My 2000th post: Are you a grammar/spelling Nazi?

[ayla]

Sometimes.. but I think my real downfall is having to pick apart at semantics. This drives certain friends nuts.. hehe.

 

[Eponineslove]

It annoys me a little when words that I think are very easy to spell are misspelled. But I misspell words too so it would be hypocritical of me to get upset about it.

Funny story related to misspelling words: Every year at school each class designs their own class t-shirt. My sophomore year my class t-shirt was misspelled: they spelled sophomore "sophmore". The teacher who ok'd the t-shirt design blamed the company that printed the t-shirt, but everyone joked that he really missed the misspelling.

 

[tweetie]

Congrats - tPF is addictive isn't it?

In real life and for anything work related, I'm totally a spelling Nazi - partially b/c it's a PITA to read if it's not, and it also doesn't look professional in my field when you can't spell or proofread your documents properly.

Online I'm not that fussy - I make a ton of typos since I'm usually in a rush (not b/c I can't spell), and LOL, that's why I have a secretary in real life!

 

[yeuxhonnetes]

Sometimes.. but I think my real downfall is having to pick apart at semantics. This drives certain friends nuts.. hehe.

i tend to do that too, because i'm a Linguistics minor and i tend to look at everything in a 'technical' way -- semantics, lexicon, etc.

 

[northernbelle33]

I'm not really sure why spelling and grammar have seemingly fallen out of fashion in this country. I know the education system places no emphasis on spelling, or math for that matter. DH and I used to cringe at the things that our daughter brought home from school, both the English aspect and the math. I thought I would go ballistic when the kids in the 3rd grade had calculators slapped into their hands and were not required to memorize any addition, subtraction, multiplication and division tables as our generation was made to do. My daughter is an exceptionally brilliant kid, no bragging here-she is, but she cannot count change backwards, nor can she go to a rack of clothing that says 30% (or whatever) off and tell you what the final price will be. She was always amazed that I could just glance at the price, the percent discount and instantly give her the sales price. Again, that was a letdown of the education system: she was never taught how to do mental calculations!

I think that's part of the spelling/grammar issue, but I've also wondered if people haven't gotten so dependent on computers doing their checking for them that they get lazy. I'm also beginning to feel that the onset of text messaging and chat/instant message programs contribute to that. People seem to type comments on discussion boards as though they were IMing or text messaging. Very confusing!

I'm a part of the generation that was never really taught proper spelling and grammar and it does trouble me a bit. A few years ago, I read an article in the newspaper that explained that the schools stopped focusing on spelling and grammar so that we could become more creative:weird: .

We were told to memorize the multiplication tables, but I still can't do a lot of simple math in my head. I do just fine with my beloved calculator though!

Back on the original topic: I am a bit of a spelling nazi. I hate it when people spell "Papillon" as "Papillion" and "pochette" as "pouchette." I also can't stand they're/their/there, to/two/too, and you're/your errors. Oh, and I hate it when people use apostrophes incorrectly. I know that no one is perfect, but .

 

[BagLuver]

YES - I am a grammar/spelling Nazi! My friends get tired of me correcting them all the time

 

[doulosforhim]

To those for whom this is an issue: you must have very peaceful, wonderfully comfortable lives if this actually gets your goat.

i was thinking the same thing.

 

[Pink*Petunia]

Anyway, for all intensive porpoises, this is probably a mute point. However, even though Capote is no longer with us, I still don't think the statue of limitations is up for his mistake. Sad to say, but we all know its a doggy-dog world out there.

Very cute, Roo!

 

[MandM]

I think it's so interesting how some people feel that they know an entire person's education and intellectual capacity based on the way they spell. That's ridiculous! S.O. is a trader with two degrees in economics and mathematics from University of Chicago (though, it does always surprise me when people have no clue that U Chicago is actually an incredibly amazing school) and he can't spell to save his life. He's on the side of finance where he works with numbers and other people do the writing, and througout college he was always in math-related courses. Because he sometimes confuses "to" for "too" doesn't make him a dumb.

Well put!! I certainly HOPE that everyone here does not equate spelling with intelligence. If they do then I've already been dubbed a total moron b/c I can't spell at all and am at a complete loss here w/o the spell checker. I feel like I'm UNMASKED here at pf without my spellcheck!

I actually teach English and history classes at the college level, but am also mildly dyslexic....so I guess I just hope that the occassional good IDEAS I manage to concoct shine through the poor spelling.

Sooo, spelling nazis really annoy me. But I can understand where they are coming from. If I were really good at something (like spelling) I'd like to lord it over others too, lol.

 

[hellosunshine]

Congrats on reaching a milestone! 2000th post, eh ?!?!?! Wow!
Hopefully i'll stick around long enough to make it to 2000th post but right now it just seems like a unattainable goal.


Anyways to answer your question..i'm not much of a grammar nazi but I do find terribly annoying when people spell common words wrong...like for instance...'there' and 'their'.....i just wish people knew when to use those two words. However, I don't mind people spelling words wrong on the internet because it's just the INTERNET...it's not like your writing an english essay or anything and when people use the internet...it's usually a quick and out thing...you don't want to sit there and think about your word choices. But I do have to get clear that I do HATE chatspeak....i usually don't even bother reading if someone writes - "lyke omg ur rude & u r l@te" --- I hate chat speak with passion!

 

[crjhht]

It's also a little pretentious.

I agree. I try to use proper spelling and grammer, but it doesn't always happen. I would hate to have someone thinking I am a moron because I don't spell a word correctly. If you had any idea how much higher education I have (as most poor speller have - my dh is an engineer and can barely spell his own name) I think you would feel otherwise. And as for the adding S on to the end of words - my mother does it all the time! Yes sometimes I find I get annoyed by it, then I realize--- does it REALLY matter in the grand scheme of life? Don't people's feeling matter more? She is my mom so I just let it go. Whatever happened to live and let live? Sorry if this offends you - that is not my intention.

I always thought spelt was a form of wheatI have never used it or seen it used in the way you use it. I am not saying you are not correct, I am just saying that please realize that others may not be as exacting as you... and thats ok.

 

[aribobarixxx]

i hate what most of america does in grocery stores.

it is NOT "15 items or less"

it is "15 items or fewer"

you don't have less items, you have fewer.

 

[caitlin1214]

OMG!!! So do I!!! ...and it bugs the HELL out of me!!!!

I am the biggest spelling Nazi... Many things that get to me such as:

People that...
-spell "Cerises" like "Cherises".
-call Monogram Canvas bags "The brown ones."
-refer to a Multicolore bag as the "Rainbow bag" or the "Murakami bag".
-call the MC Speedy the "Jessica Simpson bag"... COME ON!!! She was always seen carrying it!!! It's not like she invented the :censor: bag!!!
-say that LV bags are "boring and out". Ummm... those are the kinds of people that are only aware of Monogram Canvas bags... they're not aware of other beautiful logo-less lines.

Glad that's off my chest!!!!

You're having post traumatic stress disorder over the Chanel vs. Louis Vuitton thread again, aren't you?

Don't worry, it's understandable . . . . . the idiots.


I can understand if people are typing fast it's hard to spell every word correctly, but it bugs the HELL out of me when every1 typs lyk this! OMG! Don't u hate that?

 

[caitlin1214]

OH! And people who say, Oh my God! I love Louie!
(Obviously you DON'T if you can't spell the f:censor: ing name correctly!)

Or people who refer to Louis Vuitton as a person! You can't say: "Louis Vuitton? Oh my God! I love his stuff!" (Um, he was a person when he was alive. Now it's a design house. He's dead now.)


Speaking from experience, when someone wants to join a Louis Vuitton group, those are red flags that they don't REALLY know what they're talking about.

 

[IntlSet]

I just wonder how far we could all take it. Are any of us picky about accents, how we speak our English in addition to how we spell?

Because frankly, dahling, I pahked my cah in Hahvahd yahd and I look down on anyone who doesn't drop their "r's." In addition to people who can't use "to" and "too" properly.

Just being sarcastic of course!