To think that it is very unfair, to pick someone up on spelling or grammar, just because you disagree with what they are saying.

[smokepole]

I posted recently on a ongoing topic in this section, I was picked up for my "appalling" grammar, my use of punctuation and for my sentence construction. I noticed that when my opinion changed , strangely enough my grammar or incorrect use of exclamation marks was not picked up upon. I have noticed that this happened on other threads as well. I think this is wrong for two reasons, the first being that it is a kind of bullying, intimating that because someone struggles with spelling, punctuation or correct sentence construction, that there are thick, therefore their argument or view point does not stand up. The other point it is very unfair to pick people up who have not benefited from higher education, or in my case not even education post GCSE'S, people need to realise this and accept that they have been fortunate to have been able to access higher education, but they need to give people like me some slack over my poor grammar or sentence construction.

Yes, I'm terribly young and naive.

It must be that that's holding me back, not the fact I'm currently teaching several dyslexic English Lit students and have to be clued up on what they're entitled to under the law.

Perhaps you should learn a little bit about SNs and SENs, so that when I achieve my glorious mature potential, I won't make you feel quite so much of an idiot in that debate?

Someone once told me that until I learnt to spell i had nothing of interest to say

wonders how old you have to be before you grasp the way the world works

sittinginthemorningsun Chelsy we're chatting casually on an internet forum, not taking an A level paper

Alas, when you receive a letter from the NHS or your local authority containing spelling errors, it does make you doubt their ability to get other things right.

I was thinking more of posts on Facebook though. Am I the only person to have FB friends (not all with degrees) who post in better English in their second language than quite a considerable number of native English speakers?

I have several friends from a country where there is no universal free education and its only available to those whose parents can pay or who benefit from charity, and even then commonly not as long as the English receive.

The old 'Furriners speek engerlish than the engerlish' debate ehh?

But chelsy, how can I believe you when your own posts contain errors?

I was thinking more of posts on Facebook though. Am I the only person to have FB friends (not all with degrees) who post in better English in their second language than quite a considerable number of native English speakers?

That's because if you're smart enough to learn another language fluently like that, you're probably smart enough to remember and understand grammar and sentence structure in that language as well.

I could be young. I could be down with the kids.

Oh, who am I kidding?

I wasn't down with the kids when I was one.

This is true.

But chelsy, how can I believe you when your own posts contain errors?

As I said in my earlier post, I am quite happy to have my errors pointed out and to learn from them.

So please go ahead...

When you cant win an argument back out by calling someone young.

No, no. That's not how the internet works.

When you can't win an argument or think of anything intelligent to say you correct someone's grammar and spelling instead.

Well Chelsy the subject of this thread is posters correcting other posters spelling and grammar. People don't come on here for an English lesson and a lot of the people who type hasty posts actually work in professions where a high standard of English is an absolute requirement. They just like to relax a bit when they're just idly chatting and arguing on a forum.
It's rude to interrupt a forum chat to point out someone's spelling mistake or grammatical error. As I said, I'm a writer and a lot of my work is published and has to be perfect on the spelling and grammar front. I can't tell you how annoying it is when I post on here and someone comes on to tell me there's two ms in grammar or whatever. I really don't give a rats arse. I'm off duty.

and yes I know there's an apostrophe before the t and s in rats, before anyone bothers to kindly let me know.

vintagjazz I find it equally rude and possibly more useless to be one of those rather tedious posters who are self-appointed forum police and try to control a discussion within their equally self-appointed personal discursive parameters.

I also fail to understand how if someone can and does write in correct English at work how this can desert them when writing on an internet forum

People don't come on here for an English lesson and a lot of the people who type hasty posts actually work in professions where a high standard of English is an absolute requirement. They just like to relax a bit when they're just idly chatting and arguing on a forum.

^This.

My English literacy skills have tested in the 98th percentile. I can write an immaculate cover letter and mission statement if I need to. But I'll be damned if I'm going to read over and correct every single forum post with that level of detail and scrutiny.

Fair enough - but I'll only do one as I'm short on time. Corrections in square brackets

'sittinginthemorningsun Chelsy we're chatting casually on an internet forum, not taking an A level paper

[full stop at the end of a quotation needed here]

Alas, when you receive a letter from the NHS or your local authority containing spelling errors, it does make you doubt their ability to get other things right.

[If I were being a stickler, I'd quibble the punctuation, but it's colloquially acceptable.]

I was thinking more of posts on Facebook though.

[Comma after 'Facebook' needed, and 'however' would be better English.]

Am I the only person to have FB friends (not all with degrees) who post in better English in their second language than quite a considerable number of native English speakers?

[This is badly phrased - your 'better than' needs to be comparing like with like. You've meandered from comparing languages ('better English') to comparing people ('English speakers').]

I have several friends from a country where there is no universal free education

[comma would be good here]

and its

[it is, or it's - you need an apostrophe when you contract]

only available to those whose parents can pay or who benefit from charity, and even then commonly not as long as the English receive.

[receive it? I think you've missed out a word here]

Hope that was actually useful - I would never correct to this level for someone who wasn't happy to be corrected, and some of these, as you can see, are more quibbly than others.

The only thing that annoys me is lack of paragraphs and (some) full stops or commas.

I like it when people correct my grammar, it means I am learning.

Really Chelsy anyone who criticises you and agrees with the OP is trying to 'control the discussion'?
Can you not find a better argument than that?

By the way 'equally self appointed'???? Think you might need to review that one.

Also why strike out your last sentence? That's normally used in a witty way. You seem to have done it for some pointless reason that I can't understand.

I also fail to understand how if someone can and does write in correct English at work how this can desert them when writing on an internet forum

Think of it like taking a driving test. On driving test you will do everything correctly, hold your hands at the 9 o'clock and 3 o'clock positions, slow down and brake perfectly, use your turn signals when need be, etc.. But once you've been driving a while you relax, stop think about driving with that level of intensity and can't be arsed to use your fucking turn signal.

There's really no need to spend 2 hours editing and proof reading like you would a professional statement on an internet forum. If a person can understand what you're saying, then good enough.

Aslo the hmuan bairn is albe to raed mspeliled wrdos wtih esae. No need to be a grammar nazi about it.