Spelling, Grammar & Punctuation

[kinetic]

Realised! (you did it on purpose, right?).

 

Both versions are widely accepted, it shouldn't really matter whether you use American, International or British spellings, unless you're applying for a job as a proof reader.

 

I would disagree entirely with that statement. Most decent jobs these days have 100s of applications and the very first thing they do is find any reason, whatsoever, to throw the majority of CVs in the bin.

 

Bad grammar/spelling, poor use of punctuation, a badly laid out CV or even just a CV which doesn't look professional will be the first batch thrown straight in the bin (without even considering what's written on it).

 

To the OP: please don't take this the wrong way (I mean this is the kindest possible way); if you're thinking of applying for an office based job take an adult literacy course. You can probably get on one free, maybe even from home, over the Internet (Open University maybe?).

[Sir Enoch]

Use the English spellings if you are English,i thought you would have realized! that.

 

English for the English?

 

The loony left will start jumping up and down about that one!

[anywebsite]

I would disagree entirely with that statement. Most decent jobs these days have 100s of applications and the very first thing they do is find any reason, whatsoever, to throw the majority of CVs in the bin.

 

Bad grammar/spelling, poor use of punctuation, a badly laid out CV or even just a CV which doesn't look professional will be the first batch thrown straight in the bin (without even considering what's written on it).

 

To the OP: please don't take this the wrong way (I mean this is the kindest possible way); if you're thinking of applying for an office based job take an adult literacy course. You can probably get on one free, maybe even from home, over the Internet (Open University maybe?).

 

But you didn't disagree with anything I said

 

Bad grammar & spelling are different to using American spellings, for a lot of words both versions appear in our dictionaries & are correct. They probably aren't even allowed to discriminate based on using American spellings. You should pick a single spelling & stick with it, switching halfway through a piece of text doesn't look good. If it's on a CV for a job in this country you should use English spellings, if you're migrating to the US you should use American spellings, but it shouldn't really matter.

[kinetic]

But you didn't disagree with anything I said

 

Bad grammar & spelling are different to using American spellings

 

Well, I'd still disagree. If you wrote "color" instead of "colour" for instance it would be considered a spelling mistake (here).

 

I know what you mean though. But I would still go for the safe option and always use the correct "ise" rather than "ize" (where appropriate).

 

It helps a lot if you set your word processor or browser spell checker to English (UK) rather than English (US). Many people don't even realise you can do this, although the problem is, as you say, the American version of the word is often also included in UK dictionaries, even though many would consider it to be incorrect.

 

I'm not being deliberately anal about it btw. I don't give a toss how people spell (especially on the internet - I usually type away and hit submit and ignore spelling mistakes, life's too short to worry about grammar/spelling on forum posts. But I am trying to be careful on this one because someone is bound to pick up any mistake ), but for things like CVs and exams I think it's important.

[stereolab]

Rite here goes, a thread for all users to use to swat up on life's basics.

 

In what case should you ever use IZE or ISE as in UTILIZE, PERSONALIZE or UTILISE, PERSONALISE...

 

And as in CV writing, should I ever use anything that can be classed as American style spelling.

 

Don't say 'utilise' if you just mean 'use'. It doesn't have the same meaning, and in most cases it's just wrong to say 'utilise' where 'use' would have done.

 

http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/19811/using-utilize-instead-of-use

[HeadingNorth]

I know what you mean though. But I would still go for the safe option and always use the correct "ise" rather than "ize"

 

Both spellling are correct, in most cases.

[Mikes10]

why are practise & practice correct, whilst practize is not?

why is exercise correct, whilst exercice & exercize are not?

 

I just thought I would throw the above into the mix for the hell of it.

The wordsmiths on here will say its all to do with nouns, verbs, English-english, American-english and International-english.

 

When the Chinese become a superpower we will have to learn Mandarin, if we don't pass their Mandarin test then it will be

off to their labour camps to be 're-educated'

[Kerrangaroo]

why are practise & practice correct, whilst practize is not?

why is exercise correct, whilst exercice & exercize are not?

 

I just thought I would throw the above into the mix for the hell of it.

The wordsmiths on here will say its all to do with nouns, verbs, English-english, American-english and International-english.

 

When the Chinese become a superpower we will have to learn Mandarin, if we don't pass their Mandarin test then it will be

off to their labour camps to be 're-educated'

 

The Chinese are already on the downward slide so I wouldn't worry about learning Mandarin.

[Kerrangaroo]

Both spellling are correct, in most cases.

 

Would a CV be one of those cases where it wasn't acceptable?

 

My view would be that we use 's' not 'z' and it's a matter of not bothering to add the English spelling to the computer dictionary, that and laziness. Either way i'd toss the CV in the bin.

[HeadingNorth]

Would a CV be one of those cases where it wasn't acceptable?

 

There are no cases where it is not acceptable. There are a certain small number of words which must always take a specific ending; the remaining ones can correctly be spelt with either ending.