To think basic literacy skills on this board are AWFUL

[Pinkandwhiteblossoms]

I know it's bad form to point it out in the midst of someone else's distress, but seriously, am I the only one who has noticed it?

"your defiantly wrong"
"have you considered councilling"
"their going to take over"
"alot of people don't bother"

I'm not expecting Samuel Pepys but seriously, I find it difficult to respond as the wider point is lost amidst the terrible writing!

Oh god, I'm such a failure. Thank you for highlighting my error elQuinto, I really appreciate it and am not at all embarrassed. I shall flog myself in the garden.

The annoying thing is that WorraLiberty is right, many people who need the most help may have the worst writing, so this culture of being nasty about writing just means they're more unlikely to ask for help.

Anyone who finds the literacy level on Mumsnet anything other than well above average is very naive. Whatever you think about the level itself, it is not reflective of standards amongst the population as a whole.

I type like an uneducated buffoon.

I went to Oxford to read Classics and English.

I luffs a bit of Muphry's Law coming into play.

The (pleasingly) few people agreeing with the OP have all made errors in their own SPaG that I'd put a red pen through.

I suppose, as they like participating in threads slagging off other people's SPaG, then the right thing would be to tell them (publically, sic) what their errors are, and we can all point and laugh.

Hang on while I get my pen, and I'll do a list, shall I?

Because it's always done to be helpful, right?

Its not classy to sneer at other people's grammar.

YABU. I think the general literacy level on this board is pretty good.

And don't be a dick. Pop over to Pedants' Corner if you want to whinge about literacy.

I blame text speak and Facebook myself.

Nor would I publically draw attention to it

Publicly, OP.

Please DON'T pop over to Pedants' Corner if you want to whinge about literacy. That's not what we do over there, though of late, sadly, there has been a bit of an influx of knobbers like the OP of this thread who think that's what PC is for.

The regulars just like to talk about nuances of language, and how there are very few hard and fast rules. (in fact, the initiation ceremony is to see who thinks "5 items or less" is OK or not )

I think it was meant to be ironic

That was to Kingfisher

Re-reading the OP, though, if she really, genuinely can't understand the 4 examples she gives, then perhaps we should cut her some slack, as she must have some quite serious literacy issues herself.

Not everyone here is english. People tend to make more mistakes when they write in their second/third/fourth language. How is your dutch?

Well the bastard Pepys is gonna upset the pedants.
At night, after I had eaten a cold pullet, I walked by brave moonshine, with three or four armed men to guard me, to Redriffe, it being a joy to my heart to think of the condition that I am now in, that people should of themselves provide this for me, unspoke to.

I have no problems with grammar, spelling & punctuation errors on MN (well, not enough to point things out) but I just read a book on Kindle that was littered with mistakes and that spoiled my enjoyment a bit.

I mean, this was supposed to have been proof-read & edited, we'd paid for it AND it was on Simon Mayo's book of the month (folds arms under hoiky bosom, pulls cat's bum face).

The only time I've ever been properly irritated by typos etc was when I worked in IT support and would get messages through the support portal from colleagues saying things like 'I can open my email, please help?'

I would stare at the messages feeling completely perplexed until I'd realise they had probably meant to type can't instead of can. This happened surprisingly often: 'it does work' was also a very common one (where they actually meant 'it doesn't work).

But that was in a professional setting, where those typos were causing me problems actually doing my job. I can't really see how spelling errors and typos by total strangers on an Internet forum could possibly get anyone worked up!

If you really feel you must 'do' something about a typo or malapropism, you can always make a response (which should of course be genuinely helpful if help is needed, not just to make a point) which uses the correct word.

I can generally ignore errors, but I do hate "x" on the end of every post like someone is texting their mates. Especially on the thread title e.g. "Am I pregnant x" or "MIL is evil AIBU x".

I don't see how 'the wider point is lost'. You still get the message. I'm thinking you probably shouldn't consider a career responding to emails sent to the The Samaritans.

I lump people who get arsey about spelling/syntax/punctuation the same way I do about people who wear Superdry over the age of 21.

What's wrong with wearing Superdry over 21 boolifooli

Apologies for any of my posts now. Professionally my role involves writing reports and proof reading but when typing quickly on my phone I get random full stops and the strangest words popping up.

Your posting style is very familiar OP

Ridiculous thread. Nearly everything you refer to is clearly a problem with autocorrect, typos and lack of proof reading, all of which are common and inevitable when people are often using small portable devices such as phones etc.

I'm a student nurse and lone parent to 6, including 2 with special needs. If I am posting for much needed advice during a 10 minute break of a 13 hour shift, I will not make myself late back by squinting at a tiny and trying to proof read a post. I will press reply and hope for the best. If it is coursework for Uni however, every last word and comma will be carefully proofread several times before it is submitted. Priorities. And the amount of time people have on their times to stress about such trivialities.

If 'alot' or 'your' is enough to make you lose the gist of a post, then that would point towards a problem with your comprehension skills, rather than their grammar or literacy ones.

And as others point out, there are a lot of variables involved in text beyond spelling and grammar. English language skills, regional variables, dyslexia, eyesight for example. To not consider these sorts of things is incredibly insular and closed minded.

I think you have too much time on your hands if this bothers you. Don't judge those who don't. Find better things to fill your time like they have.

It it bothers you that much, jog on and read The Guardian.