeply?

[shootingstar]

This is fascinating. I've been thinking there must be some kind of practice/repetition aspect to rules of grammar/good spelling -- like you, I was a voracious reader as a kid and internalized a lot prior to formally studying grammar, and spelling always came easy.

I was always a good speller until the past few years. I've just become more careless in proofreading. Not good.

I believed for a long time that my good spelling tendencies was because of reading alot. This is an excellent reason why we should continue to pay attention to our word spelling and correct grammar: it does model other people's abilities to spell accurately long term.

I also feel that taking Latin in high school for few years, enhanced my spelling abilities since it demonstrates the origins of some English words.

Reading on my own heavily during primary school years, was to help ramp up my English language skills which I learned only after kindergarten even though I was born in Canada.

I was reading adult books from age 9 onward. Of course that was interspersed with books meant for teens.

[NbyNW]

I make it a rule to never proofread my own stuff ... a fresh set of eyes is always best, if you can build a good rapport with another co-worker who also has good grammar and spelling skills.

[indysteel]

I make it a rule to never proofread my own stuff ... a fresh set of eyes is always best, if you can build a good rapport with another co-worker who also has good grammar and spelling skills.

I am a bad proofreader of my own work. By the time I hand it over to my boss, I have most of my text memorized, so when I read it, my eyes gloss over much too much. Try as I might to catch my own typos, I always miss something. Thankfully, my boss is pretty kind about my mistakes, but every once in a while, he'll say something a little snarky. Given how good my work is substantively (in my humble opinion), it kind of hurts my feelings, but I don't otherwise have anybody else to proof my work for me.

[lph]

I am a bad proofreader of my own work.

Yup, me too. I rarely misspell anything, but I can get caught up in my own convoluted syntax which makes perfect sense from inside my own head and no sense to anyone else... I don't mind people pointing it out, I can usually see it myself when they do.

But I do have issues with this one boss at work, who will not agree on certain writing principles that to me are just elementary. He insists on documents with standard "recapping titles" that turn out 5 lines long, and where 90% of the words are regurgitated information and the final word or two is essential. Aaaargh.

An example would be if I titled this post: "TeamEstrogen Forums, Open Topic (non-cycling): Re: shootingstar "Losing patience to read deeply" - Re: indysteel, reply: LPH"

NbyNW: I'm bilingual English/Norwegian, but write and read a lot more English that I speak. When I spent two months in France struggling to speak my high-school French daily, I suddenly had trouble writing letters home in English. Seemed there was only room in my head for two languages at a time... A bit unnerving actually.

[indysteel]

See, that's what frustrates me, lph. I will write an involved and complicated legal analysis that is pretty darn tight. It'll have great syntax and structure. Substantively, it's fantastic. But I'll leave out a word or forget an "s" or misspell a party's name. Stupid stuff that I should catch. My boss will come into my office and say "sounds great minus your typos." Argh!!!

I actually think being a voracious and fast reader works to my detriment in reading my own work. I have to really try to slow down.

[Blueberry]

Indy - I could have written your post. It's not just you

[shootingstar]

It is not realistic for me to give most of my docs. for someone else to proof-read. Most of the stuff is internal but reports to go Senior Management and pile of other people.

People are caught up in their own work. Administrative Assistant does a narrow defined type of work because same person covers work for other divisions. After all, for some professional positions, one gets hired, partially for their advanced communication skills.

[indysteel]

Indy - I could have written your post. It's not just you

You know what the say about great minds!

My other problem is that by the time I am done with a draft opinion, I am SO sick of it. While this isn't true of all my work, I sometimes spends weeks on a single opinion. A few have taken even longer than that. It's hard fir me to read and reread it for typos; I just want it off my desk. All this said, I am proud of my work. Being an avid reader as a child made me into a lover of language and words. I may not be creative in the traditional sense, I do think of myself as a writer.