Bare with me?

[Veterinari]

I know I'll be told that I am. I know I'm being pedantic, and that language evolves and that its only an Internet forum, not a literacy test.
I'm sure there'll be some proper pedants along to point out the eleventy million SPAG errors in my OP.

But in the off chance you're interested and genuinely didn't know, AIBU to point out that the phrase is 'bear with me' as in to bear a heavy load, not 'bare with me' as in let's get naked together.
Very very different connotations.

As you were

.

I know there are lots of reasons people may be poor at spelling, but if at least some of that may be due to a lack of education then what's the harm in learning from MN? Like I said before I've learned loads on a whole range of topics from here. If you're not interested, you can just carry on as before, it's not obligatory.

I think those of us who were UK educated in the 80s (and 70s & 90s?) had to learn much of our grammar etc by osmosis and inference rather than instruction, which means we all inevitably had weak areas that we had to patch along the way. If nobody ever picks up the mistakes people could go through their whole lives unaware. So I don't think threads like this are snooty.

Not knowing the difference between jealousy and envy.
Or assume and presume.

I think laughing at other peoples mistakes is quite snooty if you're not able to laugh at your own mistakes.

If you're generally an 'Oh well, got that wrong, how funny, that's interesting to know' kind of a person when you make a silly mistake, I think you'd assume others are that way too.

I've just come across a his/he's confusion (as in "he went to play with he's friend") on another thread. I had heard tell of such things, but couldn't quite bring myself to believe that anyone could be that illiterate. Astonishing.

Incidentally, "affect" can be a noun and "effect" can be a verb.

My theory with loose/lose confusion is that people are influenced by the spelling of "choose". But I may be wrong.

People who say "they done fantastic" make me want to blow my brains out. Its usually people describing sports teams or congratulating entrants in X-Factor, Britains Got Talent etc (yes, I am looking at YOU, Alesha Dixon).

Also - it is etc NOT ect. From etcetera.

I think laughing at other peoples mistakes is quite snooty

Maybe it depends on whether you're the type of person who can laugh at your own?

Ha! Massively cross posted with Merry

One sends an invitation when one wishes to invite someone to an event. One does not send an 'invite'. Grrr :D

Incidentally, "affect" can be a noun and "effect" can be a verb.

See, that's the bit that gives be a headache.

A printed document from the media team at work describes how they are going to role out the next phase of a project. Maybe it's some kind of role play ?

This is the one I struggle with, I was thinking about it yesterday so thanks for putting me straight. I have actively avoided using the phrase including 'I can't bear to....' For years. Every time I think it's 'bear' (correctly) I see a big grizzly bear rearing up in my minds eye and think that can't be right......

It is 'a lot'. Two words, not one. The word is also discreet if you're doing something quietly and tactfully. Discrete is mathematical term.

First, I'll admit I'm a pedant.

It annoys me to see poor spelling, punctuation & grammar.

It annoys me to see words misused.

FB seems to bring out the worst but most of the time I will ignore it. Seems rather petty to point out mistakes made in an informal setting.
I would always expect a teacher or other professional person to be 100% correct in any formal written communications. Doesn't matter so much in emails or on forums (especially incomplete sentences) though I feel there's no real excuse for poor spelling. If you can't spell a word, find an alternative. Many errors can be due to typing too fast and not being able to edit a post once its done.

Surely when taken in context, a lot of the mistakes don't actually matter? The meaning is still clear. Language is constantly evolving and much of what is regarded as "proper" and "correct" was merely the whim of whoever formulated the rules in the first place.

My eldest grandson has SN & I was delighted when he could actually write a short story. It was full of spelling mistakes and very poor grammar, but it was a great achievement for him to get that far.

I see a lot of 'worse' instead of 'worst' lately.

I would never correct anybody on a forum, but I have to disagree with people who say these things don't matter any more, or that the only people who give a toss are pernickety old pedants.

Just the other day I heard of a friend of dd's (under 40) who is involved in recruitment for a major company. She actually bothered to phone one of the applicants, who had a Master's and was otherwise well qualified, and told him that unless he sorts his SPAG out he is going to find it very hard to get a job at the level he's hoping for.

When there are a lot of CVs all much the same, you have to weed them out somehow.
And it's not the first time I've heard similar - the weeders-out in both cases being under 40, not finicky old fartettes.

I know there may sometimes be dyslexia involved, but so often it's a case of basic errors that should have been sorted out in primary school - it's/its, your/you're, there/their/they're, who's/whose, etc., not to mention definately and similar.

To tell people these things don't matter any more is IMO doing them a great disservice.

I used to teach English to (mostly) Arabic speakers, one or two of whom were not even literate in their own language. It used to take me just one two- hour session to sort out its/it's - it's is ALWAYS short for 'it is' or 'it has' - (it's raining, it's been snowing, etc.) - so if it doesn't mean either of those then you don't need the apostrophe.

I just don't understand why it's apparently so hard to get this into UK kids' heads - unless of course their teachers aren't too clear about it, either.

I work in a school.
In one classroom is a drawer labelled 'Knifes'.

Complementary and complimentary are often used wrongly too.

The wine does not compliment the meal, but it could be complimentary (included for free). I could compliment you on your choice of wine. The pudding could complement the main course, though.

*I once had an argument with an ex who was asking me how he should word a job application and when I said "would have" he said errm, no you're saying it wrong, its "would of" you, know, as in "I would of done this"

Thicko McDicko wouldn't believe he was wrong and gave me a very long and patronising lecture on being sure I know what Im talking about before I talk (errrm shouldn't that be 'before I speak?' )"

Where is his body buried?

People using "myself" instead of "me" - as in "myself and my husband visited your shop yesterday..."

Why? is it an attempt to sound posher or something? (Because it doesn't, it sounds a gazillion times worse than just speaking normally.)

I should of instead of should have gets on my nerves. I am foregin and if I can get it right, people who have English as their first language should.

'Between you and I' is one that sets my teeth on edge. Sadly, it's nearly always said by people who are valiantly trying to be 'correct'. I wish I could tell them, but I never would, unless it was a child in the family.

I see 'advise' instead of 'advice' a lot on another forum, where people are often asking for it.

Peridot, ages ago my dd temped for a boss who gave her letters containing pretty basic mistakes to type. She would correct them - and the prat would cross out her corrections and get her to do them again with his mistakes! She did point out that they WERE mistakes, but he couldn't handle a mere female temp knowing better.
Just as well it was only a very temp thing - it really grated on her to have to send out letters like that and have people think she was too thick/illiterate to know any better.