Why do people point out obvious spelling mistakes on online discussions ?

KathleenGrant

KathleenGrant wrote: »

True but could do that in a PM or a nice post.

Didn’t you correct someone on this thread?

Lmkrnr

They have small Willie's

KathleenGrant

Government buildings wrote: »

There is no excuse for bad spelling or grammar.

Dyslexia


not even an excuse, but a clarification.

KathleenGrant

Deleted User wrote: »

Didn’t you correct someone on this thread?

Yep you when I thought you were being a dick to another poster.
Sorry you were not the one I thought was being a dick. Apologies.

Demonique

Hamsterchops wrote: »

While I agree that it can be tiresome and annoying to correct spelling mistakes, sometimes it does the poster a favour. Many examples where people get hold of a wrong pronunciation as a child, and then carry it with them for life!

Take thought & taught as an example, some people will go through their lives mixing & swapping the two, tread & thread another, until somebody corrects them in print & the penny drops. Height & heigth is another example, not that heigth exists, but some people say it and spell it that way until corrected.

I was corrected just the other day (in another thread) after spelling somebody's name wrong, I always thought his name was Nick West but another poster did me a favour & pointed out that his name was Mick West, I then went back into my posts and corrected the spellings ......

Getting to tread & thread, I was amazed to hear a recent road safety awareness campaign on the radio, whereby they explained about minimum thread depth. Don't know if it went into print though.

I saw a post on another forum where someone mentioned a fanfic with the sentence "he put his arm around her waste", one of the meanings of "waste" is faecal matter aka poo, so the wrong spelling put a different slant on that sentence

Swaine

Worst three offences;

"should of, would of"

"your stupid"

Leaving spaces before a '?', or worse, a comma.

KathleenGrant

KathleenGrant wrote: »

Yep you when I thought you were being a dick to another poster.
Sorry you were not the one I thought was being a dick. Apologies.

Fair enough.

nialler1978

Swaine wrote: »

Worst three offences;

"should of, would of"

"your stupid"

Leaving spaces before a '?', or worse, a comma.

I’d put ‘lose vs loose’ in with any top 3, possibly at the number 1 spot.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

You spelt pathetic wrong!!

Incorrectly!

The Continental Op

KathleenGrant wrote: »

Dyslexia


not even an excuse, but a clarification.

Even a dyslexic can turn on a spelling checker.

I find the funniest thing is when someone has obviously used a spelling checker but then not checked what the misspelt words have been changed to.

I've just checked this piece on Breaking news, when I first read it it said...

It transpired McCann was working under two false names for the company with different dates of birth and flatulently obtained PPS numbers.

...but its since been corrected

Alonzo Mosley

People should remember that with some posters English is not their first language.

Hamsterchops

Demonique wrote: »

I saw a post on another forum where someone mentioned a fanfic with the sentence "he put his arm around her waste", one of the meanings of "waste" is faecal matter aka poo, so the wrong spelling put a different slant on that sentence

He put his arm around her poo

KathleenGrant

The Continental Op wrote: »

Even a dyslexic can turn on a spelling checker.

I find the funniest thing is when someone has obviously used a spelling checker but then not checked what the misspelt words have been changed to.

I've just checked this piece on Breaking news, when I first read it it said...



...but its since been corrected

Spellchecker will check if it is a correct word or not.

You should no that den you wood knot bee sew quick too judge.

All words in bold passed my spellcheck.

trashcan

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

It depends what you think is obvious and not people just not knowing. Your country one yes, but people using "been" instead of "being" drag down those around them that if you look at a chart from its first (mis)use shows an unmistakable cone of ignorance .



Dont let your friends post stupid, kids.

Yes, there is a big difference (in my view) between an obvious typo(or an auto correct, and someone being (been) unaware of basic grammar. The latter I find annoying. You know the ones, could of/should of, been/being, their/there etc.

The Continental Op

KathleenGrant wrote: »

Spellchecker will check if it is a correct word or not.

You should no that den you wood knot bee sew quick too judge.

All words in bold passed my spellcheck.

The other issue is that people including myself are often too quick to post and often don't read what they have written until someone has made a joke of it.

Hotblack Desiato

McGaggs wrote: »

I remember looking at a thread in motors, and being very confused about someone going on about their tyres' "thread". I thought they were on about the steel cord inside the rubber...

"Thread" and "breaks" are more common in Motors than the correct words. Makes the poster look completely ignorant tbh.

CPTM

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You spelt pathetic wrong!!

I'm not very confident about this. But isn't it "spelled"? As in,

- You spelled
- The word was spelt?

I always wondered this..

The Continental Op

CPTM wrote: »

I'm not very confident about this. But isn't it "spelled"? As in,

- You spelled
- The word was spelt?

I always wondered this..

In our house "spelt" is a type of grain you make bread out of.

Leg End Reject

'Spelt' was used traditionally, but 'Spelled' is now more commonly used. Both are correct.

CPTM

I'm sure there's some solid rule I'm not aware of. I dreamed a dream and the dream was dreamt. Or can you say "I dreamt last night". Everyone I know says "I dreamt last night"

Leg End Reject

CPTM wrote: »

I'm sure there's some solid rule I'm not aware of. I dreamed a dream and the dream was dreamt. Or can you say "I dreamt last night". Everyone I know says "I dreamt last night"

Both are correct, 'spelled' and 'dreamed' were traditionally just used in American English, whereas 'spelt' and 'dreamt' were used in British English. Both are now considered correct here.

IngridM20

I wonder if some people can’t help it. I’d be pretty pedantic with language, maybe not online when typing fast etc, but I would never correct someone unless asked - by those learning English etc.
It comes across smarmy and bulks up the thread. If they continue reading, surely they’ll learn the correct spelling everyone else is using. Aka - telling them discretely. They could also be typing on their phone. Dyslexic. Etc.

However, someone corrected me recently in a RIP post where I spelled the name of the victim wrong. I very much appreciated that, and edited my error.

wil

Jeremy Sproket wrote: »

Why do people point out obvious spelling mistakes on online discussions instead of discussing the actual substance of the argument?
<snip>
Am I the only one who notices this online?

If you have to ask, then almost certainly you are not. There's probably hieroglyphs or Sumerian cuneiform taking the piss out of previous writing errorrrrs.
If you are making a good point about a serious topic then it is a lazy way for anyone to try to undermine your discussion, you just learn to ignore or clarify/correct and move on. It's a bit like someone mishearing you or pretending to mishear you from poor hearing, thick accents or poor diction or because the post is just not clear. It can be intended as a joke, a dig, a way of undermining your argument or occasionally when content is unclear, a way of ensuring they understood.

People can type complete rubbish, it sounds ok in their heads, then they get upset if anyone 'disses' them. The internet is/isn't the place for them. Choose.
If you are going to get easily upset at someone pointing out a spelling mistake, may be the interent isent the plaice four ewe.
Runk people be rude.

If you are pointing out spellung mistaikes in otherwise sensible posts, yoor pbabably boored & disengaged.

Poor spelling can just be laziness too as mist apps now have spellcheck, but cant cope so will with wrong words. Typos happen because we don't recheck because trying to be too quick, itchy thumbs, 'but I'm mad now" shooting from the hip, Homer style. See that mad sense to me but I wouldn't say everyone understood.

Stupid argumenters probably deserve every joker to take the pi$$ out of nonsensical idiotic posts, but then they think they are being judged for their spelling, so miss the point too. Unintended consequences. Guess you can't really argue with an idiot, so probably best to leave them so, as long as they aren't doing any harm.


Sometimes people just don't notice a guerilla or an f.
“Finished files are the result of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years.”

Count the number of times that the letter F appears in the following sentence:
“Finished files are the result of years of scientific study combined with the experience of years.”

End of the day , serious posts - serious discussion, silly posts - stupid /humourous replies, bit like IRL.
PS There are 78 international spelling, grammar and typographical errors in this post.
Knock yourself out.

(The f's by the way - not tree. Non-native speakers have the advantage here)

The Continental Op

CPTM wrote: »

I'm sure there's some solid rule I'm not aware of. I dreamed a dream and the dream was dreamt. Or can you say "I dreamt last night". Everyone I know says "I dreamt last night"

I've have spelt it "drempt" but google is telling me that I must be very old "(dated) Simple past tense and past participle of dream".

antix80

ulster wrote: »

Yeah and whenever referring to the country as the Republic of Ireland....tHe NaMe oF tHe CoUnTrY iS iReLaNd!!!!!!!!!

They're the worst. Esp when you say "republic of" to distinguish it from the island or nationalist notions of a 32-county state.

The Continental Op

antix80 wrote: »

They're the worst. Esp when you say "republic of" to distinguish it from the island or nationalist notions of a 32-county state.

If you have to fill out a form online you often find that the only choice you have for Ireland is "Republic of Ireland", agree its annoying.

Alonzo Mosley

Alonzo Mosley wrote: »

People should remember that with some posters English is not their first language.

It is the posters whose first language is English who are the worst offenders, when writing in another language, you're more likely to take care with the spelling.
The odd grammatical foobar can get through though.

KathleenGrant

Hotblack Desiato wrote: »

"Thread" and "breaks" are more common in Motors than the correct words. Makes the poster look completely ignorant tbh.

Or maybe the poster's strength is not language/spelling.
If I went into a garage and started fiddling with cars and car engines they could be laughing at my "ignorance".
When I go to a mechanic it's because of their knowledge about the working of cars. I couldn't give a toss about his/her spelling.
Same with a seamstress, hairdresser, builder etc. I know that there is more than one way to judge intelligence.

micah537

I dislike when American's try to correct how we spell words such as tyre, neighbour, colour etc.
Why do they feel the need to push their spellings on us?

CPTM

micah537 wrote: »

I dislike when American's try to correct how we spell words such a tyre, neighbour, colour etc.
Why do they feel the need to push their spellings on us.

Because it's their world and we just live in it.

is_that_so

Jeremy Sproket wrote: »

Why do people point out obvious spelling mistakes on online discussions instead of discussing the actual substance of the argument?

I have seen several examples of this as time goes by.

For example, there was a discussion on Stockholm on a forum before (where my dad is from and I spent a good chunk of my life). I mentioned in a post cricisising Stockholm that it's not too bad a city and mentioned some good points about it. One of my points said that Stockholm was a good country (sic) and made several other points about the city.
In my opening sentence, I mistyped country instead of city and in the rest of my paragraph I used city. The person who quoted me redacted all of the rest of my post and hilighted the word country and said "I'm not taking travel advice from someone who thinks Stockholm is a country". He got several thumbs up and made me look like a fool and essentially "won" by default as I refused to engage further with a clown like that.

Another example was a thread on abortion. The topic was abortion on the grounds of disability. A very contentious topic. One poster said "I disagree with abortion on the grounds of abortion". It was clear that they meant on grounds of disability, but that person was quoted and ridiculed and their obvious typo was again used to undermine their point.

Am I the only one who notices this online?

You are writing for an audience who have expectations, including correct basic spelling. Most people have access to spellcheckers and it is the usual errors all the time but yeah picking on occasional errors is a bit pedantic.

Wallet Inspector

Would probably only say it to someone who's being a thundering twat, and whose spelling, grammar and punctuation are REALLY bad. One English guy said to me on Facebook or Twitter "So it's true - the Irish are thick" because I simply disagreed with him. The utter state of his writing, so obviously I responded that at least I could string a sentence together.

I am very particular about my own writing, so I do notice, and get irritated by, the stuff that keeps cropping up (not typos or incorrectly spelled words which are tricky to spell, but "your/you're", "should of went" etc). Mixing up "were" with "where" is my most hated one. I keep it to myself because it generally looks twattish to point it out, but I dislike it, and what I dislike even more is the fashion of pretending it's grand.

The other thing is when someone doesn't use any punctuation whatsoever to indicate a pause so they write a paragraph of run-on sentences and you have to stop and re-read it because you don't know where a sentence ends and begins like what's that about no matter how much a person struggles with writing we all know where we pause the way we would when speaking

And also, there's a thing now of dropping "would" or "will" - stuff like "he be delighted". It's not Ye Olde Englande like.

Graces7

is_that_so wrote: »

You are writing for an audience who have expectations, including correct basic spelling. Most people have access to spellcheckers and it is the usual errors all the time but yeah picking on occasional errors is a bit pedantic.

As a former English teacher I still have a " red biro" reflex which I keep in check most of the time... Else it can be unkind

My life is a constant battle between wanting to correct people's spelling and having friends.

micah537

micah537 wrote: »

I have noticed at work, people who constantly correct other's grammar are quite poor at maths and logical thinking. Maybe it's a way for them to feel smart.

I am fully convinced it's an overcompensation. The tendency to nitpick over spelling mistakes in any casual forum, such as this website, is similarly tedious to a once-fashionable tendency to use 'new atheism' as a substitute for any serious, intelligent or original thought.

The ability to communicate clearly is an important skill, but typos and apostrophes are usually irrelevant, especially somewhere like boards. When people make a habit of pointing this stuff out, you'd sometimes get the impression there isn't a lot else going on upstairs.

There are those who have a thing about spelling, however, that is not what the OP is asking.

It's a form of one-upmanship slightly related to bullying mostly, but sometimes it is a desire to help.

Amirani

Jeremy Sproket wrote: »

In my opening sentence, I mistyped country instead of city and in the rest of my paragraph I used city. The person who quoted me redacted all of the rest of my post and hilighted the word country and said "I'm not taking travel advice from someone who thinks Stockholm is a country". He got several thumbs up and made me look like a fool and essentially "won" by default as I refused to engage further with a clown like that.

Won fair and square in my book, no default about it. You can't just think Stockholm is a country and expect to win an argument, that'd be outrageous.

Capt'n Midnight

Bam Bam Mickey wrote: »

My life is a constant battle between wanting to correct people's spelling and having friends.

Wallet Inspector

A Tyrant Named Miltiades! wrote: »

I am fully convinced it's an overcompensation. The tendency to nitpick over spelling mistakes in any casual forum, such as this website, is similarly tedious to a once-fashionable tendency to use 'new atheism' as a substitute for any serious, intelligent or original thought.

The ability to communicate clearly is an important skill, but typos and apostrophes are usually irrelevant, especially somewhere like boards. When people make a habit of pointing this stuff out, you'd sometimes get the impression there isn't a lot else going on upstairs.

The smugness can go both ways though, Tyrant.

People who were utterly scathing about atheists (I can't stand when people who simply pray and go to church are ridiculed but I also think those who aren't religious and say nothing about it can get lumped in with the arsehole atheists) and "hipsters" ("people who like stuff that I don't like") a few years back, those who shriek "grammar nazi" at those who have the audacity to prefer clear, well written text, those who think a music snob is someone who's simply not into chart music... can all be as insufferably sneering as those whom they find so objectionable.

The Continental Op

I really don't think people should complain about spelling mistakes too much particularly when you don't know how the post is being made.

I'm smug here sat at a computer with a real keyboard but I'd have sympathy for anyone making a post more than a couple of lines long from a phone.