Grammar/Spelling Nazis

K!LL!@N

nesf wrote:

I find it amusing that people seem to think that spellchecking would remove the whole their/there issue.

Don't dyslexics need a special kind of spellchecker or something? Or is it just some of them?


And I'd distinguish between posts with poor spelling and totally unintelligible ones. If someone's post is unreadable I don't see the problem in asking them to take more care. In a text based medium it is reasonable enough imho.

Yes i was thinking the same thing.
A spellchecker alone is not going to stop people writing "there" when they should have written "their" nor will it work for "where" and "were" or any words that are spelt correctly but not used correctly.

I have no problem with pointing out something that is unintelligible that's perfectly fine.

Killian

mycroft

K!LL!@N wrote:

It's not a regional dialect it's a symbol that looks like an "a" you might have also noticed that the i's have been replaced with "!" they too are for decoration.
What exactly is your point?

You make some valid points and then you go and ruin it by taking a pointless jab at me.

Killian

Hagar wrote:

No comment.

Woa, did I just wake up in a world without irony!

No wait, it's just that the two of youse can't spot a joke at three yards.

K!LL!@N

Baz_ wrote:

I think in threads like this one, we must take all corrections sent our way with a pinch of salt, as buffybot has done yours.

Of course, but i'm trying to have a serious discussion about this.

Killian

K!LL!@N

mycroft wrote:

Woa, did I just wake up in a world without irony!

No wait, it's just that the two of youse can't spot a joke at three yards.

Trust me, i get jokes.

Killian

Baz_

K!LL!@N wrote:

Of course, but i'm trying to have a serious discussion about this.

Killian

In every serious discussion I ever remember being held on boards.ie people make jokes. Generally in really serious discussions like this, people use the jokes to highlight their point. Thats why I say in a thread like this and especially on a topic like this, corrections should be taken with a pinch of salt, or maybe a cupful.

It's a bit patronising to tell someone to lighten up, but you really should, its possible to be serious and funny at the same time.

K!LL!@N

Baz_ wrote:

In every serious discussion I ever remember being held on boards.ie people make jokes. Generally in really serious discussions like this, people use the jokes to highlight their point. Thats why I say in a thread like this and especially on a topic like this, corrections should be taken with a pinch of salt, or maybe a cupful.

It's a bit patronising to tell someone to lighten up, but you really should, its possible to be serious and funny at the same time.

Point taken.
I thought the points he/she was making were valid but that the joke was a little out of place.
The earlier humour was more direct and clearly meant as a joke, this just seemed a little ambiguous and i took it the wrong way.
No harm done.

Killian

Hagar

mycroft wrote:

Woa, did I just wake up in a world without irony!

No wait, it's just that the two of youse can't spot a joke at three yards.

I really must sit closer to the screen....

rsynnott

jesus_thats_gre wrote:

He is pretty much bang on though.. It does happen quite alot and its pretty poor form.

I think you mean "it's"

I generally overlook all but the most horrid bad grammar, but where someone is babbling on about how wonderful they are (I'm thinking particularly of that little twit who says he's a millionaire, or the crazy boy who occasionally pretends to sue me) and yet can't speak English, I often will make nasty little remarks. My own spelling not being the best, I will rarely if ever comment on that of others.

Grammar Uber Alles!

LegacyUser

It's a problem if a users sole input into the debate is just some pedantism...it shows that they usually have no comeback to your point-of-view if they disagree, other than object on a technicality.

I started a thread on something like this in after hours last week:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=312158

bru

K!LL!@N

bruachain wrote:

It's a problem if a users sole input into the debate is just some pedantism...it shows that they usually have no comeback to your point-of-view if they disagree, other than object on a technicality.

This is the kind of thing i'm taking about and it's something i think we should try to stamp out because it serves no purpose.

Killian

BuffyBot

Yes, I agree! Down with everything I don't like!

Endurance Man

Another extremely common post that drives me insane, you post up a pic/clip of something and you get someone coming along saying "old news" or "seen it last year" :mad: . I dont give damn, some people have not spent there entire life on the net and perhaps have not seen it.
It adds nothing to the thread and should be considered off topic which can lead to a ban surely?

Baz_

Endurance Man wrote:

Off-topic bull****

Start a new thread that people can ignore, that **** you just posted, thats yesterdays news. Grammar and Spelling Nazis - thats where its at.

K!LL!@N

Endurance Man wrote:

Another extremely common post that drives me insane, you post up a pic/clip of something and you get someone coming along saying "old news" or "seen it last year" :mad: . I dont give damn, some people have not spent there entire life on the net and perhaps have not seen it.
It adds nothing to the thread and should be considered off topic which can lead to a ban surely?

Actually, i'll be looking for a crackdown on people posting old news just as soon as i've stamped out the scourge that is the spelling and grammar nazi.

Consider yourself warned!

Killian

rsynnott

K!LL!@N wrote:

Actually, i'll be looking for a crackdown on people posting old news just as soon as i've stamped out the scourge that is the spelling and grammar nazi.

Oh, I positively shake with fear. BadGrammarMan to the rescue against evil GrammarNazi!

K!LL!@N

All joking aside, have we come to any kind of concensus on the original issue?

Killian

tklemonade

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=313205

The above was possibly the thread that Killian was refering to.
Possibly not.

mycroft

K!LL!@N wrote:

All joking aside, have we come to any kind of concensus on the original issue?

Killian

Oh yeah you're like a cross between a Marx brothers (possibily Karl) and er, well I got nothing.

What do you want? Some kind of anthithesis of spelling nazis from the mods where tehy (sic) swear not to adhere to spelling code of contact?

Seriously what is your overall goal of all this?

Hagar wrote:

I really must sit closer to the screen....

Hey Hagar could be your high council he has the matching character traits of of an inability to spot humour and an inability to make jokes that suggest that the pair of you just gell instantly.

Victor

OP, you might consider the extreme of pussycat_doll

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=312156

[Jackass]

Hahaha! Victor, That thread is hillarious!! I love the way her mate joins in half way through too.

Dave!

Jeez, plenty of hostility in here... Why can't people just accept a suggestion/take it on board, and not take it as some n00b trying to change your perfect forums?!

Endurance Man wrote:

Another extremely common post that drives me insane, you post up a pic/clip of something and you get someone coming along saying "old news" or "seen it last year" :mad: . I dont give damn, some people have not spent there entire life on the net and perhaps have not seen it.
It adds nothing to the thread and should be considered off topic which can lead to a ban surely?

Yeah I'm on board with that!

WRT the original topic... I can't say that I've noticed this being too widespread or anything, but it's certainly off-topic/spam, so it should be dealt with as such. I don't think a forum-wide crackdown on grammar b*tches, or anything, is necessary.

K!LL!@N

DaveMcG wrote:

I don't think a forum-wide crackdown on grammar b*tches, or anything, is necessary.

My thread title was to attract attention to the problem.
I'm not looking for crackdowns.
I'd just like it if people would stop derailing threads over minor points of spelling/grammar especially when they have nothing else to add to the discussion.
I'd also be nice if mods didn't allow this kind of carry on either.

I can't see why anyone should have a problem with this?

People have pointed out examples of incoherent posts and people posting complete gibberish, i have no problem with the poster being informed that their post is incomprehensible. That's fine.

Maybe it's a like a lot of things, if there's something that annoys you, you tend to notice it more.
In my experience it's pretty widespread.

People can have a go if they like but i feel i'm making a valid point here.
If you disagree maybe let me know why.
If you think these petty digs at people are of benefit then tell me how.

Killian

bonkey

is_that_so wrote:

Nothing worse than bad grammar and spelling to undermine a good argument.

But why the need to point it out?

If others see the error and also decide it undermines a good point, so be it. But if the only way you can undermine the point is to point out the spelling or grammatical error then surely the point has already been lost?

Personally I can't understand why, if people really feel the need to correct someone, they can't do it via PM? There's no need to even risk holding someone up to scorn, nor any benefit in coming off as a prat for doing so.

OK - there's always exceptions with humour, in this case, being the obvious one. I remember someone often referring to "Rouge States" which occasionally drew a witty comment (or attempt thereof).

But at the end of the day, as to whether or not to issue guidelines/rules about it is a good way to deal with the problem....I don't know. I'd like to think that the problem would go away just as easily if people would stop rising to the bait.

jc

kleefarr

Endurance Man wrote:

Another extremely common post that drives me insane, you post up a pic/clip of something and you get someone coming along saying "old news" or "seen it last year" :mad: . I dont give damn, some people have not spent there entire life on the net and perhaps have not seen it.
It adds nothing to the thread and should be considered off topic which can lead to a ban surely?

Good god man, how right you are. That's one of my pet hates as well. There is normally a lot I would like to say to those people, but they just aren't worth it! :mad:

Stark

Aye, speaking of which, I'd better post a thread about that gay-o-meter thing again, in case people haven't seen it yet.

Baz_

kleefarr wrote:

Good god man, how right you are. That's one of my pet hates as well. There is normally a lot I would like to say to those people, but they just aren't worth it! :mad:

Jesus, thats been said so many times already its not even funny, will you let it go ffs.

dudara

Misspelt words are prefectly grand and need not be corrected, we all make typos.

The main gripe I have is with the failure of some people to use contractions like "they're" correctly and mixing them up with "there" and "their". That just reeks of laziness to me, and immediately puts me off whatever they're saying.

dudara

Victor wrote:

OP, you might consider the extreme of pussycat_doll

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=312156

BTW Victor, thanks for that! It definitely brightened up my day

Stark

Lol*

* Sometimes I laugh when I'm supposed to cry