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AIBU?

To think it is literally not possible to be "offended" by poor grammar and punctuation as some posters claim.

219 replies

ElleBellyBeeblebrox · 16/06/2014 20:30

Honestly, who gives a shit? The amount of smug wankery on here sometimes is unbelievable. Is there really any justification for snarking at someone about their use of full stops,( other than to try and make yourself look like a smartarse.)

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BMW6 · 16/06/2014 20:32

Cheap shots IMHO - even if bad grammar/punctuation gives you the rage it is bad manners to point them out.

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WitchWay · 16/06/2014 20:33

Poor grammar & spelling irritate me but not everyone is good at it like me I wouldn't comment unless someone was asking for clarification


Smile

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JamJimJam · 16/06/2014 20:33

Offended? No. Irritated, yes. I don't say anything though.

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ElleBellyBeeblebrox · 16/06/2014 20:34

Exactly, you might notice it but surely using it to try and make someone feel like crap is just shitty and rude.

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Lesleythegiraffe · 16/06/2014 20:35

It irritates and annoys me but I can't say it offends me.

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BMW6 · 16/06/2014 20:35

(and I am guilty of trying to get DH to stop using "lend" and "borrow" the wrong way round - it is the thing that gives me the rage).

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ThisFenceIsComfy · 16/06/2014 20:35

I think structuring your posts so that it reads reasonably well is necessary.

I don't like pointing out incorrect spelling or grammar just to be smug/irritating/a twat.

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Pipbin · 16/06/2014 20:35

Lack of full stops and capital letters can make some posts hard to understand.

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Fruityflapjack · 16/06/2014 20:36

Poor grammar, punctuation and formatting can make some posts difficult to read.

I just give up, plenty more to look at Smile

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MrsTerryPratchett · 16/06/2014 20:36

It is possible to be offended by bad grammar, spelling or English. For example, "I never said she stole the money from him".

I never said she stole the money from him is very different to I never said she stole the money from him. I suspect that's not what you are talking about though. It is interesting that meaning can change with different punctuation and for clarity, good punctuation helps. People getting snippy and mean about it doesn't really help.

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LadyStark · 16/06/2014 20:37

The shrieking "I literally can't read your post" is THE WORST.

If you're so bloody smart, I am sure you can mentally space and punctuate in your head.

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smokepole · 16/06/2014 20:39

It is though seen by people as way to belittle those to who they disagree with.

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BOFster · 16/06/2014 20:39

Errant apostrophes have reached epidemic levels lately, but I don't comment. I often don't bother opening the threads either, mind, especially as they are usually quite whiny. I think it might be the hot weather.

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PrincessBabyCat · 16/06/2014 20:39

Yes, if you can't read their post due to a missing comma or misspelled word or.. god forbid.. lack of paragraphs. It says more about your intelligence than theirs. Go back to school and learn how to read if a few mistakes truly trip you up like that.

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JamJimJam · 16/06/2014 20:40

I do find posts that are all one paragraph with little or no punctuation quite taxing to read. But, again, say nothing, move on even though it grates.

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FreudiansSlipper · 16/06/2014 20:41

do you not know it is everyone's right to be offended while at the same time no one can claim to be offended if it was not meant intentionally

some just love to pick on others

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MrsTerryPratchett · 16/06/2014 20:42

Whenenglishwasyoungtherewerenospacesbetweenwords. It DOES make it hard to read, as does the lack of paragraphs. That's why someone invented them. However, being an arse about it is mean.

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wannaBe · 16/06/2014 20:43

yanbu. People who take the time to point out bad spelling/grammar/lack of paragraphs/punctuation come across as smug twats who have nothing intelligent to add to the discussion at hand but feel the need to have an input none the less.

I don't like text speak. I use a screenreader and it mispronounces text speak horrendously hence I hate it. Mind you it also mispronounces acronyms Grin and I have become used to them being pronounced as words, so it says things like "eeswim" for IYSWIM and "eerc" for iirc etc. Grin

If people don't like the way people write then don't read it. If you have anything useful to add to a thread you can still add it regardless of whether the op can or can't spell.

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gordyslovesheep · 16/06/2014 20:43

This reply has been deleted

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AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves · 16/06/2014 20:44

I would rather gnaw my own arm off than make a snarky remark about somebody else's grammar, spelling or punctuation. The grammar nazis seem to assume that either the poster isn't trying hard enough or they're thick, and in both cases they seem to think they will look clever and/or amusing if they point out the mistakes and mock. They are utterly wrong. They make themselves look like playground bullies.

It should be quite obvious to anyone with any intelligence and sensitivity that there are several pretty good reasons why people don't have perfect grammar and spelling in messageboard posts. As long as it is just about understandable, what's the problem?

I get far more worked up about the snarky posts than I ever do about the ones with a few mistakes in the English. The silver lining, though, is that the grammar pedants almost invariably make some pretty obvious mistakes themselves. Smile

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Writerwannabe83 · 16/06/2014 20:45

I feel irritated by it but certainly not offended.

In terms of posts with no full stops I choose not to read them, not because I'm not clever enough to work out what they're trying to say but just because I can't be bothered to do so Smile

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ElleBellyBeeblebrox · 16/06/2014 20:48

cunt speach english Grin

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beccajoh · 16/06/2014 20:48

It annoys me but I wouldn't say it offends me. I'm not perfect either! People who say "but I didn't learn it at school" are irritating. There's lots of things you aren't taught at school but you learn as an adult.

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PrincessBabyCat · 16/06/2014 20:48

In terms of posts with no full stops I choose not to read them, not because I'm not clever enough to work out what they're trying to say but just because I can't be bothered to do so

Yeah, I run away from walls of text. But I don't comment on it, because I literally can read it. But it's a pain and I have to highlight each sentence with my mouse to keep my eyes from jumping all over the place.

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MrsTerryPratchett · 16/06/2014 20:49

The silver lining, though, is that the grammar pedants almost invariably make some pretty obvious mistakes themselves. The well known and wonderful Muphry's law.

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