How to spell the word Q-U-I-E-T

[jasons2k]

OK, as an English major, I just have to get this off my chest.

The word quiet (all is calm) is spelled Q-U-I-E-T. It is not spelled "quite."

Every time I see something like "It's awfully quite in the Gulf today," I want to scream it's quite WHAT?

For some reason, mets have the hardest time with this word. I have seen the misspelling rampant on NWS Forecast Discussions, on the S2K weather forums, and just today in an email from a Pro-met. It's the darndest thing, but it's almost like it's taught this way in Met classes.

For good measure, here is the difference between the two words as explained by Webster:

For "Quiet":

Main Entry: 1 qui·et
Pronunciation: 'kwI-&t
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French quiete, Latin quiet-, quies rest, quiet -- more at WHILE
: the quality or state of being quiet : TRANQUILLITY
- on the quiet : in a secretive manner : in secret

Main Entry: 2 quiet
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English, from Middle French quiete, from Latin quietus, from past participle of quiescere
1 a : marked by little or no motion or activity : CALM <a quiet sea> b : GENTLE, EASYGOING <a quiet temperament> c : not interfered with <quiet reading> d : enjoyed in peace and relaxation <a quiet cup of tea>
2 a : free from noise or uproar : STILL b : UNOBTRUSIVE, CONSERVATIVE <quiet clothes>
3 : SECLUDED <a quiet nook>
- qui·et·ly adverb
- qui·et·ness noun

And "Quite":

Main Entry: quite
Pronunciation: 'kwIt
Function: adverb
Etymology: Middle English, from quite, adjective, quit
1 : WHOLLY, COMPLETELY <not quite finished>
2 : to an extreme : POSITIVELY <quite sure> -- often used as an intensifier with a <quite a swell guy> <quite a beauty>
3 : to a considerable extent : RATHER <quite near>
usage see PLENTY
- quite a bit : a considerable amount
- quite a few : MANY

I feel better now

[fci]

You need to take up a hobby...

Or need some "quite" time............alone.

[SCMedic]

I completely agree with the author of this post...

Spelling and grammatical errors plague the internet. It drives me nuts.

It is almost as if the internet is making the world retarded.

[breamer]

I agree, there are quite a few spelling errors on this board. People should at least try to make an effort. Plain lazy, no reason for it.

[FrontRunner]

Oh my God, I'm totally with you both. Nothing makes me more frustrated than the lack of grammer and punctuation used on message boards and other internet postings. Personally, my biggest frustration is with individuals who just post one long, rambling message with absolutely no commas or periods. And it really is sometimes hard to understand what they're trying to say. I guess they figure that since they're hearing it in their head correctly, they don't need to bother with periods or commas and that everyone else will just automatically understand it like they do. Unfortunately the behavior is reinforced since people somehow manage to decipher the message and respond without calling them out. My reaction, on the other hand, is usually to just post something snide asking if what they just posted was written in English. Clearly I'm not going to have any effect, but it vents some of my frustration!

[WxGuy1]

Yup.

Don't forget shear - sheer, which bugs me too. Of course, these are additional oft-misused words that are alongside their-their-they're, its-it's, and so forth.

For most uses on meteorology/weather boards, you want to use "shear" (assuming it's used most often in reference to 'wind shear', or the change of wind speed and/or direction in the vertical or horizontal). "Sheer" is used to most often describe something that is steeply sloped, thin and/or translucent, or nearly homogeneous in character ("there was nothing but sheer rock for miles").

Regarding I'm annoyed by grammar misuse and misspelling as well

We all make mistakes, but some folks consistently spell incorrectly and completely ignore puncuation. If you want a serious response to your question or analysis, you must write it in a way that people will be willing to read it, which often means it's easy to read. A passage with no puncuation and capitalization is often difficult to read, and you'd be much less likely to receive a serious response.

[gatorcane]

by the same token, I think this board has many *very* intelligent people despite some of the spelling errors - its just we are typing too fast to feed the frenzy. lol

[Rainband]

by the same token, I think this board has many *very* intelligent people despite some of the spelling errors - its just we are typing too fast to feed the frenzy. lol

exactly

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

Right on.

I hate English Nazis; they tend to be so damn picky.

[otowntiger]

At the risk of sounding like a "hands on my hips", chastising post, I've got to agree with you here JSchlitz! I am not an English major, but I hate what the proliferation of all these message boards and e-mail in general have done to the English language. You know what my biggest pet peeve is? The spelling of the word "definitely". It seems that 99% of the time I see it spelled "definately". I hate that!

[fci]

Right on.

I hate English Nazis; they tend to be so damn picky.

You are "quiet" right!

[SWFLA_CANE]

Agreed...more people need to use the nifty invention called spell checker!

[Frank2]

That's one of my more-common typos - the problem is that "quite" is quite correct - at least when you spell check a document...

Let's hope the Gulf remains quiet...

Frank

[caribepr]

by the same token, I think this board has many *very* intelligent people despite some of the spelling errors - its just we are typing too fast to feed the frenzy. lol

exactly

Slower typing with more thought might just be something to consider when posting. While the spelling and grammatical errors are annoying (English major here), they don't bother me nearly as much (ok, except for the repeated Carribean mistake, it's CARIBBEAN!! ) as obviously unthought out, tossed off posts that add nothing to a discussion. Frenzy motivated threads or posts are not, in my opinion, a plus to this board and frankly, diminish the value weight of the poster.
By the way, there is a cool little thing called spell check here, but it's actually named spelchek...maybe it's all hopeless.

[hurricanefreak1988]

Spelling and grammatical errors plague the internet. It drives me nuts.

...not just that, but the whole tYpInG lyke dis thing that the kids do. Man, I hate it. That, and the whole lol, lmao, etc. stuff. Ugh.

[Regit]

I agree with the original poster and others.

One thing many people don't realize is that good grammar is directly related to success in your career and should be practiced at all times.

For instance, if someone applied for a job and I saw them, even once, use "your" in place of "you're," I would not consider hiring them. That is very basic English and should be expected of a 10-year-old.

Now, some things are simply a result of typing in a casual environment. I'm sure I've made some mistake already in typing this that I would not make on a formal paper. The difference is that I'm not going to intensely proofread this. Also, I would have someone else proofread a formal document.

One other mistake I've seen used over and over on this board is the word "disinterested."

For example someone will say, "That's just a little tropical wave, I'm pretty disinterested." Someone who is disinterested is neutral and avoids taking sides. A referee in a football game is a disinterested party.

If something does not interest you, you are uninterested.

[O Town]

I wasn't going to chime in on this but I guess I will.
I am a horrible speller, but I have a small websters dictionary that sits beside my keyboard, and I use it daily. I know that a few words still probably get misspelled but I do try. I must say I have learned to spell alot of words that I didn't know previously since I started posting here, one of them being definitley.
It does not really bother me when I see words misspelled though. Maybe because I have some understanding of what its like to be a horrible speller.

[Hybridstorm_November2001]

This thread is quite an idiotic waste of time, if you ask me.

[caribepr]

This thread is quite an idiotic waste of time, if you ask me.

Iz tht y u red it?

[O Town]

This thread is quite an idiotic waste of time, if you ask me.

Iz tht y u red it?