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AIBU?

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Original poster

For the love of God, everybody it's etc for et cetera. Not ECT

186 replies

Moulez · 01/02/2026 21:40

I know I'm not being unreasonable, but just please agree so that we can educate people,
Without rules, where are we?

OP posts:
Original poster
Moulez · 02/02/2026 09:27

@NormasArseno thanks.

OP posts:
NormasArse · 02/02/2026 09:03

Moulez · 01/02/2026 21:46

I think everyone should have carte blanche to correct people on Mumsnet until we've wiped it out

That would be incredibly rude. Read the post for its message, not its grammar.

Freysimo · 02/02/2026 09:02

I've an elderly friend who uses "should of". I suspect this is down to her use of Facebook and not her eduction. If you see it written incorrectly all the time perhaps you assume you're wrong and they're right?

Dahliadaily · 02/02/2026 09:02

I’m with you all the way. Also misuse of “myself” “yourself”. And tell me, did we ever get to the bottom of “cuttla”?!

sesquipedalian · 02/02/2026 08:54

OP, you are unreasonable to raise this in AIBU. The place for this is in Pedants’ Corner, where the subject has been discussed before.

BuddhaAtSea · 02/02/2026 08:45

TrickyD · 02/02/2026 06:48

@BuddhaAtSea
Well I have a degree in Latin and have never seen ‘etcaetera’.

Promise you it’s a thing! A and E are together, as one letter (diphthong).
I had to do Latin (French curriculum), what made you choose Latin as a degree?

Imlyingandthatsthetruth · 02/02/2026 08:20

StopYuckingMyYum · 02/02/2026 00:25

Thankfully MNHQ have been cracking down on the grammar police who humiliate those who aren't fortunate enough to be good at SPAG.

It really does put women off of posting even when they may need advice on domestic violence, care of their children, divorce, schooling or any other important subject you can think of.

If the grammar/typing/spelling of complete strangers annoys you this much, YOU are the one who needs to change or just leave Mumsnet.

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No. Let's push back on these "I'm so affronted" posts. It's light hearted FFS, but at the same time it's pointing out a common, irritating mistake. Nothing wrong with that at all.

CaptainMyCaptain · 02/02/2026 08:13

AllTheChaos · 02/02/2026 08:07

Indeed. As any fule kno.

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I loved the Molesworth books when I was at school. If you didn't know the correct spelling you wouldn't find it funny though. My favourite character was Fotherington-Thomas 'Hello trees, hello sky'.

x2boys · 02/02/2026 08:13

Moulez · 02/02/2026 00:21

You lot need to put your sandles in the Chester drawers and go to bed.

Sangles

Maaate · 02/02/2026 08:12

PermanentTemporary · 02/02/2026 01:04

Yes I use it sometimes as a Molesworth joke. It doesn’t bother me nearly as much as another thing coming, could of, etc.

As any fule kno

DanaScullysLegoHair · 02/02/2026 08:09

TimeFlysWhenYoureHavingRum · 01/02/2026 21:54

Can you be more pacific OP?

That did make me laugh out loud 🤣

AllTheChaos · 02/02/2026 08:07

EBearhug · 02/02/2026 00:46

It could be a reference to Molesworth.

Indeed. As any fule kno.

CaptainMyCaptain · 02/02/2026 07:59

PersephoneParlormaid · 02/02/2026 07:54

If you point things out you are rude, yet how can people learn if you don’t correct mistakes?

Yes. I can't understand why people wouldn't want to know the correct usage. It's an anonymous forum they're not going to be embarrassed by bumping into the same person all the time. I think most of us can tell when it's a simple typo and obviously, this does not apply to people in dire circumstances but on a thread like this one where individuals aren't being singled out what harm can it do? Hopefully, someone might see it and take it on board.

PersephoneParlormaid · 02/02/2026 07:54

If you point things out you are rude, yet how can people learn if you don’t correct mistakes?

CaptainMyCaptain · 02/02/2026 07:48

BuddhaAtSea · 01/02/2026 21:51

It stems from school though. My DD went through an English schooling system and still thinks it’s not that important how she spells. But she makes an effort with me, because it genuinely grates me.

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That's not the English system I was educated in or taught in.

LindorDoubleChoc · 02/02/2026 07:29

Indeed, without rules it seems too many Mumsnet users are happy to start threads in AIBU when they are not even asking if they are being unreasinable. So irritating.

YABU.

YesSirICanNameChange · 02/02/2026 07:23

I think that it's fine to have high standards for spelling, and that unless someone is posting about a dire/sad situation, it's actually ok to correct someone's spelling. Just a friendly "not sure if you're aware, but it's lose, not loose" can go a long way.

Parents should be modelling good attitudes to feedback anyway, so that their children accept and learn from feedback from their teachers. Not just parents, actually - everyone should welcome feedback and opportunities to learn and grow.

YesSirICanNameChange · 02/02/2026 07:19

TwoLeftSocksWithHoles · 02/02/2026 01:03

It's correct if you are referring to ECT treatment [sic].
😉

Or Early Career Teachers!

loislovesstewie · 02/02/2026 07:15

JaneIves · 01/02/2026 22:09

I think you need a lie down on a chez lounge.

A colleague once pronounced this as :
Chase long gew ee.
It took me a moment to get what she meant.
And Americans sometimes say en rowt ( en route) not realising it's French. I don't even speak French, but know how to pronounce that.

Squirrelsnut · 02/02/2026 06:51

Some people have started saying exspecially around here. It might be the death of me.

TrickyD · 02/02/2026 06:48

@BuddhaAtSea
Well I have a degree in Latin and have never seen ‘etcaetera’.

PurpleFlower1983 · 02/02/2026 06:47

Madlentileater · 01/02/2026 21:47

its because people pronounce it
eck-setera

its not like 'et' is an unusual sound in english!

Never heard it pronounced that way thankfully!

HelloCheekyCat · 02/02/2026 06:45

My Amazon fire tablet autocorrects etc to ext or ect and currently has the red squiggly line underneath so you need to inform Jeff bezos so he can sort it out

Original poster
Moulez · 02/02/2026 06:40

BEAR WITH ME

OP posts:
PermanentTemporary · 02/02/2026 01:04

Yes I use it sometimes as a Molesworth joke. It doesn’t bother me nearly as much as another thing coming, could of, etc.