Isn't about time MNHQ started deleting posts that attack people's spelling and grammar?

It bugs me too Confused

I mean to the point where I'm sometimes literally gnawing at my fist

But this is a chat forum. People should be allowed to come and chat and not have to worry about being made to feel stupid, because other people don't have the manners to ignore their spelling and grammar issues.

For all the people who say they would prefer to be picked up on their spelling and grammar, there will be plenty who certainly wouldn't.

And it's those people who are made to feel MN is not for them because they don't fit in somehow.

Some of my neighbours are having a long-running dispute, and one of them huffed about the other: "I'm not going to get told what's right by someone who doesn't even have a university education".

I was , you've lost my support right there. And I feel the same about the Correctors on here.

(Should add that I love reading dedicated Pedantry threads - nothing wrong with being a bit too fond of spelling and grammar, I am myself - but that's a voluntary activity and posters there are basically asking to get corrected.)

Dare I suggest that people are more likely to learn the proper spelling for words if they keep reading MN, and see how everyone else is spelling those words, than they are if they get clucked off in the direction of a dictionary every time they dare to join a conversation?

I'm laughing at the idea that we should be looking up the spelling of words before posting. That'll do wonders for a nice fluid discussion.

Quite.

I'm laughing at the idea that we should be looking up the spelling of words before posting. That'll do wonders for a nice fluid discussion.

And MN is not a job application process. What's next - are we going to tell posters who have English as a second language to stay away till they're fluent?

Where someone is just posting everyday stuff I can understand someone correcting it.

Why though? What's to understand about it?

Do you really think the person doing the correcting is genuinely concerned because a stranger on the internet can't spell as well as they can?

Do you not cringe every time you read someone apologising or justifying themselves by saying, "Sorry I'm dyslexic", "Sorry English isn't my first language" "Sorry I didn't go to school much".

Because I really do cringe when I see people feeling the need to explain these things to a bunch of strangers, when all they want to do is chat about what's for dinner.

Not as much as I cringe for the self righteous sounding idiots, who take it upon themselves to run around the internet correcting people though...

I think anyone who lacks the good grace to resist this sort of thing, should log off and think about what's lacking in their life.

confused - cross posted, but if it bothers you so much, it's subjective and you're using the indicative.

I know I'm boring on this subject, as celibacy obviously finds from her comments upthread, but honestly, ohno, that is such a generalisation.

Yes, for some jobs perfect SPAG are crucial. Those jobs are a tiny minority.

For many jobs, good SPAG are helpful, but not absolutely necessary.

I will never understand why people are so proud to say they wouldn't employ someone whose spelling was bad. It's boasting you wouldn't bother to adapt to someone in difficulties, isn't it?

Reading over this thread, I do not think people realize how hurtful and plain rude their comments and assumptions are.

We are not all people with low literacy, little education and little motivation. We don't lack aspirations or motivation to learn. And if we did, why would it be ok to make us feel bad, or for you to boast about how you wouldn't hire us?

As worra says, this isn't a job application. IME, Job applications are often judged by humane, sensible people with a knowledge of Equality Law, who want the right person for the job. Not by pedants.

Imagine for example a mother is tearing her hair out and comes here for advice on how to get her baby to sleep/feed/stop crying. Do you really think it's 'fine' for others to start correcting her spelling? Do you really think that person is likely to come back to MN again for advice?

I agree, Worra, but I would argue that this falls under normal guidelines about being "by parents for parents" and "peace and love" and "be supportive, you cunts" and doesn't need a rule on its own.

But Mumsnet is not work or a job application OhNo, its a chat forum. No-one is saying spelling and grammar do not matter. We are saying that 100% perfection is not necessary on a chat forum and it is on non for mistakes to be corrected sarcastically or have the piss taken.

There could be a tearful, end of her tether member posting that her baby won't sleep, feed etc but if she dares to say 'I would of thought he would sleep through by now' you can guarantee at least one poster would say something like:

have have have

They don't matter on a chat forum as long as the mistakes don't change what they're actually trying to say.

Spelling and grammar DO matter.
If you are in a professional job they matter even more.

I would not employ someone who couldn't spell or string a sentence together. I'm not talking about the odd mistake here or there, I'm talking not so much about the inability to be 100% perfect but more the willingness to do things correctly.

If you can't be bothered to spell words correctly, to me that says that you can't be bothered to do your job properly.

We think it's fine for others to correct spelling if they want to but anything that falls into a personal attack will be deleted.

Why is it fine Rebecca?

Imagine for example a mother is tearing her hair out and comes here for advice on how to get her baby to sleep/feed/stop crying.

Do you really think it's 'fine' for others to start correcting her spelling?

Do you really think that person is likely to come back to MN again for advice?

I think nipping this crap in the bud is long overdue. As long as someone has made themselves clear and communicated exactly what they're trying to say, that should be all that matters.

Mumsnet is a very diverse forum with people from all different educational backgrounds and countries.

If they come here for advice or to chat, they should be able to do so without other members grabbing their big red correction pens.

I don't think correcting loose/lose or they're/there in a factual manner is offensive.

No, it doesn't need to be offensive, but how often is it actually necessary? How often does a spelling mistake actually completely change the meaning of a word to the extent that the post is very different?

I mean, we have confusion when some people use DP to mean parents and some use DP to mean partner, or DS for sister/son or even DD autocorrecting to Dad. But it takes a second or less to skim the rest of the post and get the true meaning.

It takes far longer than a second to read someone's subsequent "It's lose, OP" then roll one's eyes and scroll by.

Ignite for ignore was unintentionally hilarious. Nobody genuinely thought the poster wanted to set fire to her MIL or not much anyway.

Yes, MNHQ should definitely delete posts that correct people's grammar, or the posters doing it should at least get a warning and perhaps a ban if they persist.

I like the generally good standard of written English on here but think the pedants are being very rude towards those who make mistakes, whether due to lack of education, special needs, English not being their first language, being caught out by autocorrect, or just a simple mistake. Not everyone has the time to expertly compose their post and carefully proof read it.

Have we even discussed the twatphone effect yet? DYAC makes spelling clutzes of even the most careful.

My phone loves to "correct" my apostrophes which is lovely when it automatically correctly puts one in "it's" but less lovely when it does so in "sons". Argh.

lol

A sticky on "What is rudeness" and "What is snobbery" might also be useful. Love your post, TiggyD.

no it does not and most of the time its not. when people are nasty thats just what they are aiming to be.

im not sure that an 8 year old knowing the difference between loose/lose is relivant when it comes to dyslexia as its nothing to do with age.