My name is CurlewKate and I am a recovering pedant….

[CurlewKate]

After 30 years as an active pedant, I am now trying VERY hard always to look at what people obviously mean, and not the way they express it. Not everyone has been taught about apostrophes.

But for the love of GOD- please stop saying “stag doo” “birthday doo”. Any other “doo”! Where did that come from?

Can I be the dullard on this thread please?

Literacy is falling. People are reading significantly less. Recent research suggests that levels of intelligence are also falling. On the one hand, people always go on about grammar nazis and pedants and that it must be down to dyslexia so you must not say anything, but the truth is things are changing and I’m not sure it is for the better. My grammar isn’t perfect so before you come along and moan that something is wrong with what I have written here, I am not claiming it to be so, however I do have a lot of concerns over the basics that people seem to be getting wrong and these days no one is allowed to discuss the nuances of language because you get told to shut up. I don’t tend to correct people because I know I am not perfect but I don’t want others to stop doing so because I genuinely think I helps us all! I learned the rule about ‘and I’ vs ‘and me’ a few years back due to someone correcting another person and it has stuck with me. I appreciate that.

Language is important. It’s wonderful and beautiful and ever-evolving and we should see it as important, not just something that wankers and pedants care about. I’m worried about future generations with the constant screens and AI. Research has proven that screen usage (I know the irony of me being on here saying this) shrinks the brain. Reading, however, and handwriting both improve brain function and increase intelligence.

Something is fundamentally wrong with society that we are choosing to reduce these things and then criticise those who still see language and grammar as important. We are losing words from our language that are inportant, that have meaning. Rob Macfarlane has a whole book dedicated solely to the natural history words we are losing in favour of acronyms like ‘yolo’. Words help people connect, understand and care.

I’ll climb down and shut up now.

How are you pronouncing it in your head though? Emphasis on the ‘hen’? ‘Do” like dough? I do hope so because that’s how I’m thinking of it now too.

@ButterChurn none of that is any excuse, LOL

Any excuse for what? Sorry I don’t get what you’re referring to.

I saw a life-size labrador shaped cut out metal sign yesterday outside a pub/restaurant, presumably quite expensive, with the words 'dog's welcome in the garden' cut out. I could not believe nobody had checked that before cutting it.

I do think about it. Hard. It won’t stick. But now I have my handy mnemonic I’m a new woman, no longer playing fast and loose with SPAG!

I have the same problem with the clocks going forward / back. Will it be lighter in the mornings or evenings? No amount of hard thinking, with a furrowed brow can make it stick. No amount of explaining from DP can make it stick. All I hear is blah blah blah.

At 59 now I have just learned to go with the flow.

Please, nobody explain it to me. I’ll just look at your mouth moving and not take in a thing.

Spring forward
Fall back

Clocks spring forward and fall back.

That is terrible.

Cross post - at exactly the same time! However, you get extra marks for using bold.

The problem there is the missing “The”. “The dog’s welcome in the garden.” As in the dog belonging to the pub is welcome-your dog isn’t.

Technically that could be correct if they’re referring to a single dog named Dog (I have known several in my time).

My DH said something like that. I was fuming.

Also all dogs were welcome. 🐕

🤣

I don't disagree with a thing you have said. Literacy rates are worrying and as an English teacher, I care deeply about fostering a love and understanding of language. However, pedantry isn't the tool to combat this. Pedantry is merely a side quest with enjoyable applications if appropriately utilised.

I always think of it as "if your trousers are too loose, you will lose them"

I was online earlier looking for paper and came across a supplier which also offers printing services. Every single plural on the website has an apostrophe. Kilo’s, colour’s, order’s…

😭

The vowel sound in "to" and "do" is the same in every accent in English that I'm aware of.
It's also the same in "too" and "zoo". You can emphasise any of these but in "zoo" it's more likely as it isn't a grammar word.

I have a degree in English and creative writing and used to work as an editor. I’m currently going through medical menopause and it has honestly killed my ability to write properly. I’m mixing up words, especially homophones, found myself using the wrong there/their/they’re and others like new/knew on more than one occasion, autocorrect doesn’t help at all either. Anything I type seems to follow my train of thought now but because of the brain fog my train of thought is more like a very confused fly trying to get out of a closed window. The younger me would be horrified.

Please, nobody explain it to me. I’ll just look at your mouth moving and not take in a thing.

Same as me, when someone tries to explain why planes stay up in the air.

Oh no! you may have relapsed @CurlewKate

Should we stage an intervention? Wringing hands What to doo?!!

I am similar, not in terms of intellect with the degree, etc, but since going through the menopause, my brain fog and ability to remember words are horrific. I have also started to really question which is the right version of some words as I see them mispelt so often. You have my sympathies.

I am the same, although not as educated as you, and mine was natural menopause, but the misplacing of words and forgetting is so frustrating.

I know that bit. That's easy. BUT WILL IT BE LIGHTER OR DARKER IN THE MORNING WHEN I WAKE UP?! <gibbers>