Poll: Correcting People

[SuperSuperSuperGuy]

I generally correct someone if what they say is incorrect; I think that it's pretty helpful.

 

[Firetaffer]

BTW

person A: I love the record "#4 With a Smile"
person B: Actaully, it's "The #4 With a Smile"

'Actaully' is spelt 'Actually.'

I answered your question OP.

 

[Mullahgrrl]

I think it would be mean not to correct someone if they err. You are keeping them from reaching their full potential.

 

[Thedayrecker]

I correct people, and I'm usually nice about it. Unless, like my friend, they keep making the mistake (it's not "expresso" it's espresso!!!)

 

[Hashime]

So what are everyone's thoughts on correcting people during conversation? (face to face) Rude? Helpful? Arrogant? What say you?

I'm not talking about being a general jerk about it, but about pointing out a bit of false information with good intention.
Example conversation:

person A: Yeah I always put my car in neutral when I'm going downhill or coasting so I save gas.

person B: Actually, with modern engine design, you don't save any gas that way. Even if it did though, it's actually illegal in some states to do that, and you're putting extra wear on the transmission.

example of what I *don't* mean: (paraphrased from High Fidelity)

person A: I love the record "#4 With a Smile"
person B: Actaully, it's "The #4 With a Smile"

OR

person A: The state fair this year is much funner than last year.
person B: Don't you mean more fun?

In the first example I think that the person is better off knowing how the engine is actually working, and why they shouldn't do that. Generally I'd say that if it is something that "everyone knows" that turns out is false, and makes a difference, I'd rather have someone correct me, so I often do the same.

Accept if you are driving a standard, then it does save gas, not much tough. People still do drive stick.

 

[JWW]

You shouldn't go overboard, but criticism is essential for improvement. If you care about someone, you should correct them.

 

[guntotingtomcat]

Correcting grammer in conversation is quite arrogant.
Correcting someone who thinks the H bomb was dropped by the japanese onto the chinese at the end of world war two, not so much.
Correcting someone who thinks manners are unimportant, your civic duty!

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

A few (not all) reasons why people correct others:

1. OCD, you just can't let it go.

2. You just have to be right (even when you aren't)

3. Altruism, you really feel like you have to save someone's ass from the fire...

4. They're a complete ass. Nuff 'said

5. You may have been corrected on the subject once before and thus feel obligated.

6. You yourself find enjoyment in pointing out little flaws in people's speech/grammar or spelling and thus when you do, find yourself most superior.

7. Or, like me, you could care less about people's idiosyncrasies and can LET IT GO.

 

[freedomweasel]

So what are everyone's thoughts on correcting people during conversation? (face to face) Rude? Helpful? Arrogant? What say you?

I'm not talking about being a general jerk about it, but about pointing out a bit of false information with good intention.
Example conversation:

person A: Yeah I always put my car in neutral when I'm going downhill or coasting so I save gas.

person B: Actually, with modern engine design, you don't save any gas that way. Even if it did though, it's actually illegal in some states to do that, and you're putting extra wear on the transmission.

example of what I *don't* mean: (paraphrased from High Fidelity)

person A: I love the record "#4 With a Smile"
person B: Actaully, it's "The #4 With a Smile"

OR

person A: The state fair this year is much funner than last year.
person B: Don't you mean more fun?

In the first example I think that the person is better off knowing how the engine is actually working, and why they shouldn't do that. Generally I'd say that if it is something that "everyone knows" that turns out is false, and makes a difference, I'd rather have someone correct me, so I often do the same.

Accept if you are driving a standard, then it does save gas, not much tough. People still do drive stick.

Except... that if you have a fuel injection engine, the wheels spinning keep the engine running. If you shift into neutral, either in an automatic or standard, the engine injects just enough fuel to keep the engine running. If you keep it in gear and have zero input on the throttle, then zero gas is being sent the engine, this would be why a standard stalls is it not?

Either way it's more dangerous, sometimes illegal, and more wear on your transmission, and in the case of hills, more wear on your brake pads.

 

[ReaperzXIII]

I only do it when I'm trying to make my friends look stupid, otherwise I only correct facts they get wrong.

 

[The Procrastinated End]

Stay away from the 'that's illegal' conversations and it wasn't that bad of a statement.

 

[MikailCaboose]

Yes. I've been around my Uncle a bit too much on that (He says that once he stops correcting you, he's about to fire you)...

 

[Lt. Dragunov]

Well as being someone who is famous for being a crap speller, I get the "you spelled this wrong" crap all the time. Sure I don't mind if I'm writing a letter to save someone's life and i need to check from my many spelling errors, but if I'm saaaaaay posting on a blog, har har, then no i don't liked to be corrected and thus I don't correct anyone because I'm no better and we are all, mostly, humans who make mistakes.

 

[Gildan Bladeborn]

If I was a superhero, my power would be pedantry. In point of fact, I sometimes end posts where I've been particularly pedantic with the phrase "Super-Pedant away!", to indicate that - having saved the day by nitpicking and clarifying things that could probably have been left well enough alone - I am now blasting off into the sky, my heraldic cape billowing in the wind behind me.

So yes, you could say that I correct people, if you don't mind colossal understatements.

Well as being someone who is famous for being a crap speller, I get the "you spelled this wrong" crap all the time. Sure I don't mind if I'm writing a letter to save someone's life and i need to check from my many spelling errors, but if I'm saaaaaay posting on a blog, har har, then no i don't liked to be corrected and thus I don't correct anyone because I'm no better and we are all, mostly, humans who make mistakes.

You have no idea how much I want to correct all the spelling mistakes and other errors in this post, especially now that I know you don't want me to. Marvel at my self control, marvel I say!

Edit: Or not, as I succumbed and underlined stuff that's wrong - spelling and grammar errors are my kryptonite!

 

[Swifteye]

I almost never correct people in their conversation it comes off very rude and dickish and is a very annoying thing to do in an arguement. People make mistakes. And seeing as we should expect people to slip up in there text as they would a verbal conversation I allow slipups if I can figure out what they are saying. If I can't understand them then I just tell them to re-phrase there statement.

 

[Canid117]

Sometimes it contributes to the conversation like that time I bet someone in my dorm five bucks that Tim Burton had nothing to do with Coraline. They still haven't paid me though.

 

[freedomweasel]

If I was a superhero, my power would be pedantry.

I'm probably going to use that somewhere again in the future. Well played.

 

[Canid117]

Sometimes it contributes to the conversation like that time I bet someone in my dorm five bucks that Tim Burton had nothing to do with Coraline. They still haven't paid me though.

Make'em pay.

Hell it troubles me at the credit Burton gets for Nightmare Before Christmas still.

Everyone thinks he directed but as far as I am aware he either wrote or produced it.

 

[hurfdurp]

I usually avoid it at all costs, it makes me feel bad. Someone would have to specifically ask me about something for me to correct it.

 

[Banana Phone Man]

I've only correcte people if they have facts wrong or if they make a mistake and their new word is a lot like something racist or foul (it's happened a few times). Other than that it seems a bit annoying. Although if you reply with something funny you'll just forget about it. I remember one where I made a mistake and by the end of the conversation we were all acting all posh English. (no idea how we got to that)

Tally-ho old beans.