Your New Zealand English Test

[Sherlock Holmes]

Hello again frens. After a few comments about the spelling in a piccy what I posted, I've went and made up an English test for you. I've been sat here for a while making this test up. I would of been faster only I've been loosing sleep recently thinking about New Zeeland to much. You're challenge is to tell me how many spelling and grammar mistakes I've made in this post. Don't say what they are. Let everyone who's took the trouble to read this make there best guess and I'll tell you at the end how many their really are.

Also do you think grammar in New Zealand is better or worse than were you've came from?

[sks]

At least 15, and I only read through it once.

I'm from the US, and I'd say few users of English in either the US or NZ care much about whether their spoken communications conform to grammatical norms. The same cannot be said for written communication -- Kiwis that I work have a much better grasp of grammar, in general, than the Americans I've worked with (much as it pains me to say so).

To answer the question you actually asked, however -- the grammar is precisely the same.

[Sherlock Holmes]

I think the average person in NZ (and the US) has better grammar than in the average person in the UK. It's gone downhill really fast here, like most things. It's got noticeably worse in the last couple of years.

BBC snooker commentators are a great source of dubious grammar.

[Bozeman]

It seems to me that it's a generational thing: younger folks just aren't all that concerned with spelling and grammar whilst those of us who are a bit more mature tend to be a bit more particular. I'm so stubborn that I spell everything out even when texting...

The one big difference that I notice between NZ and the US is the tendency to omit possessive apostrophes in this part of the world (applies to Australia, as well). It actually makes me crazy! (more than it should)

[dharder]

I think the average person in NZ (and the US) has better grammar than in the average person in the UK.

Well, you would say that, and I would say the opposite.

Apostrophes here are an absolute disaster area. It is noticable by now if someone actually gets it right. Spelling is appalling, I did collect the biggest howlers from the printed press, but it is too depressing.

I did find this to be somewhat similar in the UK, but there seems to be one difference: some proofreading appears to happen on street signs, printed press, government publications, official documentation, company websites, etc., in the UK.

Here, they don't bother. Large advertising posters, captions on TV, headlines in newspapers, school newsletters, company power point presentations, it is impossible to find any of those without spelling and grammar issues.

Depressing, especially if you are trying to tell your children that it does matter.

Daniela

[mylesdw]

I got 19. The level of literacy is pretty poor here. You don't have to listen to National Radio for very long to hear something fairly cringe-worthy - split infinitives all over the place and the other day a reporter who "brought a house"!

[mylesdw]

Well, you would say that, and I would say the opposite.

[SNIP]

Daniela

Yes! to all the above.

This is a handy site: http://public.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html

[newarrival]

I got 19. The level of literacy is pretty poor here. You don't have to listen to National Radio for very long to hear something fairly cringe-worthy - split infinitives all over the place and the other day a reporter who "brought a house"!

I suppose you can find examples for everything any way round you like- there are loads of forum posts on here where British folks talk about how they 'brought' a house a this and that.

[mylesdw]

Forum posts tend to be conversational and for that reason the acceptable standard is low. When people chat the rules of grammar are largely ignored and rightly so; it would be quite rude and rather tedious to correct someone during a conversation. Furthermore, the majority of those who post on forums are not professional users of language. From those whose job it is to communicate with others, journalists and presenters for example, we should expect a high standard.

[girlwithanewf]

Forum posts tend to be conversational and for that reason the acceptable standard is low. When people chat the rules of grammar are largely ignored and rightly so; it would be quite rude and rather tedious to correct someone during a conversation. Furthermore, the majority of those who post on forums are not professional users of language. From those whose job it is to communicate with others, journalists and presenters for example, we should expect a high standard.

Exactly.
(And not to forget of course that many users of this forum do not speak English as their mother tongue.)