To be a bit paranoid about my spelling and grammar on MN?

[Hotmad]

Seen quite a few threads here about poor spelling and grammar that every time I write something now I make sure I spell correctly, don't use text speak and proof read it before posting!
Apart from spelling and grammar what other human errors and behaviours annoy you most?

Oooh!

Though actually I might start another, even more vital and thrilling thread about "less" and "fewer."

Just thinking about these two words makes me happy.

I would read your thread and rejoice in it...

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pedants_corner/2002258-Whos-going-My-friend-whose-Ds-has-been-invited

....perhaps the title was a little lacking in excitement....

Hmmm, yes it is a little dry Zero. I will visit though.

SelectAUserNane, as you are "one of nature's spelling pedants", can we assume that your spelling of 'humerous' was a humorous little jest?

Never fails, winkle - hoist by my own petard!

PS. It's SelectAUserNaMe not NaNe

What about "on his behalf" instead of "on his part" (and vice versa)? That drives me wild and I hear more and more people getting it wrong on Radio 4. I also hate it when people say, for example "John gave it to Jane and I" - it should be "Jane and me". I shout at the radio but I wouldn't correct anyone (except dp!)

I agree with others that spelling and punctuation mistakes on mn don't bother me, but text speak and lack of paragraphs just make posts difficult to read, which means they might be ignored.

SelectA , I thought when you addressed someone by their user name (or even nane) incorrect spelling was excused. I allow you the shortened form of mine and return the compliment.

I can ignore most errors but one thing I cannot stand is people using would OF/could OF instead of HAVE.

It irritates me so much that I normally close the thread. No doubt I should get a life.

Bless you all sitting here grinning over grammar - let me join you .
In common with other posters, above, I'm quite pedantic particular about spelling and grammar on the whole, but not on here. I presume that most people are typing in states of emotion, snatched moments with half-an-eye on a pot boiling over, or on tiny phone keypads, so it would be missing the point to pull anyone up on typos or sentence construction, as long as the text is comprehensible. Mind you, I'm 3 months off submitting a PhD thesis and still getting pulled up on previously unknown grammatical niceties. Which reminds me that I still don't quite follow when to use hyphens...

*Seen quite a few threads here about poor spelling and grammar that every time I write something now I make sure I spell correctly, don't use text speak and proof read it before posting!"

I'm afraid you didn't proof read that sufficiently, OP, since what you have written is not a correct sentence. It doesn't contain a subject.

Gee, sallyin, I'm sure that's totes like the sorta response she was hoping for, you big genius proofreader, you.

I get confused between their and there. It has been explained to me numerous times but it just won't stick!

Where/here/there all describe places.

And an heir is a person, their refers to people.

Newt: The one I still get confused about is practice/practise

I think confusion here is only going to increase, because there's a difference between American and British usage, and we're all being exposed to more written American than ever before thanks to the Interweb.

Essentially:

British
practise as a verb, I need to practise
practice as a noun: get lots of practice

American
practice as a verb, I need to practice
practice as a noun, get lots of practice

So in American English there's no problem, it's always practice. But for British just remember verb is s and noun is c.

ami - if you mean that to refer to my comment, TBH, I thought it the context it wasn't non-aggressive. The OP posted saying she tries her best but still worries; to post 'you didn't proofread sufficiently' strikes me as mean, because she's already said she tries.

But if it offended you or you thought it was a gentle correction, I'm sorry. It's just how it read to me personally.

I don't know if you want to know, but in light of what you're saying - it's prerogative. I always want to put an extra 'r' in it somewhere so I've got into the habit of sounding it out with a ridiculous amount of care.

Oh I don't care, poor people who have to sit there and correct all the other peoples mistakes. I think it is so sad.

I get quite annoyed when an OP has posted upset or in a stressful situation and they are corrected on something.

I don't give a toss really.

Funny how we're not allowed to use textspeak but MN abbreviations for words and phrases like dh and fwiw and imo are ok.