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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Pointing out mistakes on MN !

81 replies

Heyho111 · 02/11/2014 07:49

To hate it when people point out spelling mistakes and typos.

People ask for advice when they are worried, unsure etc and the first line of the first reply is about a spelling mistake. How is that helpful or supportive.

Typing on a phone screen , as I'm doing, is guaranteed to cause mistakes. Also the person may be dyslexic or out of practice.

Let people ask for advice free from criticism.

Rant over. I'm sure this post will now be scrutinised for errors.

OP posts:

JeanneDeMontbaston · 02/11/2014 16:55

I knew I'd feel glad I bothered to write this last time: readingmedievalbooks.wordpress.com/2014/09/25/i-should-of-known-julian-of-norwich-and-the-venerable-history-of-dodgy-auxiliary-verbs/

bananaramadramallama · 02/11/2014 17:31

I must admit I did find the 'insperational women' one funny (sorry Ilkley ).

The context of that made it amusing imo, not nasty.

DrankSangriaInThePark · 02/11/2014 17:31

lilypotter- I think it's OK to do that if it's meant kindly; (re-writing an OP and dividing it into paragraphs) I've seen it done a few times, usually when a gaggle of utter twats has been on and stamped and humphed and "Oh I can't read that, OP, what are you trying to saaaaay?" first.

Obviously, one might ask what quality of education someone has had if they are, in fact, unable to read something, in their own language, because it's not paragraphed. Says more about them than about the OP I'd say.

amicissimma · 02/11/2014 18:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Mintyy · 02/11/2014 18:54

Is it honestly a common thing on Mumsnet?

I see threads like this, complaining about it, more often than I see actual examples of it happening.

I reckon 999 out of 1000 mistakes are not picked up, if the 1 in a thousand is picked up then is it actually such a big problem?

raltheraffe · 02/11/2014 19:17

"To hate it when people point out spelling mistakes and typos.

People ask for advice when they are worried, unsure etc and the first line of the first reply is about a spelling mistake. How is that helpful or supportive.

Typing on a phone screen , as I'm doing, is guaranteed to cause mistakes. Also the person may be dyslexic or out of practice.

Let people ask for advice free from criticism.

Rant over. I'm sure this post will now be scrutinised for errors."

There should be a question mark after supportive.

DrankSangriaInThePark · 02/11/2014 20:04

Of course no-one thinks that amicissimma.

What the grammar twats like to do, is highlight, emphasise and underline the fact that not everyone has perfect English usage.

Mintyy- there are at least a handful of threads a week where some snidey comments are made about other posters, usually the OP.

I try and tune my twatometer to pick all of them up and go and bitchslap their own (inevitable, thanks to Muphry's law) errors, but I am one, and they are many.

annoyedofnorwich · 03/11/2014 08:09

I don't see what the problem is. I would rather have errors pointed out so that if I genuinely didn't know it was wrong, I can make sure I don't make the same error somewhere important. If it was just a typo then fine. Why get so worked up about being corrected? Just say thanks, store it in your memory for future use and move on!

williaminajetfighter · 03/11/2014 08:41

It is a bit petty but, on the other hand, how do adults learn about their basic grammatical errors and change if others do not point it out? Or does one spend their adult life writing about 'loosing weight' without it being corrected, for worry of offending? That's a legitimate question -- surely even if you've had a not great education or just get a few word wrong you would welcome scope to change? Or do we stop learning when we leave school?

I say this as someone who just started working at a University where I've had a few instances where the punctuation in an email was corrected. It's kind of irritating but on the other hand I won't make that mistake again. And yes work and an online forum are different but it's just different people scrutinising your writing....

Mrsjayy · 03/11/2014 08:45

The I just can't reply properly because lack of paragraphs piss me right off.
So some arsehole comes onto a thread to insult an op and be smug that their advice would be a nugget of wisdom if only the poster had pressed the return key fuck off.

EvilTiggyD · 03/11/2014 08:48

I did it. Then it became apparent the poster had some kind of learning difficulty. I've not done it since.

...unless it's in response to a "grammar Nazi", then all gloves are off.

whataloadofoldshite · 03/11/2014 08:49

A link to BBC site, spelling & grammar not that important...(sorry, not sure how to posh up a link)

m.bbc.co.uk/news/business-29529578

Mrsjayy · 03/11/2014 08:50

william a persons spelling on an internet forum really isn't your or anybody elses bussiness tbh, unless they ask we are not children yes grammar and spelling might be wrong but why do you think it is your or anyone's place to corect it.

pictish · 03/11/2014 09:33

It is a bit petty but, on the other hand, how do adults learn about their basic grammatical errors and change if others do not point it out?

Err...no. This place is not an exercise in grammar or prose, and actually it is inappropriate for you to take it upon yourself to put them right.

And yes work and an online forum are different but it's just different people scrutinising your writing....

Again no. I'm not here to scrutinise anyone's writing...why do you? What difference does it make to you if someone misspells something here? None whatsoever. You are not a teacher and these adults are not your pupils. Nor are you doing anyone a favour. In correcting other posters writing, you are only indulging yourself.

Mrsjayy · 03/11/2014 09:46

Would probably help if I spelled correct correct . I think pictish nailed it. it is indulgent

MiddletonPink · 03/11/2014 09:50

Yanbu.

Only twats do that. Self important twats at that.

ChippingInAutumnLover · 03/11/2014 10:04

amicissimma. It's as if they think that only a certain type of person should be allowed to know how to use basic English correctly

What an unusual viewpoint?! I really, really don't understand that line of thinking at all. There are plenty of resources and classes out there, MN has Pedants Corner, you can start a thread in chat asking a general question and people will be only too happy to help. No-one is saying 'Oh YOU don't need to know that!'

It is all about basic respect and common courtesy. It is rude and nasty to point out mistakes. (Well, unless it's someone who is doing that to someone else or they're GF/Troll).

If people are interested in learning, and are able to learn certain things, they will either pick it up by seeing it written correctly or they will seek out help.

stereostar · 03/11/2014 10:04

I'm not a native English speaker. I'm pretty good now, but the flow of my sentences isn't always right and I can sometimes choose the wrong words or not get small differences between similar words. I don't really spell things wrong, but it's the grammar which I can mix up.

This is me too :)
Tho' sometimes native English speakers shock me with their poor spelling and pretty poor grammar...not even necessarily on MN but in general...Of course, I am not talking about people with dyslexia...I don't mind being corrected sometimes, but would be greatly embarrassed if I was corrected in my native language, especially in basics...I would think that the difference between we are and were should be well established in primary school...don't you!?...Sorry

Mrsjayy · 03/11/2014 10:10

But how do you know words on a post belong to someone with dyslexia so you can excuse their disability that is a ridiculous comment

stereostar · 03/11/2014 10:14

I did say "not even necessarily on MN but in general..."...of course I don't know and I don't care...I don't correct people for sure...I expressed my opinion...that is allowed, yeah?
I do know people who are not dyslexic and pretty poor in their native language.

JeanneDeMontbaston · 03/11/2014 10:14

Well, you could just, y'know, err on the side of not being an arse.

JeanneDeMontbaston · 03/11/2014 10:15

(Sorry, that was not to stereo but to the whiny 'how do you know someone is dyslexic' complaint.)

stereostar · 03/11/2014 10:20

lol

Mrsjayy · 03/11/2014 10:26

Oh for crying out loud the poster said she would excuse dyslexia or some such nonsense about spelling mistakes I asked how she could tell to excuse them.

JeanneDeMontbaston · 03/11/2014 10:30

Yes, I understood you. I just disagreed with you.

Think about it.

'That child is screaming! How can I tell if it's in pain/has a problem? I'll just yell at its parents instead.'

'Look, that child is in a buggy and he's clearly over ten! How can I tell he might be disabled? Maybe he is lazy!'

'Look, that man is making funny symbols with his hands and not replying when I speak! How can I tell if he's deaf? He might just be making gang signs!'

All possible responses to disability, but, uh ... still ones that tend to make the individual look like a wanker.

You can't know. You can, however, try being a decent person and erring on the side of caution.

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