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Why do people get upset or even freak out when their written spelling or grammar is corrected? I'm not talking about embarrassingly correcting someone aloud.
Auto-correct is basically everywhere, as is dictionary.com, etc. We all went to school and were supposed to learn the difference between there, their, and they're. It's not that difficult to check if what you wrote is correct.
I think it bothers some people because they feel that the person doing the correcting is more interested in pointing out a mistake than in understanding what the person was trying to say, which, in their view, is what's really important.
I think the person is upset because they realize that they can't spell or use correct grammar and it is being pointed out in front of everyone else. But it's the reader who is being inconvenienced by having to try to translate what the writer is trying to say.
I agree with the above. I tried to explain this to a younger person I worked with (not in front of anyone else, either)--it's putting the responsibility of understanding on the reader when it should be on the writer. She got offended and embarrassed, then said "Well, you understand what I mean and everyone knows I can't spell!"
She was very good at math/numbers and was the timekeeper for our group. I replied it was as if I had entered the wrong times and then expected her to know what I meant to put on my card. Of course, she said that was different!
I think the person is upset because they realize that they can't spell or use correct grammar and it is being pointed out in front of everyone else. But it's the reader who is being inconvenienced by having to try to translate what the writer is trying to say.
Having to translate and guess what someone is saying is a waste of my time. I was pretty much failing English when my teacher took me under her wing and tutored me, on her time. And I took the time to listen and learn. I don't think it's too much to expect others to take their time to learn to spell and use proper grammar.
Notice how many people say, "I seen," instead of "I saw..." In fact, notice the teachers who can't construct a proper sentence. Pathetic! I have little use for public education if it can't do a better job using and teaching people the basics.
When I make a grammatical error, I WANT someone to point it out. I'll feel very foolish for a moment, but you can bet I'll learn from it. People need to spend more time learning from their mistakes and less time getting into a snit about being shown their mistake.
Having to translate and guess what someone is saying is a waste of my time. I was pretty much failing English when my teacher took me under her wing and tutored me, on her time. And I took the time to listen and learn. I don't think it's too much to expect others to take their time to learn to spell and use proper grammar.
Notice how many people say, "I seen," instead of "I saw..." In fact, notice the teachers who can't construct a proper sentence. Pathetic! I have little use for public education if it can't do a better job using and teaching people the basics.
When I make a grammatical error, I WANT someone to point it out. I'll feel very foolish for a moment, but you can bet I'll learn from it. People need to spend more time learning from their mistakes and less time getting into a snit about being shown their mistake.
IMO, of course, lol.
I agree with Agent Cooper - the burden of clear expression is on the writer. It is not the job of the reader to try and decipher. Especially when the spelling barely resembles English.
I think it bothers some people because they feel that the person doing the correcting is more interested in pointing out a mistake than in understanding what the person was trying to say, which, in their view, is what's really important.
To this I tell people: you might have a really good, even wonderful, point to make, but you're wrapping it in a bad package. The bad package of poor grammar quietly says "the intelligence of my point is in question because I may not even be bright enough to use the proper grammar."
Auto-correct is basically everywhere, as is dictionary.com, etc. We all went to school and were supposed to learn the difference between there, their, and they're. It's not that difficult to check if what you wrote is correct.
Don't we all know to provide advice only when asked? Most people don't like to be corrected unless they are asking for feedback. They will learn when they are ready to learn, not when you think they "should" be ready. If you don't understand the message it's usually more productive to ask for clarification or to just drop the conversation. Correcting people when you haven't been asked just creates unnecessary drama
I find it rude. What the grammar and spelling police are saying is: stop the conversation and everybody focus on me while I point out how superior I am because I know how to spell "their" and use it correctly. Well, good for you. Good spelling and grammar will qualify you for a $10 an hour secretary job, but only if you can type 60 words per minute and know how to answer phones. Some people with spelling or grammar issues have disabilities. Some of them have a different language as their primary language. English might be their second, or third, or even fourth language. How rude you all are to think it is acceptable to publicly criticize someone with a disability. However, I do find it amusing that the majority of notes criticizing grammar contain grammar errors themselves. Self-righteousness is never adorable. Keep that in mind. Editing to mention, the above was written with paragraphs. The website removed the paragraphs that were there.
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^^^
