watson@ames.arc.nasa.gov (John S. Watson) (06/07/89)
Hello Folks, I've been reading the recent discussion on dyslexia, and think maybe it's the problem that I have with reading and writing. (actually my whole family has this problem, to varying degrees.) Whenever I write something I've got to be extremely careful and read everything dozens of times [over] in order to make sure that everything is correct. (I'll try not to fix anything in this posting, just to give you a [good] sample, I'll also but brakets [] around things I do find and can't resist correcting.) And even when I do try my hardest to o proofread something, mistakes always slip through. My dyslexia problem doesn't seem to be [to] bad with reading. I read at least 20 books a year. In January I even read Gravity's Rainbow. (which I hated, as some of you that read rec.arts.books my have heard.) If I mis-read a word, it usually, or doesn't matter. Sometimes I mis-read the word and it [the sentence] doesn't make sense, so I realize it and re-read the sentence. Sometimes my dyslexia does some weird things though. Once a while I read a word and it is actually better than word that was written. (I can't think of any examples at the moment.) I got a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from U.C. Davis. So I feel I'm not a complete dummy. But this dyslexia thing just pisses me off! [My] Writing comes out really bad. I avoid as much paper work as possible. (Maybe in order to cut paperwork,the government should only be able [allowed] to hire dyslexic people). Even very simple words I have trouble spelling. I had to look at the word "complete" above just to make sure I spelled it write [right]. When I looked at it "to closely" I said to myself, "Does that word have an 'e' at the end or not?". One of the weirdest things I do is sometimes write two THE's in a sentence. 'I was walking down the the street'. For the life of my I can't see the twh the's. But anyone else can instantly see them, and once they're pointed out it's obvious to me. Are there special excersizes [exercises] a dyslexic person can do to cure him/herself? I've often felt that if I had specialized help early in my schooling it would have been a great help. Instead most my english teachers were the worst. Lots of football coaches during the off season. I've been looking for computer programs that will "help" correct my grammar. Something like a spell checker, only a grammar checker. Something that would just point out things it feels might be wrong. Maybe bright red if it's 99% sure there is an error, and less red for things that it's less sure about, and blue for things that it's sure is right. Another problem that compounds things is the way English words are spelled. Like the word "cough". Why in the heck isn't it spelled "koff"? Seems like the letter is is usless. [Seems like the letter 'c' is useless]. Well, I've probably embarrassed myself enough for science, so I'll quit rambling. Thanks for any help or advice, John S. Watson, Civil Servant from Hell ARPA: watson@ames.arc.nasa.gov NASA Ames Research Center UUCP: ...!ames!watson Any opinions expressed herein are, like, solely the responsibility of the, like, author and do not, like, represent the opinions of NASA or the U.S. Government.
mbb@cbnewsh.ATT.COM (martin.b.brilliant) (06/07/89)
From article <26534@ames.arc.nasa.gov>, by watson@ames.arc.nasa.gov (John S. Watson): > I've been reading the recent discussion on dyslexia, and think > maybe it's the problem that I have with reading and writing..... > ..... (I'll try not to fix anything in this posting, just to > give you a [good] sample.... sample omitted.... > Well, I've probably embarrassed myself enough for science, so I'll quit > rambling. I've seen many postings that looked a lot worse with no apology from the author. If what Mr. Watson posted was really uncorrected except for the brackets, I'd say his main problem is that he's too worried about correctness. Most people have trouble proofreading their own writing, and most people have trouble finding "the the" in any written sample. As a secondary problem, his ability to catch errors may be below average, but (as an untrained native user of the language) I'd say his style is well within the normal range. M. B. Brilliant Marty AT&T-BL HO 3D-520 (201) 949-1858 Holmdel, NJ 07733 att!hounx!marty1 or marty1@hounx.ATT.COM Disclaimer: Opinions stated herein are mine unless and until my employer explicitly claims them; then I lose all rights to them.