Why do so many people confuse simple words?

Question

Countless times on Yahoo Answers, I have seen people use "wont" (I intentionally missed the apostrophe) instead of "want", the all-too-common "there, their," and "they're" mix-up, and perhaps the one I hate most, using "then" in place of "than" and vice-versa. I hate it so much because in some cases there are so many grammatical errors present that it would be easier to translate Japanese than the grammatically-poor rubbish that morons use. And don't even get me started on bad spelling!

What do you think? Are there any other examples of terrible grammar that you have come across? And, more to the point, do you think that Yahoo should get more serious when it comes to deducting points for poor grammar/spelling (as I do)?

I also had the theory that it was down to the person's accent - they assume things are spelled as they say them.


Eloise says, "I agree. It also really gets to me when people use " 's" for plural's (hehe, just kidding there :P) "

Why would you be kidding, it annoys the sh*t out of me, and I did not make that mistake in my question (nor did any other answerers so far, to my knowledge.)

I also had the theory that it was down to the person's accent - they assume things are spelled as they say them.


Andreahud says, "When you are perfect and make no mistakes either in spelling, grammar... " - don't worry, I am way ahead of you there.

Also I wouldn't blame it totally on age, I am only 15.

Eloise says, "I agree. It also really gets to me when people use " 's" for plural's (hehe, just kidding there :P) "

Why would you be kidding, it annoys the sh*t out of me, and I did not make that mistake in my question (nor did any other answerers so far, to my knowledge.)

And for those who notice a repeated paragraph in my question, I do not stutter, it was (I suspect) the accidental misuse of the "Back" button.

Answer 1

There are several reasons. In some cases, it is simply due to quick typing and insufficient editing. It's easy to confuse the spelling of homophones such as "their" and "there" when writing rapidly.

Also, many of those who seem incapable of using correct grammar and spelling are actually young people trying to emulate ghetto culture by spelling "want" as "wont" and "with" as "wit," etc... These are the mistakes that I find particularly annoying for some reason, perhaps because I feel like young people should at least make an effort to come across as sincere and thoughtful when asking someone who is wiser or more learned for information or help.

The popularity of chatting has also resulted in an overuse of certain abbreviations which has unfortunately become the standard for online communication. This is where some of the laziness in grammar and spelling comes in, as well.

In addition, there are those posting for whom English is a second or third language. At certain times of the day, there are a number of people on here from India, for example. And while it's easy to be impatient with mistakes that even the least educated American wouldn't make, I try to remind myself that these people speak two or more languages fluently and that I should therefore not only tolerate minor errors but be ashamed of the even worse errors perpetrated by my own fellow Americans.

Finally, however, there are a certain number of the population who just don't seem to have a basic grasp of grammar, spelling, or punctuation and who don't even seem to care. There are unfortunately so many of these people, that I'm afraid Yahoo would have more than a full-time job trying to keep up with their errors.

In my opinion, therefore, the best thing those of us who do think it's worth investing a little time and thought into how we express our thoughts online is to try to set a good example for the others, both in our questions and our responses. And though I try to resist the temptation to correct other people's errors, I sometimes find it very difficult to do so. This is especially the case when they've obviously not even made half an effort and don't appear to be foreign. When that's the case, and if they exhibit even the slightest bit of arrogance, closed-mindedness, or bigotry, I usually "let 'er rip"!

Answer 2

Are you serious? It bothers you THAT much that not only did you waste points asking a question but you want Yahoo to deduct points for the grammar/spelling problems?

It is very easy to mistype those words...their/there/they're, to/too/two, especially if one types very quickly. And the misuse of the spellings of these words does not indicate a lack of intelligence. I'm quite smart and I sometimes make those errors and I've seen other intelligent people do it as well. It's really not worth deducting points or spending points on it.

Just relax, it is ok, really. When you are perfect and make no mistakes either in spelling, grammar or life itself....then you can come and talk to us about our imperfections. Deal?

Answer 3

w o w m e a n d m y p a a r e i n 5 t h g r a d e a n d w e s p e l l p r e t t y g o o d d o n ' t y o u t h i n k ?

Answer 4

I disagree with some of the answers posted here. I don't think it's due to poor education. My friend always does this on her essays. For example, (like the one you said) she puts "their" instead of "there". I get annoyed when I read her essays (for peer review day in class). She says that she's just horrible at typing. Anyways, I think that the reason there are so many mistakes here on Yahoo! is because people do type fast and they just don't care about checking whether to see if they typed words properly.

Answer 5

I agree with you. I'm very interested in proper spelling and sentence structure. I think that many times the person asking the question is young and lazy and not interested in correctness. There is one other possible explanation, perhaps they're ignorant.

Answer 6

You are taking it too seriously, relax !.
In my opinion the bad grammar is because their native language is not English. everybody around the world can access to this site, and obviously not all of them have a perfect grammar.

I'm one of them.

Answer 7

You're so funny -- I absolutely agree with you.

A lot of people have very poor reading/writing/speaking skills.

One that bothers me is the word "usage" for absolutely everything --

Answer 8

I agree. It also really gets to me when people use " 's" for plural's (hehe, just kidding there :P)

Answer 9

It comes down to several factors:

- Education
- Location
- People they are around

Simple as that. ;)

Answer 10

I sooo totally agree with you ! Examples, wich = WHICH , poeple = PEOPLE , sense... meaning SINCE and how about craveing= CRAVING... so MANY more !! LOL :)