Why are people so picky about grammar on-line?

Question

On bulletins and stuff I see a lot of people have ABSOLUTE COWS, over stupid things like the miss use of their, there, they're and also your and you're.
I mean sh*t, any moron can tell what someone means by....lets see...how 'bout...."your such a tard" so what if it's not "you're such a tard" you can plainly see what they are saying!!

Sorry, havin' grammar Nazis( and spelling ones for that matter) jump all over people for not using correct grammar/spelling is asinine and a bit annoying

I agree spelling like this:
omg lyk ur avie wut r u duin 2nite im going 2 d dance
is VERY annoying, I was refering to the little things such as the There's and your's

Answer 1

Well, grammar is an important part of civilised society and, therefore, not using it (or using it incorrectly) on purpose is just plain ignorant and obnoxious. It's really more spelling that is irritating, because it's not that much more effort to type because you're than your. Not to mention, a non-english speaker could get confused. Your what? It's very difficult to translate misspellings and grammar faluts and there's no real reason to make it harder. Then again, it doesn't really matter as long as you get the point across and are not trying to seem intelligent in any way.

Answer 2

It is the nature of the medium. Just think about senses like hearing and vision. You like to hear something that sounds good (or well done.) You like to see something that looks good (or well done.)

It is important because online, the only thing we HAVE to communicate is our words. If they aren't presented well, WE are not presented well.

I am not a grammar Nazi. I completely understand that when someone is posting an instant message, they're not going to spellcheck, or think twice about what they are writing. (But I do suggest people think twice before they write, and proofread at least once. Why? Because using bad grammar, misplaced punctuation and ungrammatical sentences are like wearing your torn, dirty underwear on top of your clothes. )

Bad grammar can change the meaning of your sentences; badly written sentence reflect on YOU. If you can't manage to write a correct sentence, it means that you are lazy, ignorant, can't type, or can't speak the language.

If English is your second (or third) language, grammar mistakes are easily forgiveable. Usually bilingual
individuals are the most eager to correct their mistakes
anyway, because if they didn't want to master a second
language, they never would have studied it to begin with.
And before long, their written language is probably going
to be better than that of many native speakers.

IIf you can't type, that's forgiveable; I mean, you might be a beginner typist, or be blind, or otherwise handicapped.

If you're lazy and ignorant, I don't want to talk to you anyway; you have nothing of value to offer me or anyone
else. In fact, you should keep your mouth shut rather than
betray your ignorance; and spend that time learning the
grammar you should have already known.

Answer 3

When a question is full of grammatical errors, it makes the reader have to work harder to figure out what the hell you are asking! Using bad grammar because you are poorly educated is one thing, but using bad grammar on purpose because you think it's cool is rude and wastes the reader's time.

It also makes the writer look stupid. This doesn't mean the writer is actually stupid, but since the reader doesn't know you, all they have to go on is your writing. If you were speaking in person to someone and they corrected your grammar, that would be extremely rude (unless you are in school and the person correcting you is your teacher). However, these are written questions, not an actual conversation. Using bad grammar on purpose is a sign that you care so little for those reading your question that you can't even be bothered to write it properly.

As for you finding grammar Nazis to be annyoing, I find people that try to express their extreme coolness at the expense of intelligibility to be equally as annoying.

P.S. You don't sound cool

Answer 4

I dont think its a huge deal, but it is equally annoying what people do to try and act cool. For instance, nobody thinks your awesome or rad, B-cuz U no how 2 spell kewl. And for Christs sake put your friggin hat on straight. I mean come on, really..... everybody is supposed to think you're a hard a$$ because your T-shirt is way to long, your boxers are sticking out, and your Yankees cap is on crooked. I think people just get fed up with what passes for cool these days including the assinine online spelling trends

Answer 5

As I tell my students and my peers, when you use incorrect grammar and spelling, three things are going to happen:
1. You lose all credibility.
2. Nobody is going to bother to figure out what you're trying to say, so you will lose your readers.
3. You look and sound stupider than you are.

None of the above is a good outcome, and the spellchecker is right there waiting to be used. Don't be lazy.

Answer 6

I'm just picky over those people that say

omg lyk luv ur avie wut r u duin 2nite im going 2 d dance lol

My eyes explode every time I read that kind of stuff. When someone forgets linebreaks, spelling, punctuation, and, God forbid, that NUMBERS AREN'T IN WORDS, then I'll go all grammar Nazi on them because I prefer not to have my eye juice all over my keyboard.

If someone asks me to correct their errors then I'll be an absolute cow about it, though.

Answer 7

I don't do it to people on line but it is just a habit of mine. I don't mean to be rude with my friends and I let them know this. If they ask me to read a letter that they have written I will correct their grammar. Or in conversation if they use the wrong pronunciation or the wrong word, I will let them know. I tell them this out of respect because if they were going,say for a job interview, I wouldn't want them to be embarrassed. I do tell them that if it annoys them to just tell me to shut up, but most of the time they really appreciate my honesty and input.

Answer 8

What I've noticed is that IF the person comes across as sincere, people can let it go. BUT if they are being a stupid jerk online, then folks really come down on them. That's fair.

Answer 9

People think people are perfect and don t understand people with disability. Some people with disabilities have grammar problem but the can t help. It just how they are.

Answer 10

Some people just like to gripe. If they don't know the answer to your question, they can pick on your spelling or grammer so they can feel like they're smart. If everyone on YA had perfect grammar and spelling, they'd just find something else to complain about.