Isn’t it time to stop mocking people with poor literacy?

Nest of visors

Yes funny mistakes are entertaining (someone called MN a 'nest of visors' the other day-funny typo), and if the spelling is so bad you genuinely can't work out what the poster means then asking is fine (in the right way).

Other than that yes Shove your unsolicited SPAG lesson up your semi colon.

Laughing at funny mistakes doesn't bother me but posters who correct people are tedious and horrible. Especially when they are asking for help. Shove your unsolicited SPAG lesson up your semi colon.

Disclaimer-was watching a documentary on the TV at the same time.

I have posted on that thread... one a family members mispronunciation very very funny he finds it funny too! The other an ad for an actual living thing for a lot of money ..the spelling is awful but understandable and also very funny(to us in private and maybe should have stayed that way) I mispronounce things all the time and also have fat thumbs and don’t proofread , as a result not sensitive about these things nor judgemental just see the funny

It's really not the job posters on MN to educate other posters. Everyone is just mucking about on the internet. Posting with one eye on the TV, typing quickly especially during fast moving threads.

Most people can separate formal and informal. When applying for jobs there's always spellcheck or whatever.

(And I use full stops in text messages, apparently that's bad)

Genuine question - what is the best middle ground? I'm seeing increasing use of poor SPAG and text speak in CVs and job applications. It's all well and good on a chat forum, but when people can't separate the informal from the formal and don't know any different, then what?

It's arguably more cruel to let people continue to talk about Chester drawers than kindly and discreetly point it out to them, isn't it? But sadly hidden behind an anonymous forum, people don't need to be either kind or discreet. So people point it out in public and the OP ends up defensive.

@LyingWitchInTheWardrobe It was a collective 'we', and that is my opinion. I do worry about it. I don't mind if that makes me sound pompous, in your opinion. I don't correct SPAG on mn but I do wonder how people will ever learn if not told. Personally I'd rather be told and then learn from it than continue blindly making the same mistakes over and over again.

I worry we have to tiptoe around people so much now we are excusing, permitting and condoning incorrect spelling and grammar

Excusing and permitting? It's an online chat. However do you cope with text speak?

I posted on that thread and saw this one referenced. I think many of the 'funnies' on that thread are just made up. They remind me of toddlers that have been running around like made, had a bit too much squash and need a nap.

HJ40 it's not your place to excuse, permit or condone incorrect spelling and grammar. Do you actually hear yourself? How pompous your post is.

There seem to be quite a few people who appear to have had a censor fewmar failure on MN of late.

I think it depend how it's done. Screen grabs which show someone's name are not on, but when something is funny and anonymous and there's no harm that's different.

I worry we have to tiptoe around people so much now we are excusing, permitting and condoning incorrect spelling and grammar.

And FWIW, yes I do look up words I don't know how to spell and don't understand frequently. I think it's important.

I agree!

I do think funny unintentional typos are fair game.

But the thing is posters don't come on here for an English lesson, there are other sites available for that.

I agree that criticising people's spelling and grammar on forums etc is nasty. And many of the self-proclaimed grammar pedants turn out to know bugger-all about grammar anyway. Screen-grabbing also isn't really on. But I can't say I see that much wrong with mentioning funny misspellings you happen to have come across when you're not actually attributing them to anyone.

Agree OP.
Not specifically regarding the Shezlong thread because that's quite funny. But in general we should consider that poor spelling and grammar are often due to lack of good education, support and opportunities.

Good for you if you have impeccable grammar but in the 90s/00 when I was at mainstream school it wasn't such a priority. Teachers were demotivated, classmates were continuously disruptive due to their specific needs and nothing could be done about it, there was bullying going on, 50% of the class didn't have English as their first language.
School was bloody hard work without the actual education bit!

I envy people who went to grammar and actually got a good education and were able to use that to expand their chances in life. I wish it had been stricter and we'd had the opportunity to actually learn.

I think comments pointing out people's spelling mistakes where it makes no difference to the thread and everyone can understand what it means should be deleted.

It's a Talk forum not A Level English, and the self appointed SPAG police just make themselves look a bit silly.

This is where you're wrong.
If the word isn't highlighted as incorrect as it is a proper spelling just not for the word you're using how do you know to check it ? Do you check every word you type ?
Sometimes I can type a word in incorrectly and it's highlighted as wrong but there are no options as it's so wrong it can't be picked up. I retype serval times trying different versions of getting it wrong enough for spell check to pick it up. Sometimes that fails. I either have to use a different word or the wrong spelling.
This is people's ignorance and lack of empathy in understanding how hard it is for some people.
Why is it important?

On the other hand, surely one must marvel at how so many people can spend 12 years in FT education yet still be functionally illiterate?
I think as a society we need to raise our literacy-expectation game, especially now we're 'competing globally', apparently.
I mean read through your FB. How many posts don't have errors?
I think we need to ask ourselves how we have reached the point where our expectations of literacy as so very low. And challenging it is decried as 'snobbery'.
It's one thing not to be ashamed of one's illiteracy; it's another to be proud of it!

Exactly - there are lots of reasons why someone might not readily know a correct spelling, but these days it's hardly difficult to check. "Alexa, please spell ...." or just put an approximation into Google. It's not the not knowing that's worrying - it's the not caring!

This is a bit of an overreaction imo.

Google or whatever can check a spelling in a second. Presumably if you’re putting up things for sale you are online and you might check?

No ones attacking anyone personally here so storm in a t cup I say

I felt uncomfortable when I read that thread too. No understanding or even empathy towards the possible stories behind those spellings.... it definitely feels like middle class sniggering which is to the detriment of Mumsnet and a great shame.

The snobbiest snobs are usually very badly educated, that is why they set such store on outward demonstrations such as spelling.

On the other hand, surely one must marvel at how so many people can spend 12 years in FT education yet still be functionally illiterate?

I think as a society we need to raise our literacy-expectation game, especially now we're 'competing globally', apparently.

I mean read through your FB. How many posts don't have errors?

I think we need to ask ourselves how we have reached the point where our expectations of literacy as so very low. And challenging it is decried as 'snobbery'.

It's one thing not to be ashamed of one's illiteracy; it's another to be proud of it!