Or is boss correcting speech rude

[TeeedleDum]

My boss will correct myself and other colleagues during casual conversations if we say 'me and bob are going....' to 'bob and I are going....'. I find this really rude and unprofessional - I know 'bob and I' is correct and I would use this whilst working (e.g in meetings or in emails) but when I'm on my lunch break I don't expect to be corrected. Would you find this annoying/ patronising?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow - Why does she need a grammar course if she’s an architect?

Because she said she's unsure about her grammar. Because it might make her feel more confident and able to tell her rude boss where to go. And because it may advance her career?

He's a patronising git. We all speak with local dialect, slang etc. He's your boss, not your English teacher.

Next time just look at them and ask if they get paid extra for correcting people's grammar, or is it just a hobby?

YABU. Speak properly! Don't you want to seem intelligent?

Saying "myself" when you mean "me" or "me and Bob" when you mean "Bob and I" isn't a local variation though. It's just incorrect.

Does it matter in a casual context?

We correct our two non-native speakers of English in the office frequently. They like us to. We like playing with language and to introduce idioms from each other's language. Our most recent, of our boss, was "ooh, that woman can turn on a sixpence".

I would think what he thinks if I heard you say it, but no, I wouldn´t correct you unless whatever it was appeared in a business letter. Yes, I think it is patronising. And I would certainly never mention it in front of others.

I once had a boss who used "pacifically" in that context.

Even better was his use of "tangenital" instead of tangential. It always gave me me a mental image of a bloke sunbathing with his tackle out and I found it hard not to chuckle to myself.

He was an incredibly well-educated man (a first in law from KCL, and a master's) and probably one of the most intelligent men I've ever met, but still got his words wrong sometimes.

His grammar was impeccable though.

Yes, I did this, too, and I could usually explain why in grammatical terms - had some good conversations. (Though probably i shouldn't have been correcting their German. Ahem.) But people whose first language isn't English are a different case, and most indicate whether or not they'd welcome correction.

I proofread most colleagues' docs in the department, too (for typos as much as grammar.) I was not usually asked to check one colleague's writing, and so we sometimes had formal docs go out with things like, "you was at the meeting," and "he done it last week." She is a native English speaker, but doesn't seem to know more standard forms; you can only code switch with that knowledge. She was not the sort of person you could engage in conversation about it, so the nearest you could get was a general comment about how it's always sensible to gave someone else proofread important docs, because in your own writing, we often read what we meant to write, not what we actually wrote. She usually refused to socialise with the rest of , so I mostly only knew her speech from fairly formal work meetings. I just hope our overseas colleagues didn't take her as a good example of how to speak. But worse things happen at sea, I guess.

But she did 7 years at university! Does she really need a book on grammar?

No. If you're not sure about something, there's Google.

this is new territory for both DH and I
An example this morning on MN of the bid to sound genteel.

I think your comprehension must be a bit poor. Admittedly I am yet to read the full thread but I was instantly drawn to your comment. If you read the full sentence the OP says “myself and other colleagues” which is correct. It certainly wouldn’t be me and other colleagues. How embarrassing for you be so confident in lecturing somebody else on a mistake and be so mistaken yourself. Perhaps take this as a life lesson - no one likes a smart-ass. OP it’s rude and poor form from an authority figure. I would find it irritating and condescending.

If you read the full sentence the OP says “myself and other colleagues” which is correct. It certainly wouldn’t be me and other colleagues.

@Zoreos

It would be 'other colleagues and me.'

'Myself' shouldn't be anywhere near that sentence (or in this case 'yourself' 😜)

No, @Zoreos , you are completely wrong and you are the one who should be embarrassed.

I reiterate the post above - the correct grammar is “other colleagues and me”.

The only person who can do something to “myself” is me.

I reminded myself, I dressed myself, I injured myself, I corrected myself.

He injured myself is nonsense and does not become any less nonsensical by inserting “other colleagues and” into the sentence.

Using myself and yourself is normal in Ireland.

That isn't a reason to use it wrongly in the UK, though. For example, guards who say on trains: "if you see anything suspicious, contact myself the guard". No, contact ME.

You could also say “I and other colleagues will be going to……”.

Anyway if my boss started correcting my grammar I would tell him to stop.

Especially when it appears that he gets it wrong himself.

Glasshouses and stones and all that.

*You could also say “I and other colleagues will be going to"

My colleagues and I. It sounds odd the other way round.

^^ This! with a massive underline and BOLD on the FUCK OFF

Haha!! fair play to him for saying it out loud. I only correct my children ( and husband if he's pissed me off).
At work I would sit quietly and judge you.

I am a total grammar pedant, but would just silently judge you. If it was for a work communication, I would correct it.
I have a colleague (same grade as me), who doesn't know when to use me/I/myself, or affect/effect. I am glad I do.

Also '10 items or less'. FEWER!!!!

It is only okay to correct someone’s grammar if they are your child, they are a child you are teaching, they are using poor grammar to clients or they are a non native speaker who welcomes your input. If you understand what someone means then leave them alone.

The “Bob met me and Peter” / “Bob met Peter and I” is a weird one. If you are in the US, I think the second is acceptable.