So all these pedants who correct posters grammar

[MamaMaiasaura]

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

SoH saves me the bother of typing all of that out!

and GKWencelas did like his pizzas deep and crisp and even.

ShowOfHands... I'm only referring to what is said on a chatboard, not RL. I don't think it's 'friendly' or 'helpful' to point out grammatical errors, it's disruptive. I think unless you know that the poster you're about to correct welcomes it, you shouldn't impose your corrections on their post. That's all.

For every poster who doesn't mind or welcomes it, there are others who do mind. If people stop correcting others posts then nobody is offended. As for the 'silent judging', good grief... what random people n a chatboard think is nothing to get worked up over. If you would judge somebody being illiterate... then shame on you.

I hate it. I hope they don't do it in rl and I wish they wouldn't do it on here.

"please help, my husband keeps flirting with my best friend. There both ignoring how I feel"

"It's they're, not there"

Fuck.
Off.

I thought, that's a bit insensitive if someone's upset that they made their Mum cry. Then I read the thread and saw it is a light hearted one about the Mum being pleased to receive a bunch of flowers. I wouldn't have corrected it myself as I'm a bit too non confrontational, but if that had been written somewhere else I think the poster could have been judged unfairly on it. I think it is helpful to someone to point that out and it didn't seem to be in an unfriendly way. I agree with poster who said it's best to assume nice intentions behind the correcting.

By the way, is it still a capital M if I'm talking about someone else's Mum? I know Mum is a proper noun, but if I'm talking about someone's Mum is it still a proper noun?

I like the fact that they do, makes me read everything over and over I put before posting (though I have noticed the odd thing after posting too). Especially since Im a fast typer so type as Im pretty much thinking and sometimes it comes out all cafuddled (this is not spelt wrong just a word I made up).

I was once pulled up on a facebook group and I was glad I was, but someone else said they were bullying for it I didnt think they were, they just liked people to spell correct and so do I

Ive just had to correct loads there and I bet there's still something Ive missed, but there usually is.

I am also shocked wrt how late in life I learned the difference between, "its" and "it's"

Is it true that breathe / breath and loose / lose are the most common internet mistakes?

Cz i dnt blv tat

ShowofHands it was who said about best of intentions

One word that always always annoys me is when people write carnt. With a bloody R in it, there is no R in can't and they often dont include the apostrophe!!!!! And Gawjus I see often on Facebook.

You just had to mention lesser / fewer, didn't you?

You couldn't let it lie

It is NOT, "ten items or less" at the supermarket.

Hecate, I don't believe that your example happens very much at all on MN.

"please help, my husband keeps flirting with my best friend. There both ignoring how I feel"

"It's they're, not there"

Fuck.
Off."

There are quite a few emotional/desperate posts where I notice the misspellings or grammar, and I certainly wouldn't dream of correcting them. Because I notice the errors, I also notice that usually no-one else corrects them either.

Corrections only tend to happen in run-of-the-mill chat.

What an contradictory nickname chatty if you are silently judging

Didn't actually realise how strongly posters (note lack of apostrophe as frankly I don't care) felt on correct grammar and spelling. Does that mean that people with dyslexia are deemed to have a lower intelligence?

Personally when someone corrects me, especially if it's an emotionally charged subject, I think 'What a twat'.

It is correctly "Ten items or fewer" at my local Waitrose. Makes me happy.

Charity not chatty - fucking iPhone spelling for me

There are lots of things I don't like online. And I have the power to ignore them. I just don't think you can ascribe meaning universally. So it's better to assume people are just being helpful. It happens a lot on internet forums. For example...

Person A: Which formula should I use? I need to swap because my breasts are empty after only a short feed.
Person B: Did you know that your breasts are never empty, it's normal for them to feel soft a few weeks in, do you want to carry on bfing?
Persons C-Z + involving lots of who asked you, what's the bfing mafia doing here, all the op wanted was formula advice, summat about poison and so on ad nauseum.

Person B was trying to be helpful. No it's not what Person A asked but we can choose how to interpret it.

But of course when the conversation is of the 'your a bitch' 'you can't even spell you twat' type persuasion, of course it's wrong. But that's people being twats. Nothing to do with grammar or spelling.

I maintain there's nothing wrong with it in general terms.

What IS the difference between less and fewer?
Less generally refers to mass nouns, like sugar or coffee, that we don't break unto individual units. so you'd say "less sugar" but "fewer grains of sugar".

What IS the difference between practice and practise?
Noun and verb - but this is always one I have to check.

Also while we're at it, what is the difference between effect and affect?

Ha! I had this corrected incorrectly by my OU tutor. I chose not to point this out. When they're both verbs, to affect means to influence, whereas to effect means to drive, make happen.

And is more then or more than? Or does that depend on the full sentence?
More than, usually, unless you're saying "oh, go on, one more then"

I think it is Mum when you are using it as a name, and mum otherwise.

Hi Mum

Mum gave me a nice new scarf

A mum at school said she liked my shoes

Your mum has good hair

When I'm judging someone on their grammar, I'm not judging their intelligence at all. That comes from what they actually write.

It's been pretty well proven that dyslexics do not have lower intelligence, and I don't 'deem' them to be less intelligent. I have a dyslexic family member who is far more intelligent than me.

What IS the difference between less and fewer? Less is the opposite of more and fewer is the opposite of greater. With more/less you often can't quantify, whereas with fewer/greater you can. So you can have less sand but if you were talking about grains of sand it would be fewer grains. If you can count it, it's fewer. Think of it as a mathematical term.

What IS the difference between practice and practise? Practise is a verb, practice a noun. Same as advice/advise. So you can practise witchcraft or go to tennis practice.

Also while we're at it, what is the difference between effect and affect? Ooh slightly more complicated. See the following sentences for general usage...

How does David Mitchell affect your state of mind?
The effect of DM on my state of mind is phwoooooaaaaaar.

But you can also have personal effects. Or you can use effect as a verb ie trying to effect change.

And is more then or more than? Or does that depend on the full sentence? Well could be both. But 'more than' is the phrase if that's what you mean.

I went to Waitrose once and adored the "ten items or fewer" checkouts.

I may have pointed them out to DD and given her an impromptu grammar lesson. But this was a SE Essex Waitrose and there were no MNers around to be scathing about it sadly

I have Trills to thank for introducing me to The Alot. Before the Alot I think I may have been an Aloter but not anymore, that and I can laugh at Alots now. Saw an Alot of snot the other day which gladdened my heart a little. Not that I would say anything on the the thread though, manners and all that.

As a slight aside my Dad informed me a few days back that it is none is and none was, never none are and none were. I never knew that, but now I do. My Dad corrects me nicely and with the love so that's OK.

Hi God

God gave me a nice new scarf

A god at Mount Olympus school said she liked my shoes

Your god has good hair, better than my god.

I have done it in rl... and I was made to feel about 2 inches high, which is fair enough. I don't always think before opening my mouth.

I wouldn't hesitate to correct my children though.

I find that if I have to spend a period of time working out what the poster is trying to say, it slows down the reading of the thread. Ergo, see no problem with corrections.
Let's eat Granny!
Let's eat, Granny!
Sorry, but it's essential for the comprehension of written language.