My feed
Premium

Please
or
to access all these features

Pedants' corner

Ah, my spiritual home! Various annoying things no-one else would understand...

7 replies

MrsSeanBean · 06/12/2008 15:20

I have noticed that on several posts on this forum 'being' is often 'been' - but read in context the meaning is 'being'. Is this new 'text speak' or general illiteracy? Logically text speak woulod read 'bein'? (Not that I ever use it, my texts take ages but have perfect complete words and punctuation.

Writing things as you 'hear' them because you have presumably never seem the word in writing. This is extremely annoying / depressing. For example: kinder spirits (kindred spirits). I have an ideal (idea).
Poker dots (polka dots). Pilot (Pilate) in the Kible (this, shockingly, in a magazine).
Does no-one read anymore?

I am almost too depressed to mention the apostrophe issue. However, I saw an email the other day which took things beyond the usual 'Banana's - 60p' level. Free leisure pass'es were being offered...

OP posts:
MrsSeanBean · 06/12/2008 15:21

Oops sorry not a good place to have typing errors, more haste etc...

OP posts:
MrsSeanBean · 06/12/2008 17:35

Just remembered another one which I posted on another thread: 'sort after' (for sought after). (Estate agent, this one.)

Aaaarrrrrrggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!

OP posts:
campion · 07/12/2008 17:39

I - and many others I'm sure- feel your pain,MrsS. What are we to do? I pass a sign every day proclaiming log's for sale. It irritates me anew each time.

I have been known to correct notices in public places and I even found myself putting two apostrophes in their proper place before submitting a completed questionnaire at work recently. It wasn't a typo as the mistakes were identical and, as I'm a teacher ( as is the compiler of the questionnaire), I reckon I shouldn't ignore such things. Bang goes my career.

I could even blame the Internet for re-inforcing this semi-literacy.Some of the other forums on here make me wince at times.

tribpot · 07/12/2008 17:44

I was forced recently to correct a sign at work that said 'door broke, office services aware'. Now, one could argue that the use of the preterite was accurate (the door broke once) but I decided 'door broken' was more factually correct for an on-going situation.

I also read a request for a data extract at work recently that talked about the "descent flag". It's dissent. Not descent. I nearly wept.

PartOfTheHumphreysGroup · 07/12/2008 17:44

Teehee - in a post on here earlier someone said 'set the hair running'

Made me think of a wig flying round the edge of a greyhound track.

MistleSQUONKandWine · 07/12/2008 17:45

I also feel your pain.

It is tres annoying when otherwise sane and intelligent people do not know the difference between words that sound a little bit similar and either use them interchangeably or use just one for every eventuality.

Tis something that needs addressing imo.

And, on the subject of schools... I was forced (forced, I tell ye!) to correct a label on a box of crepe paper the other day (crape) and on a child's painting (A's painting of some cow's) I really do feel that people working in a school and having some influence over how our children learn to read and write should be able to do so themselves.

[rant over]

tribpot · 07/12/2008 17:49

Oh, I should add a dyslexic colleague had read the same doc and asked me via messenger a question about the "descent flag". Not having seen the doco at the time I actually did check he meant "dissent" in case it was something else entirely, thus pissing off a colleague for no good reason. Surely even more vital for people who struggle with spelling that things are done correctly?

Please create an account

To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.