Question for the grammar nazis

Rasmus · 28-04-2014 12:14AM

hairyprincess wrote: »

That's exactly it. However they are the only one of it's kind in the area.

*its

annascott · 28-04-2014 12:14AM

Write to them.

anncoates · 28-04-2014 12:15AM

Not really sure how somebody misspelling a sign in a business necessarily equates to an unprofessional business without knowing the type of business.

I'm guessing if it's a written sign it suggests the kind of business where it wouldn't be important although I assume your motives need to be justified as having more of a concrete basis than pathological pedantry and intellectual grandstanding.

Karl Stein · 28-04-2014 12:16AM

HeidiHeidi wrote: »

I'd say "no" .

I'd say you're in a small minority.

HeidiHeidi · 28-04-2014 12:18AM

Karl Stein wrote: »

I'd say you're in a small minority.

I suspect I am, but not completely alone

Karl Stein · 28-04-2014 12:24AM

Has anyone else tried to figure out what type of establishment the OP has found these crimes against humanity the written word in?

It's either a hairdresser or a café imo. I'd lean toward a café because the hairy one said 'periodically', a hairdresser would be regularly.

Earthhorse · 28-04-2014 12:26AM

anncoates wrote: »

Not really sure how somebody misspelling a sign in a business necessarily equates to an unprofessional business without knowing the type of business.

I'm guessing if it's a written sign it suggests the kind of business where it wouldn't be important although I assume your motives need to be justified as having more of a concrete basis than pathological pedantry and intellectual grandstanding.

You're right, the context does matter but people should be allowed to determine for themselves what criteria they use to judge the service they're getting. Not sure it indicates an unprofessional business but as bluewolf said it indicates a lack of attention to detail which, to me at least, matters.

And I don't think it's fair to dismiss that as pathological pedantry or intellectual grandstanding, in fact I think it's total bullsh*t to call it that.

Capt'n Midnight · 28-04-2014 12:26AM

bluewolf wrote: »

It looks unprofessional and sloppy
And if they can't get the basics right, what else do they skimp on?

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/vanhalen.asp

By far the most notorious of these whimsical requests is the legend that Van Halen's standard concert contract called for them to be provided with a bowl of M&Ms backstage, but with provision that all the brown candies must be removed.

anncoates · 28-04-2014 12:29AM

I was a waiter years before I joined boards. If I had known then about the apoplexy that it provokes, I'd have peppered the specials board with grammatical mistakes.

anncoates · 28-04-2014 12:30AM

Earthhorse wrote: »

And I don't think it's fair to dismiss that as pathological pedantry or intellectual grandstanding, in fact I think it's total bullsh*t to call it that.

That's a surprise.

True though that the business context is important. Maybe op can confirm what it was.

Earthhorse · 28-04-2014 12:32AM

anncoates wrote: »

That's a surprise.

That your opinion is exaggerated bullsh*t?

Only to the slowpokes.

Lou.m · 28-04-2014 12:34AM

hairyprincess wrote: »

There is a business that I frequent periodically. They have a few glaringly obvious grammar and spelling mistakes, how do I handle this? Each time I go there my eyes bleed, I can't cope with it anymore.

Question is, should I tell them or not? And how do I do it?

I am a proofreader and off the clock even I don't care!!!

Ficheall · 28-04-2014 12:35AM

My letting agent, a nice guy, begins every single email to me with

"Dear Ficheall,

I hope your well.

...
"

I feel as though I should really point it out to him, but I haven't yet done so for fear he might take offence.
Is that reasonable?

Wibbs wrote: »

Oh sure I can most definitely be a grammar nazi at times, but I see it as an ego failing and strive to use my indoor voice when out and about in the world. The world is full of things and people to smirk at, but that lens can so easily become a mirror, so I'd rather avoid that risk. Plus of all the human facial expressions the smirk of superiority is one of the more odious.

What makes you think it's someone's ego that makes them point out "inaccuracies"?
Is it not more likely that it's someone's "ego" which would be bothered by someone else pointing out a mistake they had made?

I like having my mistakes pointed out to me.* It speeds up the learning process.

*Except by my mother.

anncoates · 28-04-2014 12:37AM

Earthhorse wrote: »

That your opinion is exaggerated bullsh*t?

Only to the slowpokes.

I'm not sure that correct grammar will impact on the quality of my coffee, car repairs, or many other things.

If they're writing a CV for me or teaching me English, fair enough.

And a lot of grammatical criticism, especially on here, is motivated by the need to poke fun and make judgement on the basis of education.

28-04-2014 12:41AM

hairyprincess wrote: »

There is a business that I frequent periodically. They have a few glaringly obvious grammar and spelling mistakes, how do I handle this? Each time I go there my eyes bleed, I can't cope with it anymore.

Question is, should I tell them or not? And how do I do it?

This is too simple I almost feel guilty responding

Simply slip a few obvious ones of your own in - - wait until they pull you up on one - and then as soon as they do just go "Now that you mention it - " and you unroll (and make sure to unroll it in such a way as it really is something you have to unroll" - "I have a few examples of my own - - - ".

Karl Stein · 28-04-2014 12:41AM

Ficheall wrote: »

My letting agent, a nice guy, begins every single email to me with

"Dear Ficheall,

I hope your well.

Dear letting agent,

I'm very well thank you. I hope you're well too.

:P

28-04-2014 12:43AM

Ficheall wrote: »

My letting agent, a nice guy, begins every single email to me with

"Dear Ficheall,

I hope your well.

Well before you get too mad - do you have a well? And is there maybe a reason he might have designs upon it?

He is a letting agent after all. He may know more about the land than you do - and is slipping subtle clues to you via intentionally awful english.

Earthhorse · 28-04-2014 12:43AM

anncoates wrote: »

I'm not sure that correct grammar will impact on the quality of my coffee, car repairs, or many other things.

If they're writing a CV for me or teaching me English, fair enough.

I'm not sure it will either but it might. Or if I were hiring a lawyer or some other professional I would want to know their communication skills were up to scratch.

And a lot of grammatical criticism, especially on here, is motivated by the need to poke fun and makes judgement on the basis of education.

Maybe so, but that's not the context of the debate and so not the context of my point. I wonder what you would say if you encountered someone actually being pathologically pedantic or intellectually grandstanding; would you have the superlatives left to describe it?

anncoates · 28-04-2014 12:45AM

Earthhorse wrote: »

I'm not sure it will either but it might.

Would it really?

anncoates · 28-04-2014 12:46AM

Earthhorse wrote: »

would you have the superlatives left to describe it?

Absolutely!

Earthhorse · 28-04-2014 12:47AM

anncoates wrote: »

Would it really?

It might.

anncoates wrote: »

Absolutely!

God help us all.

wendell borton · 28-04-2014 12:49AM

Legs.Eleven wrote: »

Grammar Nazis would go absolutely loo-la if they lived in Madrid. You see really badly translated English everywhere, even on stuff sold in the shops on the packaging. Took a photo a year or so ago of a very typical menu translation in a restaurant here. Hilarious:

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/uploads/attachments/622363/304738.jpg

Deliciously bad grammar.

whirlpool · 28-04-2014 12:50AM

The only thing more annoying than the overuse of the "pedant" argument in debates is the smugness of those who use it as their main ammo.

The OP's post was about a business whose ad has multiple spelling mistakes. Conveniently, some of you have confused that with the topic of grammar Nazis in a general sense.

Anyway, it doesn't bother me when I see spelling mistakes made by businesses. However, if it's of an ongoing/repetitive nature, it will make me question the competence of the business. Is that wrong of me? Well that's not for you to say. I do think a business should get their **** together.

anncoates · 28-04-2014 12:53AM

Earthhorse wrote: »

It might.

It was a serious point. It was said that it would imply that the business was unprofessional in other ways but that depends on the business. If that's the case then, it's just complaining that somebody has a poor education or even dyslexia that has no bearing on the job that they perform even if it "looks bad".

Hard to say anyway, without knowing the business.

Earthhorse · 28-04-2014 01:06AM

anncoates wrote: »

It was a serious point. It was said that it would imply that the business was unprofessional in other ways but that depends on the business. If that's the case then, it's just complaining that somebody has a poor education or even dyslexia that has no bearing on the job that they perform even if it "looks bad".

Hard to say anyway, without knowing the business.

Again it depends (though in the examples you've given it would likely not influence me). Their grammar mistake is as likely to me to be a sign of carelessness as it is dyslexia (which wouldn't even cross my mind as an explanation). As for lack of education, that could matter too. If the mechanic has to look up instructions on how to install a part in my car that is non standard, and misses something in the nuance of said instructions that means the car performs poorly, then that matters. As unlikely as that might be (and it wouldn't cross my mind in that level of detail) it has been my experience in the workplace that those with sloppy language tend to be sloppy workers. It's an indicator, not a guarantee, and given the choice I might avoid the establishment with my monocle firmly and proudly in place.

anncoates · 28-04-2014 01:17AM

Earthhorse wrote: »

experience in the workplace that those with sloppy language tend to be sloppy workers.

Fair enough but I think you're thinking of businesses where formal education and written /verbal skills are more important and indeed, foregrounded in the service provided.

I think we all sometimes unfairly conflate lack of formal education with carelessness when it comes to written expression.

That said, it's conjectural here as we don't know the business or workers in this case.

osarusan · 28-04-2014 01:22AM

Whether it would bother me or not would depend on the kind of business it is, and if the grammar slip would hint at the quality of the service it provides.

Mistake on a pub chalkboard - no problem.

Mistake on a proofreading company website - I'll probably be looking elsewhere.

wandererz · 28-04-2014 02:30AM

Most of the spelling & grammatical mistakes i see these days are on restaurant menus and websites.
I go to these places to enjoy their food, not to enjoy their grammar etc. and so i don't give it a second thought.

Their business is food, not spelling or grammar.

However, the companies who put together the menus and websites...that's a different story altogether.They should have a level of responsibility.

Interestingly enough, if you read enough news websites such as RTE & BBC etc on your mobile phone (and even using their respective apps) you will notice MANY more mistakes than on the website.

osarusan · 28-04-2014 03:08AM

wandererz wrote: »

However, the companies who put together the menus and websites...that's a different story altogether.They should have a level of responsibility.

I'd guess that the companies are just receiving a file and cutting and pasting the contents into a template (menu template, website template, etc).

SparkySpitfire · 28-04-2014 07:41AM

In general, it makes me sad to see the amount of crappy spelling/grammar that there is floating around these days.

For somewhere like boards/Facebook/texts etc. spelling/grammar really doesn't matter as long as you can understand what people are saying. It's informal, casual and everyone makes mistakes.

But (see, informal setting!) in professional/official settings it really irks me that no one could be bothered to proof-read things before displaying them to the general public/other people. Where I work there is a label for "Watermealons" - the correct spelling is on the other side of the sign and I get mortified if it's the wrong way around. It's just making for a lowering of standards, and to me, it shows the writer doesn't give a damn about what they're saying. If we can't have proper spelling/grammar in professional settings then WHERE DOES IT END?! (OT: I could forgive a badly written sandwich board now in fairness :P )

I absolutely adore a well written piece of writing, it's a strange pleasure of mine.

Question for the grammar nazis

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