(pedant alert)

[Olifin]

AIBU to wish people would say 'mischievous' rather than 'mischievious'?

And to wish that people would notice the difference between prostate and prostrate?

Too much time on my hands on a Sunday morning...

'my bad' is originally American, isn't it? or did I just happen to hear it from Americans first?

Perhaps when I'm trying to explain to my client why I haven't finished his text because I spent all evening defending grammatical pedantry...

I'm awfully sorry Claw: it was wretched of me, and I apologise. Now go and have a lovely bath.

My bad is used by teenage boys on facebook

I like 'my bad'.

I also like, 'whatchoo doin' all up in my grill'

Headbanger, oh im sorry that you are feeling wretched, please dont, i promise i wont lose any sleep tonight.

Tiger have you made your mind up yet - come on, out yourself! :)

Claw headbanger really wasn't making a back handed compliment, she was making a comment on her inability to communicate not yours x

Olifin - let me know when we can start with Mustang Sally - please :)

Headbanger I think so much of what you and I learnt was just picked up. How I am not sure. I knew all of it before I took French, I just didn't know what things were called (if you know what I mean). So yes, it came easily to me and naturally, spelling, grammar weren't ever anything I had to think about - whereas for my friend, they are. She spells phonetically and many many basic words wrong because she just doesn't 'see' them. You and I automatically spell correctly, she doesn't, you and I can look at a word and think - that's wrong she can't.... she spells things like can't carn't - she doesn't get or remember that it's a contraction of can & not and that the apostrophe denotes the missing letters. You may be able to explain a one off rule to your students, but that's so different from having to learn all the rules as my friend would have to.

Right - off to read all the cross posts :)

I'm worried about joining in here, but ...

I'm an editor, I work with words and have to give people feedback on work that they've written. If it's badly spelled and punctuated, it takes me twice as long to read. Yes, I can get the gist of what they're saying, but it's much harder work, very irritating and - most importantly - really, really distracting. It's like having to read something through a filter before you can understand it.

As several other people have said, the rules are there to enable clearer communication; ignoring those rules - as some people seem to do proudly and defiantly - just weakens their message.

And this is nothing to do with dyslexics, that's a totally different argument.

I'm also proud of the English language and hate seeing it wilfully abused. Ok, I'm a pedant. Because I believe this stuff matters.

Shit, this is my first AIBU post. I am genuinely terrified.

'all up in my grill'?

What is a 'grill' in this instance?

Chillax.....

Chipping In

remind me on what fence you think I'm sitting. Then I will (possibly) out myself.

Sup?

Chipping, saying you have failed to get someone to understand a single word you have said, says more about their ability than yours. Thats how i interrupted it. Still never mind, we have kissed and made up now

CJCregg

Dont be afraid lady, you've put your point across perfectly well!

and if im not mistaken Headbanger is now flashing her grill while gazing in my direction.

Wassup girl

Thanks, staranise and olifin.

Claw - interrupted? I suspect you of 'avin' a larf!

(still nervous, but feeling a bit braver now )

I'm going off-line, to do unspeakable things to a thesis .

staraise no, you can't use it in that context - well technically you can, but it would be wrong! It is more apologising for a misunderstanding.

tiger I will chill & I will relax, but I will never Chillax and it will raise my BP!! Ghastly word!!

Tiger this one - not strictly a fence...

Tigerdrivesbackin Sun 12-Sep-10 19:34:49
I'm toying with outing myself as a pendant.
Guess I'll hang about a bit and then decide.

Sorry i should have said 'thats the way i took it', i tried to use one of them fancy word like interpret!

Oh, you silly billy.

I think we should drop this one.

And... chillax

PS It makes me tense up too. Really tense up and want to scream!

CJ Hi - I've seen you around the other boards :)

Anything submitted to an editor should be well written & checked for spelling and gramatical errors - that goes withot saying. Anything formal likewise.

Yes, im off too, having a barth now.

night.

Oh staranise, how I love that song.

I've been on an interesting musical journey over the last 5 minutes. I googled 'Mustang Sally', so as to post it here for you all to enjoy. I did not know that 'Wilson Pickett' was the man who wrote the song. I thought that was the name of an all-girl group in the early 90s who recorded lots of songs with harmonies- who were they? Anyone know who I mean? Three slightly portly ladies, as I recall. Or maybe one of them was portly.

And then I thought that Wilson Pickett were the band who did that lovely, unaccompanied 'Only You' song but no, that was the Flying Pickets apparently.

Very much off-topic, obviously.