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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

It seems people can no longer be bothered with adverbs - AIBU?

129 replies

Q2C4 · 12/09/2022 10:14

I keep seeing comments online in which people confused adjectives and adverbs. For example:
"He's done amazing to get this far."
"It's made different to other ones."
"She talks so loud!"

Can people no longer be bothered to write out the extra "ly" which is usually required to turn an adjective into an adverb? Or don't people know the difference?

YABU - English grammar is hard and teaching is patchy. Stop being pedantic.
YANBU - social media & smart phone auto correct have made people lazy and they should make the effort!

OP posts:
5foot5 · 14/09/2022 10:58

Q2C4 · 14/09/2022 08:03

@CaramelTwirl why is it condescending to highlight what appears to be declining levels of literacy? Should we not take more pride in our language? Time and time again I see examples of those speaking English as a second language having a better grasp of grammar than native speakers. Why is it condescending to be concerned about this? As other PPs have said, poor writing skills can cost an applicant a job.

If there were a similar rise in mathematical errors, would I be condescending in pointing those out?

Broadly I agree with you but I don't think that your last point about mathematical errors quite holds up.

Generally there will be an unarguable "right" answer in a day-to-day situation requiring numeracy skills and, in a situation where somebody proposes the wrong answer, it would not be considered condescending to correct them but absurd not to. For example, you buy five items costing £25 each and the vendor tried to charge you £150. Well, you would hardly pay up just to avoid offending him or hurting his feelings.

But literacy is governed by rules which have just been accepted as correct over time and if people apply these rules incorrectly one can still continue without the need to point out the error.

So you say "She talks so loudly" is better English usage than "She talks so loud" but nevertheless everyone understands what is meant by the latter.

However 5 x 25 IS 125. It just is. (Unless you are working in base 8 in which case it is 151 so in my example the vendor would actually be closer to the correct answer, but nobody would do that, would they?)

Thiswayorthatway · 14/09/2022 11:11

SAT’s is correct punctuation, you use an apostrophe for a plural of abbreviations and numbers, e.g, the 1980’s.

Lima1 · 14/09/2022 11:42

BlueThingie · 12/09/2022 14:05

This is a regional variant and totally normal in much of Ireland, among other places.

I am Irish and I have never heard of any of these phrases. Definitely not normal in much of Ireland.

The phrase “I’m full of cold” makes no sense 😕

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 14/09/2022 12:34

‘There is’ with a plural is my pet peeve at the moment.
It’s been spreading everywhere like sodding COVID.

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