CAPITAL CRIME
Posted by: Josef EssbergerWHEN I WAS A BOY, I LEARNED TO READ. BUT FIRST I LEARNED THE ALPHABET. AS YOU KNOW, THE ENGLISH ALPHABET HAS SMALL (abc) AND LARGE (ABC) LETTERS. THE LARGE LETTERS ARE CALLED “CAPITAL LETTERS”. GUESS WHICH LETTERS I LEARNED FIRST AS A YOUNG CHILD. SMALL LETTERS OR CAPITAL LETTERS? AND WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE ANYWAY BETWEEN SMALL AND LARGE LETTERS? WELL, I’LL TELL YOU. I LEARNED SMALL LETTERS FIRST. AND THE DIFFERENCE? LARGE LETTERS ARE ALL THE SAME HEIGHT. EXACTLY THE SAME. SMALL LETTERS GO UP AND DOWN. SOME ARE IN THE MIDDLE, LIKE x. SOME GO UP, LIKE b. SOME GO DOWN, LIKE p. THAT MEANS THEY ARE ALL DIFFERENT SHAPES AND SIZES. “SO WHAT?”, I HEAR YOU SAY. SO SMALL LETTERS ARE EASIER TO READ. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SAW A BOOK PRINTED COMPLETELY IN CAPITAL LETTERS? WOULD YOU LIKE TO TRY READING ONE? PRETTY DIFFICULT, LIKE THE SOLID BLOCKS OF TEXT IN CAPITAL LETTERS THAT MICROSOFT LAWYERS USE TO MAKE THEIR AGREEMENTS DIFFICULT TO READ. LIKE THIS POST, COME TO THINK OF IT. DON’T AGREE? TRY THE TEST.
Posted by Josef Essberger November 2007
Josef founded EnglishClub for learners and teachers of English in 1997
5 comments
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Vaishali says:
Dear Joe,
Your blog is superb and capital is a crime! It is awful reading texts in capital. Writing in capital letters also suggests arrogance and loudness in attitude in e-communication. However writing ‘I’ in capitals when it stands alone is necessary. Extensive use of small letters denotes casualness.
As usual, I enjoy reading and learning from your blog, Joe.Thanks,
Vaishali. -
english says:
Thanks Robert. Yes, I am a real, native, mother-tongue English speaker. Promise! Glad you think my E. is pretty good. It ought to be 🙂 But I’ve been lazy. Need to add some more posts…
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Robert says:
To english:
Ya, I totally agree with what Hung says.
I enjoy your coffee as well!
Are you really a native…British?
Your English is pretty good!
I really soak up in reading your journal.
It’s quite interesting!Robert
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english says:
Hung: Yes I am English born and bred. Enjoy your coffee!
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Hung says:
Great! I usually enjoy coffee in your Cafe. Coffee keeps me awake and your posts give me funs. You have a sharp mind and express successfully in your text. Actually, are you an English? I am struggling to learning English, but somehow it is slowly in progress.
Hung