One thing that is nails on chalkboard to me is when I hear my fellow nurses use double negatives and other blatant grammar mistakes. I'm speaking of English as a first language, domestically born and raised people.
I feel as this detracts from the professional image of nursing. We are supposed to be educated professionals. Poor grammar makes nursing look like a blue collar trade to those who are educated, such as our physicians and many members of the public.
Let me clarify that I don't harshly judge the intelligence or moral character of people with poor grammar. But, I feel strongly that nurses should project an image of being educated professionals in our speech and demeanor. Thanks for reading.
Boy, do I agree. When I taught, I lowered grades for poor grammar and spelling.:angryfire
Also, I told my students..............CHART AS IF THIS IS THE CHART THAT IS GOING TO COURT. An attorney will spot poor grammar and spelling, and your credibility goes down the tubes.:trout:
ALWAYS maintain professionalism in everything you do. That includes the above.
Sure, I know we get in a hurry, but your spelling and grammar are always important.
Just giving my 2 cent's worth, that's all!!!
I'm glad you said this, though english is one of my very favorate subjects, I have always had a problem with my spelling, so now i'll be walking with my dictionary, because thats my biggest fear losing points for spelling.
[color=brown]personally, i feel that this obsession many have with grammer, spelling, and pronunciation, is a perfect indicator of why many poor people and people from certain cultures, races, and/or ethinicities don't recieve the same level of healthcare as others.
what difference does it make whether a person spells, or pronounces a word correctlly as long as the intended message is conveyed.
when i was a little girl, my family moved to the northwest, i had started first grade in the south where the starting age was 6. when we moved, the starting age was 7. so, i was a year younger then all the other kids in my grade. the teacher resented this and made lite of my southern accent. so much so that she forced me to take phonics because she said she couldn't understand a word i said. i spoke perfect english except for the southern accent. persecuted for my accent alone; and, it made me feel different from all the other students and ashamed of my heritage.
many years before becoming an rn, as an lpn in training, i was taught that grammer wasn't paramount when charting. i was taught to use a few words as possible to convey the message on the chart to conserve space. when doing this, grammer often flies out of the window of syntax.
and, when i went back to school to obtain my degree, many of my instructors praised my succint method of charting.
presently, with this computerized charting, there is only so much space to chart. therefore, we are encouraged to use as few words as possible, making proper language useage impractical.
as for a nurse's poor grammer making them look unprofessional or a lawyer utilizing the same to make them appear less professional to a jury, it's simply false.
if the president of the u.s.a. can speak with poor syntax and mispronunciation, i seriously doubt that a jury would consider a nurse less of a professional.
as a matter of fact, many of those same people who use improper grammer are jurors.
were a lawyer for a plantiff to utilize such a technique, it wouldn't serve his clients best interests.
Nursekare, I know exactly what you mean about feeling singled out because of your accent. My grammar and pronunciation was better than most of the children in my class, but I think people automatically knock 30 points off your IQ when they hear that twang.
You know what, though? I'm guilty of the same thing!
So, yes, I hate to admit that it's hard for me to see in myself what I might criticize in other people. I guess it's human nature, though. People are inherently stupid, I think, in that they are quick to judge by what they can see on the surface. Like a child. I remember this study done on this kindergarten class. They would show pictures of two people, like a big fat ugly woman and a thin young pretty one. The children said the thin one was much smarter because she was pretty. You know age doesn't really change anything, at least not initially. Most all adults I know would think the same thing.
All us fat ugly women should just be lined up and shot, I guess.
If you look in a dictionary, both are acceptable - orient and orientate. They are both synonymous with each other.
Orientate is acceptable in the sense that enough people said it that it was granted reluctant entry. Most writers, editors and instructors dislike it. Intensely.
I say "would of" all the time. Usually, I manage to write "would have." "Would of" just pops out of my mouth for some reason.
When you're speaking, "would've [correct] and "would of" [a real travesty of word justice] sound exactly the same. Amend your thinking to the proper spelling and no one will ever know you once;) thought you were wrong. Easy fix.:w00t:
EricJRN, MSN, RN
1 Article; 6,683 Posts
Shirokuma is right. One may be much more popular, but both are technically acceptable.
http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/orientate