realised or realized?

[twinsetandpearls]

Am writing my reports and my spell checker wants to change my z to an s but it looks American. My language is set to English UK.

s is UK, z is American. Trust your spell checker!

I always use s but when I typed things for Fellows in Oxford I had to use z which hurt!

sorry I meant to say it wants to change my s to a z.

My spell checker must be switching back to American. Will check the default. You would think that on the school system the default would be UK English.

UK English is increasingly adopting these 'ize' endings - my OED gives 'realize' as the first spelling, 'realise' as a variant. 'Realize' is certainly not incorrect in UK English (although a lot of people are unclear about this).

As I like to say on these threads... get with the program, people

My spelling is awful I would never claim to be with the program

The program/programme thing... that was, like, a joke... I'll get me coat.

I don't frequent these threads very often as I know when I am out of my depth. Can you do another one for me?

Go on then

_ must make more of an effort to talk to myself and his classmates in a polite manner.

It that me or myself?

Me.

Policy's right, it's me.

Thought so, you use what would be correct without the rest of the sentencee?

No. If we are being polite then it is other person and me/myself/I.
You don't put "myself" before "classmates".

But otherwise, I follow TS&P's post of 10:12 i.e. write the sentence and then remove the other party.
So "Can Julie and me go to the party?" becomes "Can me go to the party?".
It's then pretty obvious that it should have been "Can Julie and I go to the party?"

I've just realised that this was a me/myself question, not a me/I question.
What is wrong with myself/themselves? My spellchecker is always picking me up on it and I don't know why.

Using 'myself' is uneccesary (and wrong) when 'me' will do.

"myself" and "yourself" being used instead of "me" and "you" make me want to strangle the poor person (usually on the other side of a counter, down a phone line or on the tannoy in a plane) I'm talking to.

I think it's people trying to be over-polite but just getting it so so wrong.

"Myself" is reflexive, "me" isn't.

I hit me. NO!
I hit myself. YES!
John hit myself. NO!
John hit me. YES!
John hit himself. YES!

like to get rid of a little pedantic aggression of a Sunday morning

"I think it's people trying to be over-polite but just getting it so so wrong."

That would be myself then.

the trying to be over polite is certainly the case here, I am trying to say your son is an unpleasant bully who is ruiing the education of everyone he comes into contact with!

sorry didn't mean to be rude, fembear but... this is Pedant's Corner...

Twinset I would dazzle them into submission with your correct English usage:

"___ must make more of an effort to talk to his classmates and (to) me in a polite manner"

You could possibly think of adding an extra "to" in there to avoid putting "me" first but still ensuring you get enough recognition in the sentence, as the teacher 'n' all. If you see what I mean.

I don't envy your end of year report writing on a Sunday... hope the little blighters aren't all like the one in question

policywonk - the -ize spelling is actually known as the "Oxford" English spelling ie the OED adopted this spelling many years ago.

I prefer -ise myself

Thanks Jane HH.