To point out that it's "etc" not "ect"

[SourdoughSally]

I see this multiple times a day and it makes me wonder if people pronounce it "ekt" when they speak.

@BleedinglyObvious why be so rude? Saying “yawn” about someone’s post is much worse than a black American who happens to say aks because that’s their dialect.

we don’t still speak like Shakespeare do we? Or indeed like in the 1920s? Language evolves and is influenced by other languages and cultures.

I think you need to be less judgemental and more mindful that there is a wide range of people on this site who have different levels of education and multiple disabilities and shouldn't be made to feel uncomfortable by others repeatedly feeling the need to correct them. Aslong as what the op is writing is understandable thats enough. I missed a significant amount of education due to being a really sick child and I shouldn't be made to feel excluded from this site because of it.

@arlequin , 'Yawn' because it is boring.

much worse than a black American who happens to say aks because that’s their dialect. That is dialect and a separate issue.

we don’t still speak like Shakespeare do we? Or indeed like in the 1920s?
Heard it all before and it wasn't particularly interesting the first time.
Language evolves and is influenced by other languages and cultures.
Yes but it's used as an excuse for sloppy English.

It's never the poster's fault is it? It's a learning or linguistic condition, it's because their first language isn't English, it's the teachers, it's language evolution... but never because the poster can't be bothered to write clearly.

I tend not to comment on spelling and grammar errors because they happen. The OP might be distressed, at the end of her tether, might be dyslexic or whatever. I will if it's a typo and it's a funny one.

It's sad that we see sloppy English so much that 'ect', 'bare with me', 'baring in mind', 'could of', 'loose weight', 'there children', 'councilling' and so on are so common that we are in danger of not realising they're incorrect.
It's not evolution it's dumbing down.

@BleedinglyObviousbut that’s not what the article says - it’s precisely about aks vs ask

@SourdoughSally can I just point out that it's "etc." not "etc"...

@BleedinglyObviousso I’m confused which part of my post you’re saying yawn to as dialect was precisely what I was discussing

@arlequin , the issues discussed in the article are separate to this thread and I don't wish to discuss it on here because it would derail the thread.

The 'Yawn' was about 'it’s also a natural language evolution. Like asterisk vs asterix'.

Asterix for asterisk is not language evolution.

@BleedinglyObviousit sort of is. Like waps to wasp, hros to horse and brid to bird. Obv those weren’t influenced by a comic though ☺️
It’s metathesis as is ask to aks.
anyway will leave this thread now!

Etc ect - one is technically correct- one is wrong - but most intelligent people can understand the meaning of both of these

Maybe the ect speller is dyslexic or maybe made a mistake or a simple typo??

unclench a little - the meaning is perfectly clear - even if spelt wrong - stop being so bloody pedantic - life is too short when it is obvious what the person meant .

I read a post that said "my brother had received therapy, ect".

Just out of interest, would most people have taken that to mean "etc" (and assuming the poster wrote it incorrectly) or ECT therapy?

@Preditorysounds , The concern I have is that the errors are so prevalent that they could become acceptable. After all 'language evolves'-
sod the fact that ect doesn't reflect what the abbreviation means or its origin.
If someone says 'speak to a councillor' the meaning is quite different to 'speak to a counsellor'. Venerable and vulnerable have such different meanings that the wrong use could be dangerous.
Praying on the venerable ... Preying on the vulnerable....

@TheresMillionsOfGeoffreys ,good point about therapy.

Could be abit or alot worse aswell

Et = "and"
Cetera = "the remainder"

etc. = centuries old abbreviation (which despite generations of English teachers disdain were quite acceptable in days of costly paper and ink).

Did no one do Latin at school ?

Imo, it is whatever autocorrect tells me it is, which probably depends on which browser I am using and whether it thinks I am American or not.

YES! abit afew alot ect 😛

ECT is an abbreviation for electroconvulsive therapy. Otherwise "etc" is the only correct and recognised short form for etcetera on both sides of the Atlantic. So we can't even blame Americanisms for this one.

Autocorrect thinks I want to say "bit" instead of "but" and "not" instead of "now". It isn't those and the meaning can get completely changed.... without it being "totally obvious what they meant".

Having gone quite far on the wrong track when a legal document said "this is not accepted" instead of "now accepted", surely the best method is to simply look at what you have written and check whether that is what you meant to say?!

YABU. Nobody gives a shit except the anal retentives on here who get some weird pleasure from correcting other posters’ spelling/ grammar. Despite what they say, they would hate it if people didn’t make mistakes because it would rob them of the opportunity to point it out and fulfil their pathetic need to feel fleetingly superior.

You cared enough about the issue to post, and to correct others' behaviour, just as everyone else did.

And you're wrong - mistakes have cost me time and money and I think life would be vastly improved if people didn't make mistakes with communication (example already given in this thread). I wouldn't hate it at all, and as a neurodiverse person, anything that helps me better understand what people mean makes me feel more at ease.

I write it correctly but pronounce it incorrectly. Not really worried about it.

I commented because I’m sick of the pedantry on here. Calling out bad behaviour is not the same as correcting minor spelling and grammar errors.
It is not costing you time or effort on MN which is what I’m talking about. Nobody has to be on here. I’m on here because I want to be, but it would be a lot nicer without all of the unnecessary, smug SPaG corrections. There’s an appropriate board for it, but posters like OP aren’t content with that because their intention is to wind people up which is just unpleasant.
If you genuinely don’t understand someone on here, you could politely ask them to clarify or just scroll past.
I’ve seen instances where posters have corrected someone’s spelling or grammar at really inappropriate times. It’s impolite, unnecessary and often lacking in empathy.

And you're wrong - mistakes have cost me time and money and I think life would be vastly improved if people didn't make mistakes with communication (example already given in this thread).

You can approach this two ways:

1. insist on perfection and deal with every single transgression you find in an effort to fix the world

2. Use your innate understanding of language and the appalling idiocy of computer assistance and quietly correct spearchucker drivel as you read it with no drama, only making exception where genuine ambiguity could lead to non trivial outcomes.

Also, never forget Muphrys law.

It'a actually two words - et cetera - meaning 'and all the rest'. I blame the fact that no Latin is taught in schools any more.

Certainly not that!

Sorry if this has already been said but it's actually 'et cetera' hence etc.
et meaning and, and cetera meaning the rest.