Why are people so picky?

Question

Not everyone can spell, be gramatically correct all of the time or even speak good English so why do all of the smarty pants on this site keep pulling people up about their grammar?
I can't spell, my grammar isn't good and i am a Geordie (say no more) I am also dyslexic, so I don't have anything going my way do I?
Could these extremly intelligent people please realise that not everyone can afford a private education, show a little compassion for the not-so-well-educated please?
(i do not apologise for my English)

By the way I do use a spell checker. Paul Anthony - this is the very first time that I have ever moaned on YA. To Silly Gorbi and Rancid Potato, I also agree with you, people could make a little more effort.

Answer 1

You got it right, some people cant just stop being Mr of Ms know-it-all. It really rubs me the wrong way. They are some things which are worth correcting but other thing are just so insignificant and one can just let them pass without commenting. Dont apologise for your english, those people are just stuck-ups and annoying

Answer 2

Hmm...well I don't correct people's spelling and grammar on YA but when it's so bad that you can't understand what they've written, that can be frustrating. Fair enough, not everyone has good spelling and grammar but they can use a spell-checker to help and surely people pointing out the mistakes can only help them to improve.

Also, I would like to think I'm quite intelligent (I've just got a first degree in English and Linguistics) and I've grown up and studied in a very rough part of East London, so Idon't agree with your comment about all intelligent people having private educations!

Answer 3

Hi there.
I come from the rough end of Liverpool, so I have even less going for me than you do! In regards to grammar and spelling, I have to say that I think people do need to make an effort and put in some work rather than making excuses. You are wrong, sorry, everyone CAN spell and produce good English except for a fractional percentage of disabled people - if you can get as far as Yahoo Q&A, you can read and write well enough to be clear.

You ypurself wrote a good long paragraph there, Andi, that was okay to read, clear and to the point. I am not sure why you class yourself with those who cannot be bothered and seem to think I should just accept their illiteracy as natural, when it is just laziness.
Perhaps you can tell me why I should take the effort to sift out what they are saying if they cannot take the trouble to express it decently?.
Cheers, Steve.
PS I NEVER post smart-**** criticisms of spelling/grammar, I just pass them by.

Answer 4

Well, I can pick holes in most of your question.
The first thing is - what is being a Geordie got to do with your problem? I'm a Geordie and like many other Geordies I have achieved various academic qualifications. I was educated at a local Grammar school where the entry was gained on ability not on how well off the parents were or whether the children spoke with plummy accents.

It is perfectly possible to speak good, fluent, grammatical English with a Geordie accent!

There are many famous, high-achieving Geordies, Tynesiders, and Northumbrians - Catherine Cookson (who struggled with her grammar and spelling when she first stated to write her novels), Ian le Frenais who was in the recent Birthday Honours list, Lord Collingwood, John Dobson, Capability Brown - I could go on!

Secondly, I agree that not everyone is good at grammar or spelling but for most people if they think that they have a problem then they can do something about it. For example they can attend evening classes specifically designed to help improve literacy or they can just increase their reading. Looking up difficult or unfamiliar words and learning your way around a dictionary is a good way to improve.

For genuinely dyslexic people there are a number of useful techniques to aid reading and writing. Many dyslexics are high achievers despite their condition.

Many school leavers have appalling literacy and numeracy skills - it is easy to blame the educational system and then just whine about it. It takes courage, motivation and commitment to embark on a programme of self-improvement whether it is improving literacy or learning new skills.

Answer 5

I've got a history degree and my English is pretty good. I'd go up against those pick-wits anytime. But they have to be the most boring people on Yahoo. Constantly making the same point, over and over and OVER again. I've only been here a week and I'm sick of them already.
I don't think they are intelligent people. It is not intelligent to pride yourself on constantly doing people down for things that are not actually immoral.
They are just a bunch of awnkers! (Oops, spelling mistake).

Answer 6

I'm mildly dyslexic too it was discovered till I was 55, by that time I'd got a degree in Humanities , but i still think there is no excuse for not using a spell check the grammar can go by the board as a lot of it is pedantic anyway and makes conversation laboured
I do think by the tone of your question that you are a moaner
but that's typical Geordie any way isn't it

Answer 7

I've never had a private education, but I know how to write in clear proper English so please don't put us all in the same "stuck up toffs" boat!

Your grammer can be corrected by simply reading through what you've written and making adjustments, and to help your spelling there is a spell check feature you know?

Have a good day.

Answer 8

There is spell checker you can use. I do every time because I type fast so inevitably make a mistake...only takes a second!!!Text talk is a different matter.
It makes you seem thick and its lazy !!!

Answer 9

Sometimes I correct people because their grammar is just so horrendous that I figure a little help here and there should be appreciated. Some people can't handle criticism, but I welcome it because it may possibly give me the opportunity to become a better person. Even if a person is dyslexic, it doesn't mean they can't learn, right?

Answer 10

The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man.
--George Bernard Shaw,