To be so irritated by poor spelling and vocabulary?

[Positivevibesonlyplease]

OK, it could be weeks of lockdown having finally got to me, but when I just read two posts with the phrases, ‘couldn’t get passed,’ (meaning ‘past’) and ‘by her own omission,’ (meaning ‘admission’), I felt compelled to start an AIBU. It’s bad enough reading the FB ‘Your doing great’ and ‘I love you’re new dog’ posts. Oh, ‘their’ much worse at spelling on FB...etc. Yes, in these turbulent times, I know I shouldn’t be wasting my energies on such crap, but sometimes focusing on trivia keeps us sane. So, AIBU? Anyone else as irritated as I am?

Also you aren’t using commas correctly in you OP. So maybe those in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones?

@DarkMintChocolate and @Pinkblueberry ah. That's interesting!

@PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock textbooks and memorising words. Oh. And subtitles on a TV. How did you learn how to spell?

PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock

Perhaps. But I can't help how I feel about it.

@SchrodingersImmigrant my question had a purpose. I learned the same way btw.

Now imagine someone doing the same thing, but without being able to "see" every single letter, or struggling to discern between p/b/q/d, m/n/w . Someone that identifies words by their shape, the context they're used in rather than each individual part. Someone that struggles with reading. Someone that can't instantly recognise a digraph or trigraph for what it is. Someone that writes the way the words sound.

These won't be issues for all the people with dyslexia of course, but hopefully it explains why even if some spellings look ridiculous, when said out lout they make sense to the person writing them.

It drives me nuts, too, OP, but...going back to my schooldays..my sister couldn't spell and used to have terrible memory problems. You do realise that it's not just 'poor education' as to why people can't spell?!

On the other hand, I was always a maths 'whizz'. It all came so easy to me. It was like I didn't even need to think; the answer was already there. I'm still the same.

Art, however, I was shite at. I couldn't draw for toffee, yet my sister excelled at it. And went on to make a successful career out of it.

What may be 'basic' spelling/grammar to you, is a real struggle for others.

So, for that, YAB a little U

I always notice poor spelling and grammar, but would never correct an anonymous poster on a forum like this. They may be struggling with any number of issues.

However, in the workplace, I will always correct. Professional standards and accuracy are important. If people are being paid to communicate in writing on behalf of their employers, then they should get it right.

I would assist, and offer training to, any member of staff who, disability excepted, could not write accurately. It would be a development point, and they would be expected to improve.
When interviewing people for roles involving written communication, I always set written tasks as part of the recruitment process, to test required abilities.

@PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock that's actually interesting. I saw a special font year or so ago. Has anyone tried it? It's called dyslexie

@FridayNightAtTheBronze

This might be an unpopular view, but I lose a bit of respect for people who don't use correct SPAG.

If there are SEND issues, then it's a bit different. But I really struggle to take someone seriously who cannot spell correctly!

You lose respect for people who have been disadvantaged by receiving a poor education, or who may be absolutely brilliant in other areas but struggle with SPAG?

How about people for whom English is their 2nd or 3rd language?

And what do you mean it's bit different if there are SEND issues?

Do you sit and dissect their special educational needs or disabilities carefully before casting your judgement?

Yes; could of, would of, should of. Grrr!

@SchrodingersImmigrant there is an older Spanish study that shows there are several fonts that also can help dyslexic people.

There are several aids and adaptations that can be made , from fonts, to the level of shine of the paper, colour etc . Of course these won't work for everyone,or be easily accessible or known about.

The discussion about poor SPAG should never stop at stupid or lazy.

AIBU? FB? YANBU? DS? YAB quite U? YABVU?

It's ironic that you're all complaining about poor standards of English. I have no idea what half of you are saying.

@indemMUND it was the caps

DS has auditory and visual processing disorder, he cannot copy more than 3 letters in a row before forgetting the next one, and his auditory memory isn’t great either. Letters blur into one another and distance reading and near reading are processed in different hemispheres of his brain. His spelling is erratic at best, diabolical when stressed or under pressure.
However, his understanding of history (his first love) and his ability to apply his understanding of computer programming are far superior to the standard of his written output. He competes at national level in sport and organises his time to allow for the training this requires.
He is far more than his inability to spell.

WorraLiberty

I know. I agree it's not a great view to have, and something I need to work on.

When I see poor grammar or punctuation, I do remind myself that I'm not aware of the person's personal situation, but it's a knee jerk reaction and I'm not sure why.

I was referred to a medical professional recently, whose SPAG was awful, it made me question their ability to treat me properly. In professional situations especially, I think it's really important to be precise and accurate.

Mee two...

Seriously though, it drives me bonkers.

Friday probably because a lot of people did and still do associate proper SPAG with a certain status, a good education, intelligence and hard work. These things can be deeply ingrained , especially if they start early in childhood from comments and opinions of the adults around us.

My Mum is an English teacher so I blame her...

Gretabumbag

Yes; could of, would of, should of...

It’s easy: “of” is not a verb. That sort of stuff is taught in primary school.

PrincessConsueIaBananaHammock

Very true. I think that's probably the case for me.

I was referred to a medical professional recently, whose SPAG was awful, it made me question their ability to treat me properly.

Using a comma splice is an error.

Comma splice in your OP
Glass houses OP glass houses

This winds me up too OP. But I've learnt from experience not to comment on it on Mumsnet. The one time I did,about 2 years ago,about a post that had no paragraphs and barely any full stops or commas,I was shot down in flames! But honestly,it was practically impossible to read. The thing that gets me though is that since then,I have frequently seen posters comment on poor spelling and grammar,but nothing is said to them!

The spelling mistake that is annoying me lately is when people use 'passed' instead of 'past'. I see it practically every day. Another one that is not quite as common is confusing 'stationery' and 'stationary'.

I think you’re being a bit unreasonable. Some people have dyslexia....my DH has it, most people wouldn’t know in day to day life and have commented things like ‘you should read what you’re sending’ etc. It’s unkind and you don’t know if they have issues with spelling etc

@botheritagain

My life is a constant battle between wanting friends and wanting to correct their grammar on Facebook

This. The struggle is utterly real.

But honestly,it was practically impossible to read.

Really? That says more about your lack of skills than the poster's tbh. After all you seem to pride yourself in having a pretty good grasp of the English language and SPAG.

English is my second language and I have yet to find a post that's "practically impossible " to read. A bit more time consuming? Maybe. Might I need to reread something to check I got it right? Maybe. But impossible to read? Not yet.