Pedants

[Rude-boy]

Sorry to moan but the level of pedantry in SP&L is getting way over the top.

Now I know that I sometimes correct others and that good spelling and grammar are two of the things that set this place apart but some posters are really going OTT, especially in SP&L where posters are getting ripped into so regularly that of the 7 or 8 threads I have looked at there today almost every single one is half filled with people making quips about the spelling or grammar of others.

I don’t know what you can do about it really but perhaps sending in a mod with an acerbic wit to knock the worst offenders down a peg or two for a few days might help?

[10 Pence Short]

You should really consider the use of a comma to break up that last sentence.

[rallycross]

its quite pathetic really, getting bored of it.

[anonymous-user]

10 Pence Short said:

You should really consider the use of a comma to break up that last sentence.

Predictable - yes

Did I chuckle - indeed

[Rude-boy]

10ps - Walking into open doors since 1978

[FourWheelDrift]

Rude-boy said:

Sorry to moan but the level of pedantry in SP&L is getting way over the top.

Now I know that I sometimes correct others and that good spelling and grammar are two of the things that set this place apart but some posters are really going OTT, especially in SP&L where posters are getting ripped into so regularly that of the 7 or 8 threads I have looked at there today almost every single one is half filled with people making quips about the spelling or grammar of others.

I don’t know what you can do about it really but perhaps sending in a mod with an acerbic wit to knock the worst offenders down a peg or two for a few days might help?

Report them I'll happily remove them.

And if it turns out to be the same person/s all the time who do not contribute anything other than pedantry then they will find their access to that forum removed.

Edited by FourWheelDrift on Wednesday 29th September 17:54

[Rude-boy]

Sweet.

As I say it's not the odd comment or other that gets my goat, more that by the time you've read 9 posts only 4 contained anything relevant to the topic and the other 5 were deconstructions of the English language skills of the other 4 .

[LordGrover]

whom

ETA. Quinny and I are not strangers so I can do that. I hope.

Edited by LordGrover on Wednesday 29th September 20:45

[Stuart]

Quinny said:

Always had the feeling, that someone whom feels the need to correct a complete strangers grammar, in an attempt to make themselves look smarter, is just a bit of a tt really

"who" surely? Also, the comma after feeling probably wasn't necessary.




Actually it's probably whom, or possibly who. Ultimately who (or whom) cares. The gag was there, and I went for it. Sorry.


I was right about the comma though.

[Stuart]

I'm not sure, but the collective noun is "an SP&L of tts".

[LordGrover]

Chimaera

[LordGrover]

I guess I have one of those faces.
We've spoken at the last two Growls and at Chatsworth.

Ah well, c'est la vie.

[Muntu]

rallycross said:

its quite pathetic really, getting bored of it.

"Bored with it"

[Silent1]

LordGrover said:

I guess I have one of those faces.
We've spoken at the last two Growls and at Chatsworth.

Ah well, c'est la vie.

Whoosh!

[Pints]

Stuart said:

Quinny said:

Always had the feeling, that someone whom feels the need to correct a complete strangers grammar, in an attempt to make themselves look smarter, is just a bit of a tt really

"who" surely? Also, the comma after feeling probably wasn't necessary.




Actually it's probably whom, or possibly who. Ultimately who (or whom) cares. The gag was there, and I went for it. Sorry.


I was right about the comma though.

But you completely missed the apostrophy required in "stranger's grammar".

Back to the OP though, while I agree that OTT pedantry may be annoying, I'm not especially pleased with the terrible drop in standards we're seeing on PH. It's not the missing comma or inappropriate colon that annoys, it's there/their, where/were/we're, and when the grammar or punctuation is so poor I need to reread the sentence several times over to ascertain the meaning intended.

We're an educated lot here. And if the actual content of the post can't reflect that (I've read enough about pissing in kettles to know that's the case) then let's at least have our grammar and punctuation mark us out as a forum where IQs aren't mistaken for shoe-sizes. If shaming is what it takes to change it, then so be it.

[LordGrover]

Silent1 said:

LordGrover said:

I guess I have one of those faces.
We've spoken at the last two Growls and at Chatsworth.

Ah well, c'est la vie.

Whoosh!

In my defence, Spurs had just won and I was very drunk.

I are still an tosser though.

[10 Pence Short]

Rude-boy said:

10ps - Walking into open doors since 1978

I'm a geezer, inneye. You leave a door open an' I'll be right in there!

[Risotto]

Correcting errors that are clearly typos is a bit much, and I agree that some threads descend into pedantry.

However, I don't see anything wrong with pointing out repeated mistakes. Some people object to being educated though, which seems an odd reaction. As long as it's not done in a patronising manner, what's wrong with trying to help someone?

[LordGrover]

This one: click?
Nope - not a dicky bird.

I've given up trying to sell the Bimmer, decided I'll run it into the ground - it should be good for a couple of years anyway.

[Soovy]

Risotto said:

Some people object to being educated though, which seems an odd reaction.

Precisely.

Education today places no importance on accuracy or intellectual rigour. It's all about whether Tyson and Chardonnay can express demselfs throo dans innit.

And the next person who mixes up "lose" and "loose" gets fired.

Edited by Soovy on Thursday 30th September 13:15