Originally Posted by
southwest88
(Laughing)
Yah, it's old training. Once upon a time, I was a proofreader & copyeditor. & I've long had a facility with language. Once I learned to touch-type, there was no holding me back. Anyway, it comes down to sloppy writing &/or thinking.
It's often hard to tell which it is. Yes, everyone can pick up a pen or pencil, everyone can sit @ a keyboard. However, all the software aids (spellcheck, grammar check, syntax, etc.) to the contrary, not everyone can write well. So I tend to carry on guerrilla warfare against unclear language - it's just me. I recognize that often people are in a hurry, or upset, & so on.
Still, because written language doesn't have the advantage of a face-to-face encounter - so that you can gauge how your POV is coming across, if you need to adjust your tone, vocabulary, references, etc. - or even look to body language or eye-rolling - written language needs more attention than conversing, in order to have a fair chance of communicating what you mean to, & not some tangential thing that you didn't mean to.