Is correcting someone's grammar a personal attack?

[Xanthippe1]

Should of
I said "should have"

Deleted - is that a personal attack because I can see a lot worse on here.

Teachers correct grammar all the time

"Should have" is correct.

"Should of" is wrong!

I don't consider correcting spelling to be a personal attack. As a teacher, I feel obliged to point things out sometimes even if I am hated for it. How will people learn if they are never corrected.

It is classed as against rules now, I do think it’s a little odd as other posts are much ruder but aren’t necessarily personal so still stand.

I don't see anything in the Talk Guidelines about correcting a poster's grammar being worthy of deletion. Unless you're stalking someone across multiple threads just to correct their grammar?

https://www.mumsnet.com/i/netiquette

I’m sure I have seen deleted posts for it & people have said as such. I could be wrong though

Hi OP,

We'd class these sorts of posts as 'not in the spirit of the site'.

Mumsnet is a discussion forum rather than a classroom, and while we appreciate that a correction might seem harmless, it can come across as unnecessarily critical, particularly when it doesn't really contribute to the discussion.

So yes, we do sometimes remove posts that focus on how something has been spelt rather than what the poster is actually saying. We also think it's worth remembering that being on the receiving end of these sorts of corrections can be quite off-putting.

We hope that helps explain our thinking.

@PopPopHopAboutI think it’s classed as personal attack

Well, it can detract from the thread when you get a lot of posters jumping on the OP for their spelling/grammar, rather than offering useful advice as requested.

I look at 'should of' as a misspelling of 'should've'... but I'm aware that the two sound the same in some accents, e.g. not far from where I grew up. It's a perfectly normal thing to hear in speech in some areas, even if it's not grammatically correct, and you do get pulled up for it by some teachers!

It can come across as rude. In an educational setting it should be corrected, but on a social thread, why the need? As long as you can understand what the text means.

Also predictive text does mean sometimes posts have the wrong word/spelling in them.

The level of spelling and grammar is so atrocious nowadays its impossible not to.

The poster had not RTFT and asked me a question in my posts
Not in the spirit of the site - have you seen some of the posts on AIBU and FWR?

Read that in the voice of Joey from Friends

I can't see "In the spirit of the site" in Talk Guidelines

it is bloody rude so can see why they think it is not in the spirit of the site.

No it doesn't. I would never normally do this, but haven't you made an error here, by missing the apostrophe?

Have you seen AIBU - and how rude that is!

Why is it so important to correct someone's grammar or spelling? What would it possibly add to a discussion? Apart from being rude it is really tedious for the rest of the people reading the thread.

The comprehension or lack of it bothers me more

These days, parents probably go into schools to threaten teachers who correct their little darlings. And then complain because they fail their exams/are sacked by their employers.

Lots of things on MN don't add much to the discussion.
But people still post them

I think correct grammar is generally a poor move and will discourage people with less good SPaG from participating and they might be those in need of advice.

I always feel like it's helpful because I know I'd want to know if I was showing a lack of knowledge, but i don't do it because other people seem to think very differently to me. OP, feel free to look out for me and go nuts. Future permissions extended!

Yes, people can be bloody rude.

I consider my grammar to be reasonably good (she says reading this post 20 times before posting and waiting for the OP to correct errors), and it saddens me how many poor examples there are across social media.
However, whilst I would correct my adult DC, because I think as a parent you ‘have the right’ to continue to educate them, I absolutley would not correct some random person on a forum like MN. You have no idea of their back story and why their grammar is the way it is. So I have to agree with MNHQ on this one.

I think it is helpful if done politely. Otherwise an opportunity to learn is missed.

But the thread asks if it is a personal attack against Talk Guidelines

You might not like the correction but is it a personal attack?

The Spirit of the Site is not in Talk Guidelines

In theory, everyone is DERAILING because the thread asks if it is a personal attack worthy of deletion?