Grammar OCD?

Question

I was wondering if it's possible to have a grammar OCD? I have no idea if I'm obsessed or obsessed to the point of OCD. When I'm sitting in a lecture, if there's a misuse of something such as their/there on the powerpoint slide, I'll stop listening and focus on that and try to distract myself, except usually that causes me to think about other similar mistakes that people have made around me recently. By the time I'm remotely focused again I've missed a chunk of the lecture.

Now for example, I just had a massive argument with an American friend over the common misuse of lay/lie and I couldn't just stop and shut up, or back off. It frustrates me and stresses me out to the point that until I started typing I was alternately tapping my pen repeatedly on the desk and tugging on my clothing. Most of the time I try to keep my mouth shut but it doesn't usually work.

Sometimes I'll refuse to watch a movie/listen to music if it has bad grammar!

Could that be an OCD or am I just obssessed?

Answer 1

Well... There is no such this as AN OCD. There is such thing as OCD. I have OCD, and a thing about grammar. OCD should be looked at as one big disorder, not little quirks here and there. If you have more things like this, for instance the arrangement of your room, then you could look at symptoms for OCD. I think this would be a quirk.

Answer 2

I am no professional therapist or shrink, but from your explanation I'd say that you do have an compulsive obsession over bad grammar in any form.

It is refreshing to read a question and its narrative with error-free spelling, but your problem goes deeper. Yes, it vexes me when good grammar is intentionally disregarded for common street language or Internet short cuts, but I realize it's my problem.

Seek some counseling on the subject and perhaps you can find that middle ground where your obsessiveness doesn't control every reaction to improper grammar.

Good luck.

Answer 3

You omit the ingredient. in recent times, with the quantity of grammar help rapidly available on line and by way of previous college dictionaries, the sole clarification for detrimental grammar is laziness. And why might you assume every person to take heavily something that a lazy individual says?

Answer 4

It's just a pet peeve. I have the same thing! If people ask, "What time are you going at?" I freak out for ending with a preposition. It drives me insane, I'm glad I'm not the only one. :]