Grammar and spelling (both irrelevant derailing and pedantic threads)

[TheEntertainerr]

Just read a couple of threads and need to rant.

1. There is no need to pull other posters up on spelling and grammar. It's irrelevant and derails the thread. If you disagree with a poster, it's okay to disagree with them. Disagree and state your point of view. If you understand what they're getting at, there is no need to pick them up on spelling/grammar. The motives are clear, you've taken a dislike/disagree and trying to score a petty point, in order to validate your belief that you're better/superior. Don't! You don't appear more intelligent/educated/knowledgeable. Just someone who is either incapable of disagreeing or effectively countering an argument.

2. Threads about poor grammar and spelling. Okay, some particular mistakes may really irritate people. I get it. Vent it, but quit while you're ahead. Don't cast aspersions - people being under-educated - based on one particular mistake. By all means, do so if you're that confident with your own ability and that your posts will hold up against the same level of scrutiny. Ironically, they often don't.

Rant over.

Lifecraft

I think it's more likely that you are one of the SPAG police.
You seem to have your knickers in a bit of a twist over my opinion. It's unesassary.

You weren't posting an opinion, you were posting a fact..."no one wants to be told". And it was an incorrect fact. I like my mistakes pointed out, regardless of the motives why.

And it's "unnecessary"

Oh dear.

You weren't posting an opinion, you were posting a fact..."no one wants to be told". And it was an incorrect fact. I like my mistakes pointed out, regardless of the motives why.

Ok then 😂

And it's "unnecessary

Ah, thanks. Being dyslexic myself these things sometimes slip by me. I'm very greatful for the correction, and I'm sure it gave you a bit of excitement having a spelling error to correct 😁

Confirmed my thoughts though

@ethelfleda hence using 'rant'. I've already acknowledged that the tone of my OP was condescending.

My second point was that associating a single grammatical error with being uneducated (in a derogatory sense) was short-sighted, especially when this preceded a series of their own SPAGs. Clearly their SPAG mistakes are the mistakes made by 'educated' people!

It really doesn't make you look anymore intelligent.

Does this mean it's fair game to correct the misuse of 'myself' then? It seems to have been adopted because it makes people feel they appear smarter or posher or something.

Generally, I think no one who is clearly emotional/in need ought to be corrected or questioned unless the post is actually difficult to understand. Beyond that I tend to err more towards it being unnecessary because it's often clearly a typo or just someone typing quickly and not taking time over construction etc. Some errors do seem increasingly entrenched and I don't know whether those ought to be corrected or not. I don't tend to bother myself but I understand why others do.

@WeBuiltThisBuffetOnSausageRoll for a moment I thought that would go over my head

“We got an invite to X” is another one used prolifically on here and by people who call themselves Middle Class.

So it’s certainly not a reflection of social status, education, or “class”.

Does this mean it's fair game to correct the misuse of 'myself' then? It seems to have been adopted because it makes people feel they appear smarter or posher or something.

I feel very badly for the people who do this, because it really looks foolish to anyone who knows better.

But grammar Nazis want to show how superior they are by pointing out what they consider to be bad spag. Half of MN posters would be very miffed if they couldn't put other people down.

Good grammar IS never irrelevant; that much is true. But people who correct others' grammar, particularly in a context where they are disagreeing with them, doesn't make them seem of superior intelligence at the expense of the implied illiteracy of their opponent. On the contrary, they embarrass themselves and undermine their own arguments with their unnecessary (and boring) pedantry.

They don't look big and they don't look clever. They just look exactly what they are: rude.

Does this mean it's fair game to correct the misuse of 'myself' then? It seems to have been adopted because it makes people feel they appear smarter or posher or something.

Why would you bother? Would it make you feel superior? Would it make you feel better? If so, why?

I stopped using the MN Android app as it continually removed all the paragraphs and turned posts into solid blocks. You can't edit your post on MN.

A lot of posters use phones like I am now, between one finger typing, fighting the autocorrect and the crappy little screen I'm amazed anyone can type sense.

I'm married to a dyslexic guy so this is now a crusade for us, but people who correct your spelling /English in social communication just make themselves look petty in my view. Worst is when they fail to understand a dialect phrase. There are all sorts of reasons someone's English may have errors but its rarely their fault or intentional.

It doesn’t make me feel superior asking people to pop a paragraph in, just means I can read it easier. Why would get offended by that?

Why would you bother? Would it make you feel superior? Would it make you feel better? If so, why?

I wouldn't, because it would make me feel like an arse. But honestly, if I were making such a mistake (hypercorrections are a class to themselves in my view) - I'd want to know.

Worst is when they fail to understand a dialect phrase.

What do you mean?

I like to go on smug twatty threads started to belittle and humiliate posters and a) correct the smug twat errors (because there are always several- this thread right here is a fine example, virtually every poster who has said correcting SpaG is a good thing has made errors that I'd certainly be red-penning at my day job and b) derail the thread completely by talking about linguistics.

There were two threads over the weekend started by utter bitches, both taats, both simply started to point and laugh. I reported both, but don't know if they were deleted or not. The irony was, as it always is, that the OPs both had atrocious English, and made themselves look utter fools as well by pointing out errors that, actually, weren't.

(ps, anyone actually unable, physically and cognitively, to understand a non paragraphed text should perhaps read more, instead of twatting around smugly on a mammy forum)

Nosauce, read your last post and then start complaining about other people's English.

You really couldn't make it up.

So you are allowed to give it out but not take it back?
Not nice is it?
You know nothing about those people you are belittling, in the same way they know nothing about you.

X post with you. Do you mean because I missed the word anyone out??

Good grammar is never irrelevant I agree with this, particularly if you think someone with SEN or is not a native speaker will be reading.

Re dialect, it was a conversation I think about something like lend/borrow. I guess people write as they speak in chat forums.

Sorry op, but I disagree. Grammar, proper spelling and proper English are important.

If you’re ok seeing ‘ i no wat u want cuz I wan it 2’ then yay! Hats off to you. I write for a magazine, I write in proper English because that’s the Language I grew up speaking and writing.