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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Why do people enjoy picking others up on their spelling or grammar

385 replies

TakeMeDrunkImHome · 31/05/2011 01:29

i have noticed this a LOT here, and i am fairly new. Is there some kind of badge that is awarded if you spell every word correctly and use every term in the correct way. Some people seem to respond to a particular thread just to correct the OP with their spelling or punctuation or grammar. WHY? Not everyone has a masters in english. Not everyone is awesome with spelling or grammar. Is it some way of making yourself look better than the next person?

OP posts:

LyingWitchInTheWardrobe2726 · 31/05/2011 14:37

There is no excuse for many things, doley, but there we are. If I see a post that I don't understand, I either skip it or ask the OP what they meant. Not a difficult thing to get over.

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:37

Again miflaw how dose someone hVing bad grammar warrant them not being able to talk about standards are slipping if Somone can't spell whats that got to do with somone saying education is bad now a days if anything it would sure up their argument

I don't get why it matters if some can spell if they think education is poor
Please explain more

I can understand if someone is saying the education they had was fantastic but can't spell then fair enough I am confused

TobyLerone · 31/05/2011 14:39

I (silently) judge people on their grammar and spelling. I've never once been proved wrong.

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:41

Doley you are presuming everyone has the same level of education you

Some people have a very good grasp of english some people not so, some people can barley write their own name.

So why do you assume very one knows what you know and has the same level of education

Psammead · 31/05/2011 14:41

doley · 31/05/2011 14:42

I can see and understand what you are saying lying .

I just think it is a total waste of time to post something that people skip over because the punctuation is so bad

They might have said something they wanted known ,all to be wasted for a few basic 'rules' :)

MIFLAW · 31/05/2011 14:45

Maypole

Typically when someone says, "standards are slipping," it is really to say, "as opposed to when I was at school - WE learnt the three 'R's etc., it's all really easy, why don't young folk just TRY harder" etc. So, in that context, because I find that sort of reasoning all sorts of bollocks, I am quite keen to take that individual down a peg or two. Probably very petty of me, but I don't get out much.

It would, of course, only shore up their argument if they were portraying themselves as a victim of the slippage, not as someone from before the slip - and the victims rarely waste their time to say, "standards are slipping" because, if anything, standards are probably going up overall - the high achievers are much less perfect but I bet there are fewer kids leaving school functionally illiterate these days.

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:46

Doley those who are correcting bad spelling and grammar are sloping the posts are they they must be going over them to correct them.

And to be Frank their not interested in what you have to say if you don't agree they just want to score point ha ha you can't spell one nil to be sort of thing.

TobyLerone · 31/05/2011 14:47

Hahahahaha, Psammead

You are one of the people with absolutely nothing to fear!

Disclaimer: I don't claim that my spelling/grammar are perfect. But they're good enough for me not to come across as an idiot due to them. My opinions do that for me

doley · 31/05/2011 14:48

maypole with all due respect ,your post is very difficult to understand .

Are you honestly telling me some people have no idea how to use a full stop, or a capital letter in the correct place ?

I would be interested how well educated you assume I am ?

TobyLerone · 31/05/2011 14:48

Doley those who are correcting bad spelling and grammar are sloping the posts are they they must be going over them to correct them.

And to be Frank their not interested in what you have to say if you don't agree they just want to score point ha ha you can't spell one nil to be sort of thing.

I have no idea what any of this means

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:50

Miflaw thats for clearing that up.

Well i am quite open about the fact I had a poor education myself.

I don't however agree that "up overall - the high achievers are much less perfect but I bet there are fewer kids leaving school functionally illiterate these days" because any one who works with young offenders will tell you well over 50% cannot read or write

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:51

Well I don't know dolly I presume you finished high school?

JoanofArgos · 31/05/2011 14:51

You could of course argue the other way: that when someone doesn't engage with what you've actually said, and offers no convincing arguments other than prejudice and supposition, and can only respond to you by telling you what you're 'actually saying', then it can become so frustrating trying to have a proper debate that you start to become more irritated by the difficulty in comprehension than you otherwise might.

doley · 31/05/2011 14:52

I am not about point scoring at all .

maypole I have read many of your posts ,you seem to be very concerned with education, and you speak with passion .

You do want to be understood don't you ?[confused ]

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:54

Dolly sorry fo that lost my trail of though again mid post dam dam dam

MIFLAW · 31/05/2011 14:54

Of COURSE illiteracy is over-represented in young offenders - educational underachievement and crime is an established link.

But, if you look at (say) seventy years ago, when compulsory schooling till age 14 was VERY keen on correct language use, the ones that struggled with that often ended up leaving with nothing at all in the way of literacy skills.

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:55

Doley that wasn't aimed AT You I was just commenting on what you have written

doley · 31/05/2011 14:55

maypole ...are you using a keyboard ?

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:57

Miflaw I really only have reference to education in the late 80s and 90s really so I will just have to take your word on what when on then in terms of education

altinkum · 31/05/2011 14:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 14:58

Doley yes dam I Pad auto correct coupled with my bad spelling its much better when i am using the pc but kids are watching a movie so i have no chance of getting other now

maypole1 · 31/05/2011 15:00

Look the thing is if you find some ones post hard to read then don't read it simples

But their will be those who know deep down what someone else make more sense and use grammar and spelling as a deflecting weapon to their bad arguments.

doley · 31/05/2011 15:01

altinkum

Seriously ?

MIFLAW · 31/05/2011 15:01

"I really only have reference to education in the late 80s and 90s really so I will just have to take your word on what when on then in terms of education" - not really: if you had grandparents who attended state schools and told you stories about their life you could reflect on the anecdotal evidence from them.

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