text: why is the spelling by the questioners on this site so bad?   the posts by people who have english as a second language are often better in spelling and precision than those of native english speakers. they put more thought into what they type out.  sometimes the sentence constructions are awkward, but that's natural in persons making a transition from one language to another.  many of the most torturous postings by questioners and answerers seem to fall in the same category as wearing sunglasses in a dark nightclub or a bare midriff on a snowy day -- expressing individuality by acting the same as the "kewl" ones. hah!  that, and quite often having nothing significant to say, they spew out a lot of claptrap and move on to another exchange, not even checking back or rating an answer. when people think what they're saying is potentially important, they take the responsibility for being as clear as they can be and respond to feedback so that they can improve.  us americans, in general among native english speakers, have a reputation for carelessness. not just slang; britain and australia are famous for that. just plain old sloppiness. it's a stereotype, sure, but most stereotypes are started because there's some element of truth that inspired them.