Internet Grammarians -- bad rap or bad

[Spongebob]

Study: People Who Point Out Typos Are Jerks


The findings came from a new study out of the University of Michigan. Researchers gathered 83 people and had them read emails that either contained typos (“mkae” or “abuot”), grammar errors (to/too, it’s/its or your/you’re), or no spelling mistakes at all. At the end, the participants, who had also been asked to give information about themselves, scored the writers on “perceived intelligence, friendliness, and other attributes.”


So, the research is out there ... but is it true? make up your, you're, yore minds.

 

[Doss]

I think there's a line. People are human and they will make mistakes and if I see someone has made a couple small errors, I never bother. People who pick on every little error by everyone are probably just being jerks.

There are certain errors that are harder to let through to the keeper, however. And it very much depends on context- for example, if a colleague of mine was sending out business proposals chock full of spelling and grammatical errors, then you just have to say something.

 

[SugarShane]

If it's in an email, I probably wouldn't bother sending back and correcting them. I would immediately and safely assume they're idiots though. If it was for a job they'd be eliminated from the running immediately.

 

[tehnoodnub]

If it seems likely to be a typo then I don't say anything but if it's obvious that the person is genuinely mistaken about the spelling or correct grammar then I usually say something. If I was making the same mistake I would want to know. I consider it the same as walking around with food on your face or something in your teeth. The challenge is to say something without being a jerk.

 

[Doss]

There are also some that just particularly grate. A bit like someone running their fingernails down a blackboard. For example:

'his' instead of 'he is'.

For so long, people put 'your' instead of 'you're'. But then I reckon there was some sort of overcompensation as more people became annoyed by it and pointed it out to miscreants, because now I find that people put 'you're' when 'your' actually is correct with pretty decent regularity.

 

[Gough]

There are also some that just particularly grate. A bit like someone running their fingernails down a blackboard. For example:

'his' instead of 'he is'.

For so long, people put 'your' instead of 'you're'. But then I reckon there was some sort of overcompensation as more people became annoyed by it and pointed it out to miscreants, because now I find put 'you're' when 'your' actually is correct with pretty decent regularity.

I find things like that occasionally happen because I think quicker than I can type, and sometimes I find phonetic errors like that happen.

 

[Nothing]

Study: People Who Point Out Typos Are Jerks


The findings came from a new study out of the University of Michigan. Researchers gathered 83 people and had them read emails that either contained typos (“mkae” or “abuot”), grammar errors (to/too, it’s/its or your/you’re), or no spelling mistakes at all. At the end, the participants, who had also been asked to give information about themselves, scored the writers on “perceived intelligence, friendliness, and other attributes.”


So, the research is out there ... but is it true? make up your, you're, yore minds.

I defiantly agree that they can be annoying.

 

[Moonwatcher]

I actually like it when people point out where I can improve my writing.

 

[Procrastinator35]

Pretty sure little graham already kicked this one off last week, in the Science, Religion & Culture section Doss & Jiska.

 

[SugarShane]

There are also some that just particularly grate. A bit like someone running their fingernails down a blackboard. For example:

'his' instead of 'he is'.

For so long, people put 'your' instead of 'you're'. But then I reckon there was some sort of overcompensation as more people became annoyed by it and pointed it out to miscreants, because now I find that people put 'you're' when 'your' actually is correct with pretty decent regularity.

There's some dopey bitch on my facebook who always writes you're when she means your. That's an extra level of stupid on top of writing your instead of you're. At least that can just be ignorance. The fact that you went to trouble to type the apostrophe and the E without thinking about what the word actually means just means you're very stupid.

It's like no one even cares what words mean any more. Like "could of." Think about the words. Think about their meanings. "Could of" doesn't make any sense and you look like a moron when you write it.
"His going to do this." I was legitimately baffled when I first saw someone write that. I had no idea that was even something that people could get wrong.

 

[Moonwatcher]

It's like no one even cares what words mean any more. Like "could of." Think about the words. Think about their meanings. "Could of" doesn't make any sense and you look like a moron when you write it.

I would say people learn language by example rather than the actual meaning. This is what they were taught.

 

[Doss]

There's some dopey bitch on my facebook who always writes you're when she means your. That's an extra level of stupid on top of writing your instead of you're. At least that can just be ignorance. The fact that you went to trouble to type the apostrophe and the E without thinking about what the word actually means just means you're very stupid.

It's like no one even cares what words mean any more.

Indeed. I pine for the days of...yore when spelling was a valued thing.

Like "could of." Think about the words. Think about their meanings. "Could of" doesn't make any sense and you look like a moron when you write it.

Yes, any 'of' mistake is also high on the fingernails on blackboard scale for me. Although I still maintain that 'his' is even more grating.

 

[Back One Out]

Indeed. I pine for the days of...yore when spelling was a valued thing.

Yes, any 'of' mistake is also high on the fingernails on blackboard scale for me. Although I still maintain that 'his' is even more grating.

pine??? lol u been on de crack pipe mate? cant see th forest for th trees

 

[Gough]

pine??? lol u been on de crack pipe mate? cant see th forest for th trees

 

[Doss]

Ha!

I saw two minutes of him on Q&A last night. I couldn't watch any longer without waking all my neighbours from excessive laughter- he actually sounds like a cocker spaniel. And sounds like he's chowed down on half a helium balloon.

 

[Back One Out]

Memo to self: don't use parody when trying a have a joke with Big Footy intelligentsia.

 

[Doss]

No I got your joke. I even liked it.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

Saw someone yesterday just giving their two sense on an issue.

 

[SugarShane]

Saw someone yesterday just giving their two sense on an issue.

There entitled to give they're two sense here, their or anywhere.

 

[BALKAN]

Saw someone yesterday just giving their two sense on an issue.

I hope you didn't put them on a pedal stool

 

[Doss]

For all intensive purposes...

 

[Long Live HFC]

as long as the writer avoids ambiguity i will normally let things slide (which is only fair as i have avoided capitalisation since at least the mid 90s). however, sometimes it can be truly painful trying to work your way through a paragraph full of errors. i don't appreciate having to read a sentence more than once just because someone can't get the basics right. it doesn't have to be perfect, but in my mind someone worth "listening" to is also relatively well-read and can put thoughts on a page in a coherent fashion. i will silently judge you if your prose resembles the patterns i make when pissing on snow.

and yes, i admit i enjoy correcting someone's poor use of language in posts where they're attacking my intelligence. but i'm a jerk like that

 

[Doss]

as long as the writer avoids ambiguity i will normally let things slide (which is only fair as i have avoided capitalisation since at least the mid 90s). however, sometimes it can be truly painful trying to work your way through a paragraph full of errors. i don't appreciate having to read a sentence more than once just because someone can't get the basics right. it doesn't have to be perfect, but in my mind someone worth "listening" to is also relatively well-read and can put thoughts on a page in a coherent fashion. i will silently judge you if your prose resembles the patterns i make when pissing on snow.

and yes, i admit i enjoy correcting someone's poor use of language in posts where they're attacking my intelligence. but i'm a jerk like that

Only government shills attack people's grammar.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Depends on the severity. People who correct every single mistake come across as jerks but if it's something that really grinds me gears (could of/would of should have, loose, his) then I'll pick them up on it. If it's a post from CountryRace then I don't bother to read it due to it being ungrammatical to the point of unreadable.

 

[TubbsFarquhar]

Also, this picture is suitable for this thread: