To not understand why people correct spelling

[Lockeddownagain]

Just reading a thread on here and someone felt the need to correct the spelling of another then put sorry in brackets. They aren't sorry or they just wouldn't have done it. I'm super dyslexic and spell stuff wrong all the time but why do people need to correct it. If you are a spelling corrector would you tell me why you do it?? Thanks

I like spelling and grammar and it matters to me but don't correct people. It is rude and petty. We are just having basic conversation, not typing legal documents, so is completely unnecessary. However, if someone pointed out someone's spelling mistake and made another of their own, I have been known to point that out!

It's part of my job to spell correctly and to correct incorrect spellings, I've done it for so long I can't unsee words that are wrongly spelt.
But if I knew someone was dyslexic then obviously I wouldn't be an arse about correcting them unless they'd asked for support.

Thank you @puddleduck234 and I love your username.

But I have to admit that I do wonder WTF is going on in education these days that a large chunk of the population can barely string a written sentence together without a glaring error. I'm not talking about dyslexia or disability, I'm talking about the standard of teaching being in decline amidst the general population.

This.
What the heck going on with education these days?
Was there some 'New fangled' method where grammar and spellings didn't matter any more ?

@Copasetic

I like spelling and grammar and it matters to me but don't correct people. It is rude and petty. We are just having basic conversation, not typing legal documents, so is completely unnecessary. However, if someone pointed out someone's spelling mistake and made another of their own, I have been known to point that out!

Haha! Hoist by their own petard 😂

@stilldumdedumming

Actually here's a question. Someone I know writes inspirational quotes and puts them in a meme style on fb. Their spelling and grammar is often wrong. There's usually at least one error. Should I tell them (in a dm I mean!)

That would annoy the crap out of me 🙈

It doesn’t seem common on here. Most posts have grammar or spelling issues. The grammar annoys me as it interrupts the flow and understanding of the post but I don’t do anything as it’d derail the post and if it’s about a serious subject it would come across as insensitive. Though I’ve noticed when people do correct grammar is usually something regional.

Because it's annoying.
It just is.
Maybe don't take it personally?

My son is dyslexic, he appreciates the help with spellings - usually it isn’t a spelling error, it’s the wrong word. (There, they’re, their for example)

He asks because if he does it wrong in an application he knows it won’t go in his favour.

And PP said ‘what’s wrong with education these days’ well I think you’ll find the issue is people don’t like being corrected, kick off about it, rather than appreciate the help.

@HoliHormonalTigerlilly

Because it's annoying. It just is. Maybe don't take it personally?

Just feeling that you have the right to point out to people when they annoy you makes it rude and superior. I think that you being annoyed by it is very much a you kind of problem. As I’ve said, I also find hate to see bad spelling and it sometimes makes a post hard to understand. I assume that the person has done their best spelling grammar, were distracted or made a mistake or are dyslexic etc.

However, I cannot see a situation where me pointing it out is helpful and just because it bothers me, why would I assume the right to pass that on to the next person? I would only do that if I felt I was better than the next person and it was a bit of one-upmanship going on.

I wouldn’t correct anyone on here. Probably too scared of someone doing it back to me if I’m honest. But I expect children’s school work to be corrected. Otherwise how will they ever know?

Because it's annoying.

Yes, but you finding it annoying is your issue. Do you go around telling everybody what you find annoying about them all the time, or is it just spelling you feel the need to pick on?

@HoliHormonalTigerlilly

Because it's annoying. It just is. Maybe don't take it personally?

😂 it's hard not to take personally when it happens ALL the time and your intellect is judged on how well you spell. I have learned to eye roll and laugh at my mistakes, but for alot of people it hits a nerve and takes them back to being screamed at across a classroom on a regular basis and many many comments about being stupid.

It's tough when people judge you on one aspect, but they can't see how creative/sporty/scientific etc. you are because you can't tell the difference between brought and bought.

Feel free, I don't mind.

I find it incredibly rude. There’s just no need for it and the people doing the correcting end up looking daft

@Lockeddownagain

I just have never understood the need.

me neither I always think they must be very unhappy inside.

I find it personally unhelpful on forums when people do it to me, but if they want to waste their time doing that, crack on.
I find it rude when I've seen people correct an OP on emotional threads.

@HunterHearstHelmsley

It makes them feel better about themselves to put someone else down.

I know this, because I always correct my sisters spelling. Only my sister, its fun to piss her off

I agree with this, I do it to my DP all the time and feel smarter than him for a brief period! (I'm not!)

I've had my grammar politely corrected a few times on MN and have appreciated it and corrected myself since.

A pp said "small things" as though it didn't matter but not caring about small things allows all the bigger things in. It matters for these reasons; standards and rules are important, for the fact it is our language, it is lazy and it reflects poorly on the writer which might matter in say a job application. However I am no angel myself and accept that mistakes I make in sentence construction and use of punctuation is often poor.

And do you only do it behind the safe anonymity of a computer screen, or would you correct people's language in person as well?

What I do find amusing is how many of the self-proclaimed pedants on MN clearly have a very patchy understanding of grammar themselves, which is often demonstrated both in their posts and their apparent inability to explain why other posters' language is wrong. Actually, that's the only time I do sometimes correct others' mistakes - when they were the ones rudely criticising another poster's language and then they come out with a complete howler themselves. Most gratifying.

It depends on the situation. Language is important and a slight change can alter the meaning quite dramatically.

I remember one thread where a poster complained of a man "gorping" in the gym. There was confusion over whether she meant "groping" or "gawping". Two very different options.

And please don't forget that accessibility software (such as screen readers) which some people use to enjoy sites like Mumsnet can be confused by poor spelling.

Is it ‘spelled’ or ‘spelt’ btw. I’ve seen both on this thread?
Either? Are they interchangeable?

It is a dick move to correct spelling on a chat forum. Posters that do it reveal themselves as petty twats, so I usually disregard their opinion. I don't care what petty twats think, it's a moo point

I do it because if I spelled something incorrectly, I’d want someone to let me know.

[quote Franklyfrost]@KatherineofGaunt

I don't correct on here because everyone says it's rude. But I just think, if no-one corrects you then you'll never learn how to spell/use an apostrophe/ what the saying actually is. I find that odd, but my excuse is I'm a pedant and also a teacher so I like to have things correct and correct things!

If you’re a teacher then please consider that no matter how many times you correct a student with dyslexia it’s not going to work as the original word, the misspelt word and the corrected word will all look exactly the same to them. There are ways to improve spelling for those with dyslexia, it varies from person to person, but it’s often associating language with pictures or narrative.[/quote]
I work with Deaf pupils so I'm absolutely not constantly correcting spellings, as they can't even hear the sounds they're supposed to be writing and have to learn words mostly by sight. Many of them also have additional needs to take into account. I just meant as a teacher I have a natural propensity to correct things, not that I disregard any learning difficulties children may have.