Grammar, Spelling Nazis should just get over themselves
- Thread starter QtheMuse
- Start date
I'm sorry that people find it acceptable to sound like dumb shits because 'i r on teh Internets an y shud i here u u r not my mom."
Missing a comma using the wrong version of "There/their/they're" sometimes getting "than and then" backwards occasionally or forgetting to capitalize something now and then is fine this isn't English class but we have a language that language is a beautiful thing wn u talk lik this cuz your 2 lazy or stupid than u shit all ovr that beuty do you see the point I am trying to make with this big run-on sentence that people so love to use it makes it hard to follow because you dont know where to pause and you cant tell where one part begins and another ends this is what people sound like and it undermines every word they use AND THEN THEY GET MAD CAUSE SOMEONE CALLS THEM ON IT AND START TALKING IN ALL CAPS BUT THEY STILL USE A GIANT RUN-ON SENTENCE YELLING AND USING HORRID GRAMMAR MAKES YOU LOOK EVEN MORE LIKE A MORON AND OCCASIONALLY THEY GET REALLY MAD AND MAKE THREADS ON THE ESCAPIST COMPLAINING THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN ONLY READ WHAT THEY WRITE ARE JUDGING THEM BASED ON HOW THEY WRITE
Yes, there is some flexibility with it. For instance, some people would have my head for starting a sentence with "but" while others find it completely acceptable. but u typn like dis is than say that it r gud enuff cus their r lots of peeps who use there werds gud an than u can git yuo're point across I am going to think you're a moron because you've given me no evidence to show you have enough intelligence to walk and chew gum at the same time.
If you were too busy licking paste during English class to learn the rules of the language you claim to speak, then I am going judge you based on how you communicate with the written word. Do you know why I am going to judge you based on that and assume you were eating paste? Because that is all I have to work with at first glance. For the sake of yourself, put SOME effort into how you type. Even if you don't like it, it does reflect poorly on u wen u sound lik this
P.S. Dallas Cowboys fans are morons.
Missing a comma using the wrong version of "There/their/they're" sometimes getting "than and then" backwards occasionally or forgetting to capitalize something now and then is fine this isn't English class but we have a language that language is a beautiful thing wn u talk lik this cuz your 2 lazy or stupid than u shit all ovr that beuty do you see the point I am trying to make with this big run-on sentence that people so love to use it makes it hard to follow because you dont know where to pause and you cant tell where one part begins and another ends this is what people sound like and it undermines every word they use AND THEN THEY GET MAD CAUSE SOMEONE CALLS THEM ON IT AND START TALKING IN ALL CAPS BUT THEY STILL USE A GIANT RUN-ON SENTENCE YELLING AND USING HORRID GRAMMAR MAKES YOU LOOK EVEN MORE LIKE A MORON AND OCCASIONALLY THEY GET REALLY MAD AND MAKE THREADS ON THE ESCAPIST COMPLAINING THAT PEOPLE WHO CAN ONLY READ WHAT THEY WRITE ARE JUDGING THEM BASED ON HOW THEY WRITE
Yes, there is some flexibility with it. For instance, some people would have my head for starting a sentence with "but" while others find it completely acceptable. but u typn like dis is than say that it r gud enuff cus their r lots of peeps who use there werds gud an than u can git yuo're point across I am going to think you're a moron because you've given me no evidence to show you have enough intelligence to walk and chew gum at the same time.
If you were too busy licking paste during English class to learn the rules of the language you claim to speak, then I am going judge you based on how you communicate with the written word. Do you know why I am going to judge you based on that and assume you were eating paste? Because that is all I have to work with at first glance. For the sake of yourself, put SOME effort into how you type. Even if you don't like it, it does reflect poorly on u wen u sound lik this
P.S. Dallas Cowboys fans are morons.
QtheMuse said:
Well, for my part I just sent off the following on the Escapist contact page:
Which tells you all you need to know about my opinion on the matter.
As an amateur lacanian psychoanalyst, I'd also add than this is clearly your unconscious mind trying to tell you that you care about thoughtfully presented spelling and grammar just as much as the rest of us Nazis. You wouldn't have spent so much of your time on this thread if you didn't.
I think the problem here is that there are certain people (and these will always be with us) who view any perceived imperfection as unacceptable. Similarly, there are lots of people who don't like being wrong and will try to claim their mistakes were simply "reinterpretations" of the language. I think they're both wrong.Sleekit said:
I've been called a grammar Nazi before, and my posts on this thread don't do much to avoid that label. But a point I've been trying to make is that even though language is fluid and changing and whatever, phrases like "so i no im had byd a 6 cor thing for my mashin but wen i looc i si 8 cors in the thin an i was lik shodnt ther be 6 or somthin so i looc on goggle an fined this vertual cpu thing that givs you more cors sumhow i donno how but hay col but it ses that it dobles yor cors so souldnt i hav 12 cors wtf wy is my mashin retarted omg can sumwon help me owt her cus i donno much abot this hol moltcor thing kthanx bye" are not a modification or evolution of language. They are simply a failure to use it effectively because the reader will have a very poor idea of what you were trying to say.
I agree with Mr. Fry that it's fun to play with language (I sometimes get raised eyebrows from people hearing me use the word "awesomeness", among many others), and that people who get really picky about the finer points of English mostly succeed at embarrassing themselves. Even so, many people who claim to be using language creatively are really just poor communicators trying to cover up their mistakes, the way other people (or maybe the same ones) will say something hideously stupid or vile and try to claim it was a joke or satire when they realize everyone is glaring at them.
I don't get riled up about affect vs. effect, I merely shrug at people who use apostrophes on plurals. A part of me facepalms inwardly at "should of"s, but I don't actually bring them up. Well, I don't anymore anyway. However, <---(See? Not a Nazi or an obsessive, howevers just feel natural at the beginning of sentences sometimes!) an incomprehensible sentence like the one I wrote above will drain my patience after the first few words and I'll simply move on, whether I know the answer to the writer's question or not.
Yes, yes it is, if you can't even write in your own language, then you have a problemQtheMuse said:
No it isn't, you don't choose your skin colour or religion(your culture) nor probably your team preference(again, it's cultural). On the other hand, if you have an education you will probably write correctly, whereas if you write like a drunk monkey, it probably means you haven't had a decent education or you don't pay attention(meaning that if you are not idiot you are still an ignorant fuckhead)QtheMuse said:
Nope, I think I'll keep on nit picking. I mean, seriously, I find it ridiculous that someone can't be bothered to write TWO more words with his keyboard. It's not that hard to write correctly.QtheMuse said:
Also, sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes I could have done, english is not my mother tongue
I'm not trying to be mean here, but this is an atrocious analogy to use in this situation.QtheMuse said:
People getting things mildly wrong is not problem, because some people actually have problems with typing correctly, and I understand this perfectly. Typing "lyk dis", on the other hand, is utterly retarded, and is something you choose to do. It requires me to put more effort into reading due to its asininity, and it really does make people come across like utter retards, whereas someone's colour of skin/religion are not their choice, and therefore your argument is moot.
Seriously, think about it. In the back of your mind, who will you consider to be more intelligent, the person with nigh-perfect grammar and punctuation, or the one "hu cnt typ propr bcuz dey r a tool"?
I second that.... >_<Fayathon said:
More on topic:
Using proper language which has rules and you learned in school is an entirely different thing than a preference, choice, or physical trait. The former is something everyone who has an elementary school education should have in common and is education related and thus it is not petty or bigoted to assume someone is either (a) uneducated or (b) lazy, irresponsible, or apathetic towards how they comport themselves in public when they make egregious spelling and punctuation errors, word substitutions, and generally fail at speaking with any modicum of structure.QtheMuse said:
Someone's religious choice, favorite sports team, or skin color have nothing to do with education. It's like saying I'll magically turn Asian if I learn to play my violin better or if I change my favorite sports team I'll turn black. It's a logical fallacy. Those are either choices or physical traits, not learned sets of rules that govern verbal expression.
This isn't to say that every spelling mistake on the internet needs correction, or that all texts and tweets should be Shakespearean in nature, but rather that there is a difference to be made with proper spelling and grammar. Yes, mistakes happen. No, not every one should be corrected, especially not violently with words of hatred. Just, for the love of God, try to act like you care when you write something... It only takes a few more seconds to correct even just the underlined words or use Google to check that word you don't use very often.
It's supposed to be Grammer SLASH!!! / spelling nazis.
/endtroll
I agree, Why I don't like reading complete disregards where people didn't give the slightest care, I find people who type like me fine.
/endtroll
I agree, Why I don't like reading complete disregards where people didn't give the slightest care, I find people who type like me fine.
I wouldn't class myself as a spelling/grammar nazi at all, though I certainly notice when things aren't done correctly. I have no idea where the posted is located now, but Ms. Arendt wrote a quality post on exactly this subject some time ago. It basically said that the spelling and grammar in posts are not just the delivery of your message, but that they're actually an integral part of the message itself. If you can't be bothered to state your point in a careful manner, with respect to the reader shown through the extra couple of seconds it may take to write correctly, it actually diminishes what you're trying to say.
Here, let me show you what nitpicking is through correcting this guy's grammar:Dr.Panties said:
Language is a way to communicate an idea. If someone doesn't use proper grammar, English, or spelling yet communicates his/her idea clearly enough for someone else to understand, is it really necessary to nitpick the little things?
People use spelling an grammar to judge a person's intelligence, yet language is a very flexible and fluid thing. Using something as petty as spelling an grammar to judge a person's intelligence is just as prejudiced as using someone's skin color(I'm American, so I prefer color rather than colour.), religion or sporting team preference.
So, if you're a grammar or spelling Nazi, just get over it and find something else to obsess over.
Now, to the OP: (not the person I quoted, you're fine - I was just being nit picky to show them what nit picky is.)
In all seriousness, literacy does matter at least in the business/science world. Having literacy means that there won't be ambiguity in what one has said, which could be very important in legal documents. But in everyday conversation and typing, a sturdy grasp of the language isn't necessarily required. However, one needs to know how to correct write and speak, for the sake of formal matters. Formality is important, and the way we show this in English (since we have a lack for words that imply formality) is by speaking and typing in standard English.
For example, if you want to get a job at the Escapist right now, you must be able to write on the college level and you must be able to type standard English. But this isn't needed everywhere, but is needed. And besides, English grammar isn't that hard. Seriously. Go learn German. I dare you. There, their, and they're are different words and then and than are different words. Yes, these simple words MATTER in context. Overuse and under-use of a comma can make your paragraph sound horrible. And if you want to persuade someone, use correct grammar and spelling. You will never persuade anyone if you can't get these simple things correct. (Yes, you're right, it discredits your authority on a matter because you can't accomplish something so simple as English grammar. Oh, and yes, it is a logical fallacy but sadly enough no one knows their fallacies. So there.)
I'm not gonna say but so much that hasn't been said already, so let me simply say that I apologize for actually having some fucking standards.
I can't help it. I'm a writer in my free time so I automatically get annoyed if I see an obvious grammatical error.
A post becomes nigh-unreadable to me when there are enough spelling mistakes, run-on sentences, or omissions of punctuation. At least once on this forum, I've taken a good five minutes to decode such a post... and it turns out the user in question made the same point three times in said post.
Small mistakes such as were in the OP don't really bother me (you'll notice I made a number of small grammar mistakes in this post, and I don't care. I type the way I talk: only mostly correct), although I can't help but think of someone who can't tell the difference between your and you're(you are) as a small child.
Small mistakes such as were in the OP don't really bother me (you'll notice I made a number of small grammar mistakes in this post, and I don't care. I type the way I talk: only mostly correct), although I can't help but think of someone who can't tell the difference between your and you're(you are) as a small child.
Ha, I was just about to do the sameStall said:
English is not even my first language but maybe because of that I'm inclined to think it's rather important for it to be written correctly!
So here is a little something to mull over @QtheMuse, courtesy of the Oatmeal:
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/misspelling
http://theoatmeal.com/comics/apostrophe
Well I know I'm not the greatest speller of all time, but if some one goes on saying stuff like "omgz iu gramar nasis needz to gett ovar iurselfs, yo!?" I do feel I have the right to tell them to go back to school.