Results 1 - 6 of 6
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Reading Between the "Lions" | John 11:35 | Hank | 83268 | ||
A student, wishing to get away from the distractions of civilized society in order to work on an important research paper, decided to take up sojourn in a remote village hidden deep in the jungles of Africa. To his dismay, however, he soon discovered that his chosen Shangri-la was not the idyllic hideaway that he had envisaged it to be. Day after day huge prides of lions thundered through his camp, leaving only brief respites of calm between their molestations. The student was tenacious, however, and by dogged determination completed his research project. Upon being asked how he managed to accomplish his painstaking research amid such austere conditions, he replied, "Well, you see, I had to read between the lions." ...... In like manner so do we who attempt to make sense of many of the postings that are entered on this forum. So fractured is the the language that is used on this forum -- not by all, certainly, but by many -- that one must resort to 'reading between the lions' in an effort to extract some meaning from what is posted. Not every user is an expert in English usage, of course, but it is distressing to see with what frequency sloppy posts are released to the public for which there is really no excuse. I'm talking about typographical errors, spelling errors, (does no one bother to use a dictionary anymore?), basic syntactical blunders that result in sentences that make no sense at all. Questions frequently take on the form of incomprehensible speech fragments that convey no question whatever. For example, the total "question" will look something like this: "thorn in the flesh" or "eternal life" or will cite a Scripture verse, e.g., John 4:2 with the appendage, "What about baptism?" ..... Before any user makes any post he agrees that he has carefully proofread his post and that it represents his best effort. Is it unfair to say that some users are being less than truthful when they agree that they have complied with this condition of forum usage set forth by the owners of this forum, the Lockman Foundation? Folks, let's make a concerted effort to clean up our act by taking the time and exerting the effort to weed out as much of this lazy sloppiness as we can! The King James Bible is a noble example of the way English should be used. One can learn not only invaluable spiritual lessons from his study of this masterpiece; he can learn how to use better English as well. Many are the masters of English prose who have learned their art by a careful study of the King James Bible. The words of wisdom for anyone who wishes to improve his ability to use the English language more proficiently is "Go thou and do likewise." ..... I cite the verse "Jesus wept." taken from John 11:35 as a sterling example of English usage. It deserves study because it is a peerless example of clarity, brevity and apt wording. It is dramatic, it is arresting, it is packed with meaning, it evokes deep emotion, and it is complete. It has nothing of the clumsy verbosity that is all too frequently the hallmark of the inept writer who uses a thousand words when two would do far better. --Hank | ||||||
2 | Reading Between the "Lions" | John 11:35 | Asis | 83474 | ||
Hank Therre is know dout that our edjucashun system is lacking wen ist comes to teaching english. Spelling is neglected grammar is neglected and composition is not required. Now there amy be3 some who would argu that i am rong and maybe I am. So if out in the world is where I have to learn how to do it correctly we should have patience with and tolerance of those who have not received the education or paid attention to the education that we have received. Let us then be techers of the words and phrases not just critics. Not all of us are capable of writing literature every time we respond to a question on the forum. I agree tthat a review sometimes is in order. Your friend in Christ Jeff |
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3 | Reading Between the "Lions" | John 11:35 | Mommapbs | 83480 | ||
Greetings Jeff! Interesting note. In part I agree with what you have written, BUT for those of us who need help with the written word, we do have wordprocessors with grammer tools to fall back on (not that they are perfect either!) Perhaps we should ask the Lockman Foundation to include these tools in their text boxes? Yet in defense of Hank's commentary, I would tend to agree that many posts are inadequate. Aside from not citing the Scriptural reference that has prompted their question, what they pose is sometimes vague. Most of those who respond are sincere in their deisre to participate but at times the task is frustrating as we don't have enough information to work with. Needless to say, I can be just as guilty as the next person by not adhereing to the the "guidelines." So, I try to exercise Eph 4:32 and hope others will extend the same to me when I make a mistake! Just some thoughts. mommapbs |
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4 | Reading Between the "Lions" | John 11:35 | BradK | 83492 | ||
Hank, I'll add my comments to your aptly worded and well-spoken observations and critique. I agree that it is indeed a more-than-too-often reoccurring problem. Communication occurs when both parties clearly understand each others words.It is important to clearly and succinctly attempt to convey one's questions and thoughts in such a manner that others can easily grasp and understand.It also conveys the desire to be taken seriously. The problem is two-fold as I've observed over the past years: 1. There is a general lack of a coherent systematic theology by many, coupled with little understanding of basic principles of Exegesis and interpretation; 2. A lack of basic writing skills , spelling and grammar useage. These naturally contribute to the overall level of posts that we've seen on the Forum. These too are just my observations,and I'm open for comment or further dialog. Speaking The Truth In Love, BradK |
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5 | Reading Between the "Lions" | John 11:35 | Hank | 83916 | ||
Brad, thanks so much for your apt follow-up thoughts to my original treatise lobbying for the exercise of renewed efforts to bring clearer and more legible prose to the pages of this forum. While it is a fact clearly evident that not every user of the forum is a scholar of the King's English nor is everyone gifted with the art of turning a phrase with the consummate skill of a Jane Austen, a Charles Dickens, a Milton or a Shakespeare, I submit without reservation that almost every participant could, with determination and hard work, do better than he has done, with the happy result that our common interests would be better served when, as a direct result of clearer communication, we should see a decrease in the confusion, misunderstanding and verbal combativeness that so often issues from potentially good ideas clothed in extremely faulty diction. Spell-checkers and other electronic aids may be of some assistance, but these devices are by no means a cure-all. There is no royal road to learning how to express oneself by the use of the written word, and it is my firm conviction that anyone who aspires to do so should make every effort to improve his language skills. There is no earthly reason not to. --Hank | ||||||
6 | Reading Between the "Lions" | John 11:35 | Radioman2 | 83923 | ||
Basic guidelines toward readable writing. [Hank: I agree with you completely. I have provided some very basic guidelines to help us improve our writing.] In standard English: 1. Every sentence has a subject (noun) and a predicate (the part of a sentence or clause that expresses what is said of the subject and that usually consists of a verb with or without objects, complements, or adverbial modifiers). 2. Every sentence begins with a capital letter and ends with a period, question mark, or exclamation point. Sentences are separated from one another by the use of punctuation (a period, etc.) at the end of each sentence. 2a. Learn to use commas when and where they are needed. Basically, if you list a series of things (nouns or verbs) within a sentence, separate them from one another by the use of commas. 3. If you are new to the art of readable writing, you may wish to focus on one-subject-to-a-sentence sentences and then end the sentence and start a new one. Avoid complex or compound sentences. 3a. Avoid run-on sentences. 4. Page-long paragraphs are not recommended. After a few sentences, when you begin a new thought, then begin a new paragraph. 5. Make sure that every preposition has an object. 6. If you are unsure of the meaning or spelling of a word, look it up in the dictionary. (At least use a spell checker, if you have one.) 7. Carefully re-read what you have written before you submit it. 8. Reading your writing aloud will help you to detect awkwardly worded or unclear sentences. 9. Check your writing for spelling, punctuation, and complete sentences and revise where needed. 10. Avoid sentence fragments or incomplete sentences. 11. Don't use a pronoun (he, she, it, etc.) without a clear antecedent nearby (and usually preceding) the pronoun. 12. When the meaning of a pronoun may be ambiguous or unclear, don't use it. Instead use the noun itself. 13. To avoid confusion, when you quote someone else and then comment on what they have said or written, use quotation marks. This helps the reader to know where the quotation ends and your own writing begins. 14. When you post a question, make sure it is complete in itself. Don't use a pronoun in a question unless its antecedent is clear. Don't ask questions about a passage of Scripture without telling us the book, chapter and verse where that Scripture is to be found in the Bible. (If you don't know where it's found, then say so.) If you ask a question regarding a particular person, place or thing, you must name that person, place or thing in the question. Specific questions are more likely to receive specific answers. This is by no means a complete list of tips to make your writing more readable, but adherence to these guidelines will be a good place to start. This list is not intended to make of you a professional writer, but to help you write so that your readers will have a better chance of understanding your meaning. |
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