To be increasingly annoyed about the amount of MN's who feel it is OK to correct one's spelling and grammar

[whocaresaboutyourintellect]

I am getting really fed up of it.

Someone will post a topic and then you get some "up you own backside" MN'er who takes it upon themselves to correct all of the grammar and spelling in said post.

This happens in particular in threads of a contraversial nature as a means of embarrasing the OP. It is ridiculous.

This is a talk forum, not an English exam so to all those MN'ers........get a life!!!!

legacy..it is ignorant because it's basically taking the piss....don't forget, they could be posters on MN where english is their 2nd language.

I think part of English's malleability comes from there being so many 'dialects' of English. There's British English, American English, Canadian, South African, Australian....English has to be responsive to change, adapt and be accessible but that also opens it up, for want of a better word, perversion. With many languages there is ONE guardian country of the language and what they say goes. Try telling Britain it has to adopt American Enlgish as standard or vice versa! English speakers can't be as obsessive as speakers of other langauges because that would involve standardising Enlgish first and there are too many powerful English speaking countries for that to work.

However there are basic, universal, grammatical rules present in all forms of English which, suddenly, it's acceptable to ignore on the internet and that really bugs me. It means that we're going the opposite way to, for example, Spain. We're not standing up for our language, we're not protecting correct usage, we're not encouraging and correcting people to ensure the survival of 'pure' English and that to me says we don't have pride in our language. It's perfectly acceptable to speak dialect but as far as I know 'internet' is not a dialect, much as txt spk may be.

Also, it's 'normal' in France for people to correct your grammar and not just on the internet. I think it's a strange sign of affection; they want you to improve and be the best that you can be. English cultures tend to let it slide and celebrate mediocrity more.

It's a double edged sword, really!

Legacy: I like your musical analogy. Are you one of those people who is unreasonably annoyed when you don't get a decent cadence?

I think that sometimes it isn't so much a showstopper as a minor irritant. Like a buzzing fly. I find if someone is talking to me and uses a malapropism I find myself concentrating on that and not on their conversation. I wouldn't smirk or correct them but it is distracting.

daftpunk - French is my third language. I post on the internet on it. I don't always do so correctly. When I mess up I positively WELCOME corrections when I make mistakes on French fora because it makes me better.

If we let mistakes slide then we're not protecting the language and we're not doing people for whom English is a second language any favours.

I do agree with the majority that using it as a way to snub, devalue or otherwise mock a poster isn't cricket but making corrections is not A Bad Thing.

*in it

Innit? Innit? What kind of example is that?

yes, agree frakkin...my spelling has been mentioned/corrected in a kind way on here...i'm fine with that, god knows i need all the help i can get....it's when it's done in a piss taking way that's wrong..

My grammar and spelling are fine in rl or on paper. It goes to pot on here when you are trying to type in a hurray.

I always want to correct "councelling" but never can because of the nature of the threads...

But I'm not posting on here to improve my grammar/spelling so why feel the need to "improve" me?

When I do have queries I raise them on pedant's corner.

Nitpicking on here is (in most cases) really just quite boring. And I don't buy this argument that people are doing it to help others ...

YANBU, it is one of the things I dislike about MN.

I saw a thread earlier in the week, somebody had asked for advice. Lots of lovely MNers had given fantastic advice. Along came a pendant who saw fit to post advice on the OP's spelling. I am sure that really helped the OP.

It has a kind of 'aren't I clever' feel about it that doesn't sit well with me.

I agree that people should do their best, so yes text speak isn't appropriate, but spelling mistakes do not need to be pointed out.

I don't like it when people drop french into a sentence or a latin word for effect, but I wouldn't point that out to them.

having only been on here for a couple of weeks I have to say that since I started posting on here I quickly realised I am thick and illiterate....

seriously I don't mind people correcting me but I have found that when I have then gone on to read posts from the person that did correct me they also made mistakes which can be mildly irritating...I didn't expect to get my posts 'marked'!(I am also a serial ! addict.)

knowing that someone will come and correct my spelling school ma'am type fashion does make me more hesitant - guess ill have to find the preview button, get better educated, or not post.

YANBU ? I am shocked that some MNs feel that it is acceptable to undermine the poster by pointing out tiny grammatical errors. I assume a lot of posters are busy and tired. They should be allowed to post (asking for help) without having to worry about having their post picked apart for spelling mistakes.

What right does anyone have to do this? Do they know the background of the poster? Perhaps the poster is dyslexic, or didn?t get a great education? Does this make their post or question any less valid?

Would they ever say to someone ?don?t talk to me ? you aren't clever enough? ? because that is, effectively, what they are doing when they act in this way. If it makes someone feel ?bigger and better? to correct grammar then bully for them (because that is effectively what they are doing ? bullying). What interesting lives they must have.

I really don?t give a flying ?!@* that my post will now be picked apart. I hate this aspect of MN and I hate those that think they are better than others because of their superior knowledge of grammar.

That's just ot pickvic, you are right people will either 'find the preview button, get better educated, or not post.

It is people not posting that worries me. MN is inclusive in all other areas, yet many feel that is appropriate to make someone feel inferior enough not to feel able to post on here, simply because they make mistakes. I am shocked that this is seen as OK.

Or should we have an elite MN, for those that are shown to pass the pedants test?

I agree with hellesbelles. I'd rather be a nice person than be able to spell prefectly. Luckily, I can do bothe.

dollius No, no - it SHOULD be "one's spelling", not "ones".

Miaonline - it is a little disconcerting. it has made me think twice about posting, especially if ive been in a hurry and not had time to sit and proof read my post. i found it a bit of a shock because ive not come across it on any other forums ive been on.

I was a little bit of a grammar and spelling snob until I met my DH. Growing up with Turkish speaking parents he didn't speak any English until his first day at school and the years that we, whose first language is English, spent learning the rules of grammar and memorising spellings, he spent catching up with the basics of speaking the language. He is now one of the most articulate and intelligent people I have ever met and is a lecturer and published scholar but cannot spell or punctuate for toffee! He just doesn't 'see' his mistakes. Those who have judged the book by it's cover with regards to DH have discovered that they do so at their peril. Intelligence is not a uniform thing and some people's brains just don't work that way but they DO work. Surely our basic humanity should dictate that we offer the same level of compassion and empathy to everyone we find MN regardless of the educational opportunities they have been afforded. Life is tough enough for many of those seeking advice and friendship here wihout someone chipping away at their self-esteem, just to boost their own. I've had some wonderful words of advice and reassurance on MN and often those most compassionate have been imperfect spellers, didn't stop their words from brightening my day and lightening my load.

frAKKINPannikin
I do not believe English?s malleability can be explained referring to British colonial past. The other two languages you mention (French and Spanish) have been introduced elsewhere thorough colonialism and, at least Spanish is spoken differently in different parts of the world. The big difference is Spanish from Spain do not see this as ?dialects? but misuse of their language. Anyway, I have not seen so many people correcting others.
I do believe for some persons it is a compulsion to correct grammar mistakes. Unless you have a problem with a few words (e.g. the counselling example mentioned before) someone else correcting you does not improve your English. It only increases your insecurities.

Unless someone comes on asking for help with punctuation/spelling, it is definitely not on to correct them. Would you correct someone's speech to their face?

I would certainly admit that it's hard not to judge a person on their bad spelling/grammar, just as much as it's difficult not to judge a person by their speech/accent/clothes or a myriad other things. But you have to try not to!

I have to say I really appreciate it when I'm corrected. I'm 27 years old and still don't understand the laws of apostrophes and it embarrasses me, so when people correct me I take it in the spirit it's offered and am grateful.

BUT. I can understand why it would grate.

YANBU.

It's true there are quite a few spelling and grammar errors in some posts, but as long as we can understand what the person is saying, where's the harm? This is a forum, not a school! If you choose to judge someone's intelligence or the validity of their opinion based solely on the fact that they used text-speak or mixed up 'your' and 'you're' in a hastily written online chat contribution that's up to you, but it seems a pretty narrow way of looking at people to me. We all make mistakes (I've committed the odd howler on here ), we're only human, even in a virtual world space like Mumsnet!

I'm an English Language lecturer at a university and have been teaching high level grammar, spelling and punctuation for 15 years. These things are extremely important to me, and I spend hours every day teaching and correcting the finer points of our extremely complex and contentious language system. However, I would never dream of correcting another MNetter's post - I assume most errors are typos anyway, people are rushed and don't have time to preview. I also assume that if people want my (or anyone's) advice on their writing they will ask for it - unsolicited comments are a bit passive/aggressive for my liking.

I'm not going to correct anyone!

But I think it should be public knowledge that a lot is two words, not one

And it's 'was sitting' 'am sitting' not 'was sat'

Just my two pet hates!

Having said that, I hope one day to get who/whom correct

someone who mid heated 'discussion' says "learn to spell" or something of that nature - as a dig at the op or other person has lost the argument. It's really childish.

I am that some of you wll not take a post seriously if it has mistakes.
Now i know why i m ignored .

Are you saying that only posts from British born and non dyslexics are valid?

I never edit here, its just a forum.

Intellect is the abiliy to think, not the ability to spell. The most intelligent person i have met was a cleaning lady from Bulgaria. Her grammar and spelling was apalling but her spirit and thinking was amazing. I still remember things she told me, or actually she taught me.

Seriously, if you dismiss people based on their grammar/spelling you are missing out.