Is this too pedantic?

[abcdeeebygum]

An employee in my small friendly team always writes "hope your well?" at the start of all her professional emails to clients and freelance staff. She's a gem and absolutely first class employee who I greatly value, and we get on well on a friendly level. Shall I just ignore it? I can't think of a way to raise it without coming across as a pedant- probably because I am one!

The question 'how welcome are corrections' came up recently in our multi cultural, English speaking work environment. Many native speakers were against it, citing unkindness and damage to working relationships. The non native speakers tended to be keen to receive corrections, in the interests of continuous improvements.

You can guess the rest, most of the repeated mistakes, sorry deviations from language guidelines, were indeed made by native speakers. Corrections were not welcome.

Requests for clarification of non-standard expressions appear to be equally unwelcome. Many native English speakers who were in school after the 1980s do not appear to know enough about grammar to understand and provide explanations.

I happen to speak another language sufficiently well to join in the discussion group held in that language, so heard their opinions at first hand. To be fair, the representatives of non native English speakers in our environment are self selecting interested in speaking English but nevertheless ....

So I give corrections and blame it on my age.

I find it much easier to correct my non-British colleagues - which has led to some interesting conversations about grammar. Their English is better than some of my British colleagues. No, he "should not of done it," and he did it, not "done it."

I did consider creating a reference for with irregular past participles, but I'd probably miss reading about servers which have been putted in the rack, builded and shutted down. One of the Belgians argued about Blake when I said a server was built, not builded.

I find it far harder to point out errors to British colleagues, but do ask for clarification if it's an error which means the meaning isn't clear. I did have a US colleague complain about my spelling in one set of meeting minutes, but before I could respond, someone else pointed out it was fine in British English. I don't mind (very much...) if something uses British or American spellings, as long as they are consistent - I did point out to a German guy he had to go with one or the other, not switch randomly. Their English is always far better than my French, German or Spanish, but that hasn't stopped me highlighting errors in German before...

They love me really.

Strictly speaking, it is not best to avoid splitting infinitives. While you can't split an infinitive in Latin (from which this archaic rule derives), you can easily do so in English.
I would draw the fact that she should use 'you're' not 'your' to her attention.

@midsomermurderess

Strictly speaking, it is not best to avoid splitting infinitives. While you can't split an infinitive in Latin (from which this archaic rule derives), you can easily do so in English. I would draw the fact that she should use 'you're' not 'your' to her attention.

I shall continue to keep them together if possible. I find it pleasing to do so. You may split away to your heart’s content, however.

@lazyfecker

I think a lot of people will defiantly be seeing loved ones this Christmas

Not if the latest Covid threats have anything to do with it...

@HollyRoadRaider

I think you should raise it. Especially in business and specially in an opening sentence.

Just say:

I'm sorry to be pedantic, but you do know it's you're and not your in this instance?
you're = you are
your = possession of something, your dog, your car etc.
You're so good at your job in every way but I just feel this will make a poor impression with some of our clients.

Then breezily change the subject.

It's such a fundamental and basic error and totally makes me look in a different way at people who do it. I have a primary school teacher friend who does it all the time which I think is appalling! It's so bloody obvious which is right when you think about what you're writing for even a moment or two.

A primary teacher?!? Good grief.

Not if the latest Covid threats have anything to do with it...
It's precisely because of Covid that people will be defiantly seeing loved ones. That's the joke being made about a typo becoming accidentally the more accurate word in the circumstances.

Definitely blame it on 'annoying grammar autocorrect'. Don't just reply "I hope you're well too" as she'll either not notice/ignore it (it is just a redundant filler phrase after all), think that both are acceptable or even think that you are wrong and start a MN thread asking how to diplomatically 'correct' YOU!

I tend to say to my staff things like ‘no big deal but could we use ‘you’re’ instead of ‘your’ as our clients/ customers are the types to pick up on that! And sort of blame it on the clients or customers? It depends what sort of relationship you have with her, I’m close with my staff so I would say it in a way where I was laughing at myself really for making a fuss...

However you cut it, it’s a spelling mistake and it’s not difficult to change. I would not be able to deal with it and yes it looks unprofessional.

Finding something pleasing is very far from it being 'best to avoid'.

@DappledThings

Not if the latest Covid threats have anything to do with it... It's precisely because of Covid that people will be defiantly seeing loved ones. That's the joke being made about a typo becoming accidentally the more accurate word in the circumstances.

I know!!! I was aware of the “joke”.

@midsomermurderess

Finding something pleasing is very far from it being 'best to avoid'.

I shall continue to keep them together if possible. I find it pleasing to do so. I also find it pleasing that it irritates people in an online forum.

You may split away to your heart’s content, however. It is your prerogative.

...on an...

These are funny. At least I think so!

•Three intransitive verbs walk into a bar. They sit. They drink. They leave.

•A comma splice walks into a bar, it has a drink and then leaves.

•A dangling modifier walks into a bar. After finishing a drink, the bartender asks it to leave.

•A Question mark walks into a bar?

•Two Quotation marks “walk into” a bar.

•A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking a drink.

•The bar was walked into by the passive voice.

•The past, the present, and the future walked into a bar. It was tense.

•A synonym ambles into a pub.

•A gerund and an infinitive walk into a bar, drinking to drink.

•A hyperbole totally ripped into this bar and destroyed everything.

•A run on sentence walks into a bar it is thirsty.

•Falling slowly, softly falling, the chiasmus collapsed to the bar floor.

•A group of homophones wok inn two a bar.

The infamous example:

I know!!! I was aware of the “joke”.
Ok. But your response reverses it again so it looks like you didn't get it. It is because of Covid rules that they are defiantly meeting. But you said not if Covid rules have anything to do with it. So if they don't meet because Covid rules prevent it then they aren't being defiant at all.

She isn’t very professional with grammar like that.

We all make typos but grammar is another thing.

You could reply 'Hope your well is what?'

@DappledThings

People complaining about the question mark are being pedantic. It is a question

No it isn't, it's a statement. "I hope you are well." A question would be "are you well".

I have actually mentioned to a colleague that the question mark was wrong in this exact sentence.

Jesus christ! Did that make you feel better? How did your colleague respond?

It's a turn of phase which is posed as a question in the modern use.

Jesus christ! Did that make you feel better?
How did your colleague respond?
Oh it absolutely did. He told me he disagreed and that it looked more polite like that. I told him he was wrong and we left it there. We had a good enough relationship that could weather such minor disagreements.
It's a turn of phase which is posed as a question in the modern use.
Only if used in conjunction with the dreaded rising inflection. When I say "I hope you are well" this a statement. I do hope the person is well. It isn't a question and adding a question mark doesn't make it a question.

@Janegrey333

It’s not pedantic time draw a grammatical error to someone’s notice.

...employee who I greatly value...

The above should be “whom I...” etc. Strictly speaking it’s best not to split the infinitive, either.

It’s probably me being stupid but how is that a split infinitive?

The “greatly” is between “I” and “value” and “I value” isn’t an infinitive is it?

It's a turn of phase which is posed as a question in the modern use.

It’s a statement, not a question, and it counts as an error (minor) in my workplace. Confusing your/you’re is serious smelling salts territory.

@DappledThings

I know!!! I was aware of the “joke”. Ok. But your response reverses it again so it looks like you didn't get it. It is because of Covid rules that they are defiantly meeting. But you said not if Covid rules have anything to do with it. So if they don't meet because Covid rules prevent it then they aren't being defiant at all.

I got it!!!