Grammar Nazis - Usually Bad, Sometimes Necessary?

[skeath]

I don't care if it does take more typing (on a phone), I would never use OMG or similar shortcuts, or let a spelling error creep in. I just have too much pride (notice I didn't say "to much pride"). I went to school in the 50s and 60 (not 50's and 60's), when teachers actually taught (and enforced) English grammar and spelling, unlike today. I don't know why other people don't have that kind of pride, or awareness of the image they put forth, but they don't. I can't fix the rest of the world; I can only take care of myself.

 

[TXARGUY]

You're a really good/lucky guesser?

It should tell you that their scoring system is retarded. It's all about the testing fees and annual dues.

 

[Army 1911]

The whole idea is communication. When a lack of proper grammar or misspelled words interferes with the communication, then I quit reading. I don't translate gobblety-gook any better than I translate ebonics.

 

[Younggun]

Work=proper grammar

Internet forum=don't really give a shit anymore.

If that pisses somebody off, put a bandaid on the butt hurt and move on.

 

[Dawico]

I get irritated when it gets to the point that I have to reread someone's post/ text multiple times to figure out what it says. I don't mind a misspelled word or two but use a period and capitol letter every once in a while.

 

[Sapper740]

Folks can write or speak any way they desire. Conversation is generally perceived to mirror a person's intelligence. Old farts like me generally feel the reasons for someone butchering conversation can be; stupidity, ignorance, laziness, attempting to be "cool", expediency, or just plain dumbass idiocy. 'Just my take on it. Oh well.

That, and too many of our young people wanting to emulate denizens of low-income urban neighborhoods.

Who was it that said that America and the United Kingdom were countries with a similar heritage, separated by a common tongue? Churchill?

 

[Dawico]

That, and too many of our young people wanting to emulate denizens of low-income urban neighborhoods.

I call that "Bling-lish" and it is hard to listen to.

 

[35Remington]

I don't care if it does take more typing (on a phone), I would never use OMG or similar shortcuts, or let a spelling error creep in. I just have too much pride (notice I didn't say "to much pride"). I went to school in the 50s and 60 (not 50's and 60's), when teachers actually taught (and enforced) English grammar and spelling, unlike today. I don't know why other people don't have that kind of pride, or awareness of the image they put forth, but they don't. I can't fix the rest of the world; I can only take care of myself.

When you abbreviate decades, you place the apostrophe where the missing characters should be. Thus, it would be '50s and '60s.

 

[TXARGUY]

when you abbreviate decades, you place the apostrophe where the missing characters should be. Thus, it would be '50s and '60s.

lulz

 

[Vaquero]

Heh

 

[Wolfwood]

Was that online or in a print version?

If it was a print version then it's particularly depressing. Those are supposed to still have copy editors.

print.
there was another pretty bad one as well a couple inches away. will see if it is still laying around.

 

[alexrex20]

i really dont c y everybody has n issue with this if u ask n e one these days they will tell u that only educated ppl can understand this kind of talk so ppl just need 2 deal with it because its hear to stay everyone just needs to accept it damn it seems like were in a high school all over again

 

[Wolfwood]

 

[ROGER4314]

I think screw ups in writing are entertaining!

One writer in a magazine article about guns wrote ".....for all intensive purposes............."

In a magazine article about the Suzuki Huyabusa motorcycle/missile entitled the article:
"Bird of Pray". I think that he meant "prey", but that bike is so fast that his unintended title may have been more realistic!

Flash

 

[benenglish]

View attachment 21338

That's sad.

 

[35Remington]

OK, talking on a forum is like conversation. We flub words and we don't need grammar nazis correcting every jot and tittle.

OTOH, it would be nice if professional journalists (well, headline writers) could achieve minimal English language competence.

Stuff like this really irritates me.

When, in y'all's opinion, is the line crossed when misspellings and grammar mistakes rise past being ignorable and create unforgivable obfuscation?

I'd nominate leet-speak and most texting abbreviations. Further examples encouraged.

I am the epitome of a grammar nazi, and I agree with most of what you said. However, I think the example you cited (Man Shot a Motel) likely arose from a missed keystroke as opposed to grammatical ignorance. Sometimes those news headlines are banged out right at the last second.

When I see people who don't have a 4th grader's command of the English language, I usually just shrug my shoulders and plow through their words, interpreting what they meant to say as opposed to what they did say. Sometimes, if I'm feeling particularly snarky, I retort. I should probably do less of that.

It's sad that adults in this country don't know when to use your and you're, their, there, and they're, and many other common words. Even fewer is the number of people who know when to use a comma, when a period, or when a semicolon.

I do not buy the argument from those who say they're "just too lazy" to use correct grammar and punctuation on the Internet. It's ignorance, not sloth, but they often do go hand in hand. A dumb and lazy writer puts the onus on the reader, while a decent writer does all the work, so that the reader's job is easy.

Just my two cents, which are not worth much these days.

 

[Greg_TX]

When I see grammar errors online, I consider the context and the importance of how something is written vs. what someone is trying to communicate. Generally, in a forum such as this, if the point gets across then the fine details of sentence structure aren't that important. There are, however, a couple of exceptions that I cannot ignore. If my kids use improper grammar, they will be corrected because they are still learning. If my boss or someone I work with makes fundamental grammar mistakes on things other people will see, that's a "red line" as well.

For example, a former boss of mine would routinely get "their" and "they're" mixed up. I didn't say anything until I started seeing it in internal presentations and customer correspondence. I finally, as tactfully as I could, told him that he needed to work out this little detail. He took it reasonably well, considering that I was criticizing something he's likely been doing since middle school or earlier, but I could tell he was a bit put off by being corrected. I eventually ended up informally proofreading his stuff in situations where good language matters, but to this day his emails are still the same.

 

[Charlie]

i am the epitome of a grammar nazi, and i agree with most of what you said. However, i think the example you cited (man shot a motel) likely arose from a missed keystroke as opposed to grammatical ignorance. Sometimes those news headlines are banged out right at the last second.

When i see people who don't have a 4th grader's command of the english language, i usually just shrug my shoulders and plow through their words, interpreting what they meant to say as opposed to what they did say. Sometimes, if i'm feeling particularly snarky, i retort. I should probably do less of that.

It's sad that adults in this country don't know when to use your and you're, their, there, and they're, and many other common words. Even fewer is the number of people who know when to use a comma, when a period, or when a semicolon.

I do not buy the argument from those who say they're "just too lazy" to use correct grammar and punctuation on the internet. It's ignorance, not sloth, but they often do go hand in hand. A dumb and lazy writer puts the onus on the reader, while a decent writer does all the work, so that the reader's job is easy.

Just my two cents, which are not worth much these days.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^winner!^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[Big Phil]

Nvm

 

[Vaquero]

Bigger fish to fry.
It bothers me, but I ain't loosing sleep over it.