Grammar Nazi's: How do you feel about them?

Dudess

I find it terribly rude just to comment on an error or errors when it's perfectly clear what the person is saying. It should be remembered not everyone has a strong grasp of grammar/punctuation/spelling and some people are dyslexic.

That said, if someone is being a cock and shooting off about how much better than everyone they are, it's amusing to see if they get an error corrected. Plus, if someone's posts are absolute illegible waffle - in particular with zero full stops, commas or dashes used to indicate pauses - it's fair game for a moderator to advise them to try and communicate more clearly.

biko

I prefer grammar commies to grammar nazis.

whirlpool

humbert wrote: »

Who cares if it's your or you're, if it's 'should of' or 'should have'. What's important is that we don't make people who are too lazy or too stupid to learn the difference feel uncomfortable.

My English is far from perfect and I appreciate it when people point out my mistakes before they become habit.

Your first paragraph sort of contradicts your second paragraph, so I have concluded that your first paragraph was sarcasm.

I personally feel the same as you said you feel in your second paragraph.

stoneill

what if the writing isn't good and the people doing the writing are not proper about the words that they shouldve be using in the posts but the idea that they wanted comes out right

Daftendirekt

Can't stand 'em. I hate seeing people dismissing good, perfectly comprehensible posts just to point out that the poster used they're instead of there or something equally pointless and uninteresting. According to Cracked, there's a beautiful Finnish word for these people:

Cracked wrote:

Pilkunnussija (Finnish)

Means:
A person who believes it is their destiny to stamp out all spelling and punctuation mistakes at the cost of popularity, self-esteem and mental well-being.

They're out there. They're reading this right now. Judging, smirking, analyzing. They care nothing about the actual meaning or fun of writing, but care everything about whether you used that semi-colon correctly. While we -- perhaps inappropriately -- call them Grammar Nazis, the Finns have a much more fitting name: "pilkunnussija."


Or literally, "comma fuckers."


Let that delicious imagery sink in for a second: Some stubborn, miserable person slowly removing his or her sweater vest while caressing the pendulous dip and point of a comma before slowly climbing on top of it and thrusting away in quiet desperation. These are people who have taken the most boring, pedantic aspect of language and adopted that as their cause. It's like a child on a basketball court dreaming of one day being a referee. And these people certainly exist. Take, for example, the Apostrophe Protection Society, who feel the need to protect this "much abused" punctuation mark from the grubby fingers of people like you.

Our President for Life

Dudess wrote: »

Plus, if someone's posts are absolute illegible waffle - in particular with zero full stops, commas or dashes used to indicate pauses - it's fair game for a moderator to advise them to try and communicate more clearly.

I couldn't agree more. Typos are understandable, but if someone just blatantly disregards all the rules of written English...well that just grinds my gears! :mad:

humbert

hondasam wrote: »

It's not about being lazy or stupid for some people, posting on phones can be a pain sometimes and mistakes happen and at the end of the day who are we to judge anyone.

We judge people all of the time. This entire thread is about judging Grammar Nazis. Vacuous truisms annoy me too.

As for posting from phones, the only possible way I can think to solve that quandary is to spend a whole five to ten seconds rereading the post before hitting submit...

whirlpool

hondasam wrote: »

It's not about being lazy or stupid for some people, posting on phones can be a pain sometimes and mistakes happen and at the end of the day who are we to judge anyone.

Is that what you believe is happening? That the grammar nazi is judging the person based on their grammar?

I have never seen it like that.

Grammar nazism can be very annoying, but I have never viewed it as being a judgement of the person's character. (And no, I've never been a grammar nazi myself.)


Furthermore, if someone is genuinely judging a person based on their grammar, then they're not just a grammar nazi they're also a bittuva pr*ck.

Dudess

pickarooney wrote: »

There are only two legitimate reasons for donning the GN uniform and those are when the poster in question is him/herself having a go at someone's spelling/grammar and when it's genuinely hilarious to do so.

Muphrys Law is awesome.

cold case

A friend of mine got a letter from Department of Education, refusing a spelling and grammar exemption for her daughter in the state exams.

The words "spelling, grammar and exemption", were all incorrect! :eek:

Abi

Dudess wrote: »

It should be remembered not everyone has a strong grasp of grammar/punctuation/spelling

I will probably get shot down for this, but if I thought this was an issue with me I would probably try to do something about it. Bear with me on this one.

People will judge others whether it is on or off line. A prospective employer is reading a C.V. and there are several spelling mistakes on it. Your C.V. is a document that markets yourself, it is not going to bode well if their first impression of you is someone that is unable to spell correctly, or even use of spelling correction.

and some people are dyslexic.

That is the tricky part. It is why I don't openly correct someone in their post, because you can't tell 100% if the poster is dyslexic or not. I've dyslexic friends on boards who have sent me C.V.'s to look over for them, or letters to a college they're applying for - and I've gladly done so.

Ficheall

fricatus wrote: »

Where I work, I've seen CVs handed in that haven't even been spell-checked, and I've seen proposals for work that contain all sorts of basic punctuation and grammar errors. If you can't get such details right, then what does it say about your attention to other important details that we're paying you for? Typically we just bin those, because the impression is one of laziness and carelessness.

I was wondering about this the other day - is it acceptable to establish whether a job applicant who submits a poor cover letter is excusably foreign or dyslexic, and to turn them down otherwise?
Or would one be sued for some sort of discrimination?
A similar question could be posed regarding dismissal of employees who "can't write good".

*slips into Maggie Gyllenhaal fantasy*

mcmoustache

I think the grammar nazi warning sticky should have another post appended to it with a list of the most common mistakes and why they're incorrect. Then people could be infracted for getting them wrong.

One can only dream.

biko

Boards already have a small level of grammar nazism.
For instance text speak isn't allowed anywhere on the site.

Sometime when I read posts I despair for the person that spent so many years in school but only needed a few years with a phone to become practically incomprehensible.

hondasam

mcmoustache wrote: »

I think the grammar nazi warning sticky should have another post appended to it with a list of the most common mistakes and why they're incorrect. Then people could be infracted for getting them wrong.

One can only dream.

You cannot be serious.

@Abi, spelling or grammar mistakes in a CV is not acceptable. This is the first impression your employer will have and you would be judged on it.

Dudess

Oh I agree Abi - if writing isn't a person's strong point, they really should get someone to check CVs, letters, essays etc for them before they send them off. And I always wince a bit when I see avoidable mistakes here by teachers.

hondasam

Dudess wrote: »

Oh I agree Abi - if writing isn't a person's strong point, they really should get someone to check CVs, letters, essays etc for them before they send them off. And I always wince a bit when I see avoidable mistakes here by teachers.

I think we all look at it differently, In the real world we have to be perfect and check and double check everything to make sure it's correct.
A few mistakes on here should not matter, yes it might be a little lazy sometimes but it's not the end of the world. It's the way I see it anyway.

Randy Anders

People who can't use there, their and they're grind my gears to be honest.

Chuck Stone

What do people think of spelling wurds wrong for the laf?

Abi

Randy Anders wrote: »

People who can't use there, their and they're grind my gears to be honest.

The thing is, I've noticed some people do actually know there's a difference between them, but how to use them correctly is another thing. Most don't seem to understand why they're broken down, and use the apostrophe before the wrong letter.

For example, "If I had'nt made that mistake".. the apostrophe is in replacement of a letter, therefore it doesn't belong there. The letter 'O' is cut out of the merged words 'had not', so it has to be between the 'n' and the 't'.


There => There it is over there.

They're => Short for 'they are', letter 'a' removed to shorten.

Their => Meant in the possessive sense. "The children were safely returned to their mother". Something or somebody belonging to somebody.


I do think that a lot of it is just some people typing without thinking. That is fine and well on a discussion board where it doesn't really matter at the end of the day, but that can slide into every day use of the language, and indeed on important documents.

Lionel Messy

The grammar nazi's probably want to send us to Asswitch.

Ellis Dee

fricatus wrote: »

Pulling people up on grammar and spelling mistakes on a discussion forum is pretty bad form - who cares about a bit of a misspelling?

However those who go through life thinking they can just ignore spelling and grammar rules because they're somehow "expressing their individuality" or because "it doesn't matter" need to cop on to themselves for their own sake.

Where I work, I've seen CVs handed in that haven't even been spell-checked, and I've seen proposals for work that contain all sorts of basic punctuation and grammar errors. If you can't get such details right, then what does it say about your attention to other important details that we're paying you for? Typically we just bin those, because the impression is one of laziness and carelessness.

Indeed. Slobs will always be slobs. And, like the poor, they will always be with us.:rolleyes::rolleyes:

It seems that those who cared about standards are gradually giving up the struggle, as this article shows::D

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/lack-of-interest-spells-the-end-for-the-queens-english-society-7814791.html

:(:(


Queen's English Society: common complaints
* Missing and wrongly used apostrophes
* Overuse of exclamation marks
* Adjectives used as adverbs
* 'More' used with the comparative. Eg more sweeter
* Incorrect forms of verbs, eg snuck (as in 'snuck in').
* American spell checks
* Failure to start sentences with a capital letter and end them with a full point.
* Misspelling of common words
* Confusion between same-sounding words – their/there licence/license
* Misuse of semicolons

Aint Eazy Being Cheezy

KeithM89 wrote: »

deccurley wrote: »

Actually, it should be Nazis not Nazi's

Yeah youre still getting infracted if youre gonna be a grammar nazi here.

Infraction Nazi

whirlpool

Ok I have a solution.

Give every boardsie the option of having a little symbol beneath their username in their posts, or in their signature, that indicates that they welcome corrections of their grammar.

If you correct the grammar of a boardsie who does display this symbol, then yay, everyone's happy.

If you correct the grammar of a boardsie who doesn't display it, then you're a d*ck.


Remember that there are a lot of people who genuinely do want to improve their English (including native and non-native English speakers) and this type of system could potentially be invaluable to a lot of them.

juan.kerr

I think we should all aspire to good grammar.

DarkJager

whirlpool wrote: »

Ok I have a solution.

Give every boardsie the option of having a little symbol beneath their username in their posts, or in their signature, that indicates that they welcome corrections of their grammar.

If you correct the grammar of a boardsie who does display this symbol, then yay, everyone's happy.

If you correct the grammar of a boardsie who doesn't display it, then you're a d*ck.

What sort of symbol do you propose? A swastika perhaps?

whirlpool

DarkJager wrote: »

What sort of symbol do you propose? A swastika perhaps?

Well, no. Because that would symbolise an evil dictatorship, whereas this symbol indicates a mutual agreement. Duh.

DarkJager

whirlpool wrote: »

Well, no. Because that would symbolise an evil dictatorship, whereas this symbol indicates a mutual agreement. Duh.

The swastika wasn't invented by the Nazis, they just hijacked it like the ***** they were.

whirlpool

DarkJager wrote: »

The swastika wasn't invented by the Nazis, they just hijacked it like the ***** they were.

Regardless of its origin, it still symbolises an evil dictatorship.

whirlpool

Sorry, I meant to say "irregardless."

...which, unlike most of us, spellcheck considers a real word.

Meanwhile, it doesn't consider "spellcheck" to be.

DarkJager

whirlpool wrote: »

Regardless of its origin, it still symbolises an evil dictatorship.

Pretty much the same with grammar nazis isn't it? They're basically on the internet to conform your spelling or grammar to their standards.

dr.bollocko

Put up a sticky on it a while back and bumped it a few times. Seems to benefit the general level of communication when this kind of stuff is removed.

However having said that if people are using txtspk etc., that's not allowed either.

We're really just trying to prevent people from being dicks and attempting to appear superior over trifling bollox.

whirlpool

DarkJager wrote: »

Pretty much the same with grammar nazis isn't it? They're basically on the internet to conform your spelling or grammar to their standards.

Well, no, because as I have explained, this would be a mutual agreement whereby the user requests to have their grammar corrected - by displaying that symbol. A dictatorship involves forcing ones own beliefs on others without their request, i.e. the exact opposite.

And on a separate note, it's not their standards; it's the standards of the English language.

This would be a way to eliminate grammar Nazism, while helping people who actually want it.

kleefarr

Did someone mention grammar??

\/

Jester252

I don't like them especially the ones that use a mistake as a point for their point of view in a discussion. It makes the discussion stop as you have said your point of view and they have replied with to point out a grammar error.
I also hate it when a person post some thing and the next post is
*fixed spelling/grammar
Edit your post FFS

Oranage2

I dont hate them as much as grammar communists.

kincsem

Good English = Nazi
Poor English = Hero

The problem to some is reading posts where the poster has made no effort to help the reader.

bnt

whirlpool wrote: »

Regardless of its origin, it still symbolises an evil dictatorship.

Not in India, it doesn't. When I was over in Bangalore, I went to the opening party of a new department at the company, and we had cake. The paper plates had little Swastikas on them, for luck.

Anyway, I'm in the "meaning" camp here. Typos are excusable, but clangers that change or obscure the meaning are bad. I mean, if you use "there" when you mean "they're", I can only conclude that you don't understand the meanings of those words. If you get the meaning, but write the wrong word - which does happen to me sometimes - it should look "wrong" and stand out like a sore thumb.

Grammar is there to help you convey your full meaning. If what you have to say will always be simple and basic, then you don't need no stinkin' Grammar. :cool:

dxhound2005

http://www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jun/04/queens-english-society-enuf-innit

Queen's English Society says enuf is enough, innit?

Society formed 40 years ago to protect language against poor spelling and grammar closes because too few people care anymore.

Sentid

Let's help Uncle Jack off the horse

lets help uncle jack off the horse

And this is why we need punctuation!

humbert

Let's eat grandma.

Let's eat, grandma.


Punctuation saves lives!

Sea Filly

Annoying pricks. Everyone fúcks up their grammar, spelling and syntax at some time or another.

forfuxsake

Ghandee wrote: »

Grammar Nazis.



You gotta give it to them,

They know their shít...........


Or is that, they know they're shít

The Irish Society of Professional Scatologists - now they really know their ****.

forfuxsake

woman without her man is nothing.
woman: without her, man is nothing.

ejmaztec

Sea Filly wrote: »

Annoying pricks. Everyone fúcks up their grammar, spelling and syntax at some time or another.

...and then there are the ones who make the same mistakes for the rest of their lives, because they don't realise that they're making them.:(

RingTheAlarm!

They're great! Bad grammar is something that really bugs me.

Pottler

I've seen signs, composed and signed off on by people in positions of power within companies that have glaring spelling mistakes and syntax errors. These go up on display for everyone and the public to see. This makes me wonder if deep down, they are a bit thick. Grammar can be important betimes.

kincsem

that that is is that that is not is not is that it it is

That that is, is. That that is not, is not. Is that it? It is.

I don't read lengthy posts without paragraphs or punctuation.

holystungun9

bluewolf wrote: »

in before "you only need the first and last letter of each word..."

yu ct. :pac:

dark crystal

I wouldn't point out anyone's poor grammar unless they were being a d!ck.

However, I can never understand people who, as fully grown adults, still don't know the basic difference between there, their and they're. They have totally different meanings!

Bad grammar does annoy me, but I wouldn't go out of my way to point it out to anyone. Except my kids - I'm a bitch for correcting their grammar