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  #1  
Old November 05, 2009, 04:26 AM
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Bad spelling

Usually I study British English, but this year I have a subject of American Literature. I have prepared my word processing for BrE, but with this subject I find words that usually I spell in another way. For instance, all the words ending in -ise, are ending in -ize; or I wanted to write 'neighbour', because I'm get used to write it so, but my book says neighbor and my word processign marks it as if it was wrong.

Well, I don't mind my word processing, bu my teachers. My question is if I wrote something with American spelling in a British English exam (or vice versa), is it considered a great mistake or just something that is "somehow" acceptable. What do you think?

Thanks in advance
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  #2  
Old November 05, 2009, 06:00 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar View Post
my word processign marks it as if it was wrong.
were subjunctivo

Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar View Post
if I wrote (subjunctivo)something with American spelling in a British English exam (or vice versa), is it considered a great mistake or just something that is "somehow" acceptable. What do you think?

Thanks in advance
I think it would not be considered as any kind of bad mistake if you wrote, say, labor instead of labour. Similarly, -ize instead of -ise would hardly be a mistake, considering that a lot of English words end in -ize anyway, and not many people know the 'rules'. (It depends on the etymology - very generally if the word is borrowed from French, it ends in -ise, but if it comes directly from Greek, it copies the Greek -izo and becomes -ize. But who the hell would know this? ).

I would think you have nothing to worry about, but avoid the obvious spelling differences, for example nite for night , or donut for doughnut .

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  #3  
Old November 05, 2009, 06:33 AM
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Originally Posted by Perikles View Post
were subjunctivo

I think it would not be considered as any kind of bad mistake if you wrote, say, labor instead of labour. Similarly, -ize instead of -ise would hardly be a mistake, considering that a lot of English words end in -ize anyway, and not many people know the 'rules'. (It depends on the etymology - very generally if the word is borrowed from French, it ends in -ise, but if it comes directly from Greek, it copies the Greek -izo and becomes -ize. But who the hell would know this? ).

I would think you have nothing to worry about, but avoid the obvious spelling differences, for example nite for night , or donut for doughnut .

Vaya con el subjuntivo que no usáis (siempre se me olvida)

Well, I don't know these obvious differences (nite for night ). I'm sure I won't make a mistake with it

Thanks
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Old November 05, 2009, 07:16 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by irmamar View Post
Usually I study British English, but this year I have a subject of American Literature. I have prepared my word processing for BrE, but with this subject I find words that usually I spell in another way. For instance, all the words ending in -ise, are ending in -ize; or I wanted to write 'neighbour', because I'm get used to write it so, but my book says neighbor and my word processign marks it as if it was wrong.

Well, I don't mind my word processing, bu my teachers. My question is if I wrote something with American spelling in a British English exam (or vice versa), is it considered a great mistake or just something that is "somehow" acceptable. What do you think?

Thanks in advance
Depende en su profesor. Sería una buena idea preguntar su catedrático lo que piensa. Hay algunos pedagogos muy tenaces en seguir las reglas de deletrear de su región. Aunque no veo la gran importancia en eso, si estás estudiando inglés británico será mejor enfocar en el estilo de deletrear los ingleses por mantener consistencia y nada más.
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Old November 05, 2009, 07:44 AM
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Si es para el CAE de Cambridge, dicen lo siguente:
Quote:
Varieties of English

Candidates’ responses to tasks in the Cambridge ESOL examinations are acceptable in varieties of English which would enable candidates to function in the widest range of international contexts. Candidates are expected to use a particular variety with some degree of consistency in areas such as spelling, and not for example switch from using a British spelling of a word to an American spelling of the same word in the same written response to a given task.
Fuente: http://www.cambridgeesol.org/assets/...e_hb_dec08.pdf página 4
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  #6  
Old November 05, 2009, 07:52 AM
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Originally Posted by poli View Post
Depende en su profesor. Sería una buena idea preguntar su catedrático lo que piensa. Hay algunos pedagogos muy tenaces en seguir las reglas de deletrear de su región. Aunque no veo la gran importancia en eso, si estás estudiando inglés británico será mejor enfocar en el estilo de deletrear los ingleses por mantener consistencia y nada más.
You're right, but I don't have much relationship with my teachers, they are hundreds of kilometers far away

My problem is with AmE, because I know that my BrE teacher would allow me to say 'realize', instead of 'realise', and my English knowledge is based on BrE. But would my American Literature teacher allow me to write "colour" instead of "color"? That's the question
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Old November 05, 2009, 08:17 AM
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I really don't think it will be a problem unless the American English professor focuses on fairly unimportant details. I assume most ESL teachers are pleased if their students write English coherently and will not strike the student down for something small like writing colour instead of color.
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Old November 05, 2009, 10:22 AM
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Thanks, Poli. Sorry, pjt, I didn't see your answer, that seems quite logic.

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  #9  
Old November 05, 2009, 01:09 PM
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Thanks, Poli. Sorry, pjt, I didn't see your answer, that seems quite logical.

El inglés distingue entre el sustantivo y el adjetivo.
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  #10  
Old November 05, 2009, 04:01 PM
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Quote:
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Thanks, Poli. Sorry, pjt, I didn't see your answer, that seems quite logic.

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El inglés distingue entre el sustantivo y el adjetivo.
Ok, I have an idea. Between you guys.

Irmamar will write exclusively in English and you in Spanish. And you both correct each other.

That's the only way Irmamar will get her fix of English grammar, and you will hone your skills in Spanish.

What do you guys think?
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