So all these pedants who correct posters grammar

[MamaMaiasaura]

Seen posters correcting grammar on here, do they do so in RL situations?

Oh look.. I used some of the wrong words and fucked up a haiku on this thread. Agreed offence is taken, not given.

Thank you Belfast.

I is shit x

Perhaps that's the answer - pedants limit themselves to correcting each other, leading to happy interesting discussions. And peace reigns.

Fair enough, kayano you think I'm OTT, perhaps I am. I don't lke seeing people belittled, which it does. You commented purposely, knowing someone else would correct. So ok, not a cronie then.

The action is pathetic, in my opinion, I don't care whether people agree or disagree with me.

You should see the latest comment on that thread lying and then get wound up! That's much worse!

I like that correct grammar / use of punctuation is considered important here. I have learnt the correct use of '...and I' through Mumsnet, and am pleased to know this now.

I also notice incorrect use of punctuation. Although I don't correct people, it definitely has an effect on how I read the post. I can't help but notice a glaring error, so some part of my mind is concentrating on this rather than the content of the post.

I think if you post on here and someone corrects your grammar/punctuation, this means you can be aware and not make the same mistake elsewhere. Yes I am a pedant about things such as it's/its, but if I am then so might someone else you want to impress e.g. potential employer, someone you are making a complaint to etc. If you want to write to someone in a professional way and you use incorrect grammar, it will most likely have a negative effect on how your message comes across.

Better to be corrected here than continue to make the mistake elsewhere where it could really matter. A bit like friendly mners telling you your skirt is tucked in your knickers or you have toilet roll stuck to your foot, but a grammar version?

• crony

crys

"Better to be corrected here than continue to make the mistake elsewhere where it could really matter. A bit like friendly mners telling you your skirt is tucked in your knickers or you have toilet roll stuck to your foot, but a grammar version?"

Exactly. Why not learn new things and improve yourself while frittering hours away on MN? How painless.

I like that Sunshine - better someone friendly points out that you have spinach in your teeth than that you go to an interview or out on a date with it still there. :)

But it doesn't always come across as friendly, does it? I mean, if you were pointing out spinach in teeth, you wouldn't just baldly go up, point, and say "spinach in teeth", would you? You'd be nice, you'd try to limit the other person's embarrassment, and you'd also be aware that spinach in teeth isn't really related to perceptions of educational status/intellect/prestige in the way that language is. Language is tied up very closely with all of these things, which is why correcting can give rise to offence, if not handled sensitively.

I am happy to be corrected in real life, especially english is not my first language.
I am happy to correct other people's obvious mistakes (especially when it is not a simple typo). "Could of", "seperate", "recieve", etc should be corrected.

And yes, I mean baldly, not boldly.

Last two are easily simple typos.

i think its small minded and rude.

its rarely done to be helpful most of the time it's done to undercut the poster or to be reductive. It's petty.

I agree that spinach in teeth isn't associated with intellect/educational status in the way that language is, but if it was and everyone who didn't have spinach in their teeth didn't point out the spinach to those that did, then the intellect/educational status would be even bigger for people to see, and everyone would see who had spinach in their teeth and who didn't. If people pointed out the spinach (I agree, in a sensitive way) then eventually noone would have spinach in their teeth and it would no longer be linked to educational status/intellect.

Also, people who point out the spinach in someone else's teeth may also have some stuck in their own, in a different manner. It may not always be the perfect spinachless people who do the pointing out - someone who points out someone else's spinach may in turn have some spinach pointed out to them, to which they may be very grateful.

Someone else on the same thread has told the OP that she is boasting and people are up in arms about a grammar correction!

Someone can be downright mean and insulting and people focus on the grammar? I don't understand

The word spinach looks and sounds weird now.

Lying, that's my point. I wouldn't mind having it pointed out to me. I don't generally point stuff out to other people either, rl or otherwise (except dd but it's my job to teach her). My point is that some people welcome the education, some don't. You can't change the simple fact of certain things being grammatically incorrect. You can't change the fact that some care and some don't. What you can change is your attitude towards it all. Happily accept and learn or happily reject the well intentioned advice. You can choose to hear it as pompous and condescending and revel in your ire or you can choose to hear it as kindly, friendly advice. It would be a nicer world if we could assume the best of intentions. And then sing a few verses of Good King Wenceslas.

which thread?

It was the 'to of made
My mum cry' one

'could of'/'should of' makes you look barely literate. Maybe if I correct you once, and you don't do it again, you'll be spared a hundred silent judging. It's so wrong it hurts.

100% charitygirl

I don't mind if people correct me, as long as they are not patronising doing it.

I am shocked at how late I learrnt things llike the difference between practice and practise, less and fewer and several other glaringly obvious mistakes.

remind me again, definite?