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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004Corrections Theory and Practice
When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? When and in what circumstances do you (should you) choose not to? > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another > person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? > When and in what circumstances do you (should you) choose not to? Usually only if they request it. I would refer to it if their usage/whatever affected the meaning of what they. Occasionally I do it if someone annoys me and/or I'm feeling ratty. If someone makes a point of criticising another's spelling/whatever I would feel free to point it out. -- John Dean Oxford De-frag to reply MC <copeSP@AMZAPca.inter.net> wrote on 30 Dec 2003: > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct > another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, > punctuation and usage? When their orthographic, grammatical, spelling, punctuation, and usage errors cause unnecessary and undesirable ambiguity, temporary confusion (or insanity), or genuine misunderstanding. In flame wars, when trying to be snotty, when hoping to distract others from the main point of the exchange, etc. > When and in what circumstances do you > (should you) choose not to? When it doesn't matter (eg, when someone writes something like "They gave them to there parents" and the meaning of the misspelling is obvious) or when you know it won't do any good, as when Pooper spells my name "Frank" instead of "Franke". Easy as pie.  SignatureFranke: EFL teacher & medical editor. > MC <copeSP@AMZAPca.inter.net> wrote on 30 Dec 2003: > >>When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct >>another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, >>punctuation and usage? > <...> In flame wars, when trying > to be snotty, when hoping to distract others from the main point of the > exchange, etc. <...> Except that in these two newsgroups, correcting the grammar of others is NEVER snotty. It's just work that has to be done. \\P. Schultz The Grammer Genious <schultzp@erols.com> wrote on 01 Jan 2004: >> MC <copeSP@AMZAPca.inter.net> wrote on 30 Dec 2003: >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > Except that in these two newsgroups, correcting the grammar of > others is NEVER snotty. It's just work that has to be done. It can be done in a snotty manner, though. SignatureFranke: EFL teacher & medical editor. cybercypher2002_NETSCAPE_@NOSPAM.net spake thus: > The Grammer Genious <schultzp@erols.com> wrote on 01 Jan 2004: > [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > > It can be done in a snotty manner, though. Can it? Thanks. SignatureDavid ===== david56 <bass.c.voice@ntlworld.com> wrote on 01 Jan 2004: > cybercypher2002_NETSCAPE_@NOSPAM.net spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > > Can it? Thanks. Yes, yes. It can and it may. SignatureFranke: EFL teacher & medical editor. >>>> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct >>>> another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > It can be done in a snotty manner, though. Even snootily snotty, I'd venture. SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/ > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct > another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, > punctuation and usage? When and in what circumstances do you > (should you) choose not to? I correct people when I know that such corrections would be welcome and appreciated, the exception being children, who have no choice. If I think someone would be annoyed or take offense, then unless there's a compelling to do so, like it's in a document they're about to hand to their boss or they about to be interviewed ("Remember, Sam, it's 'He doesn't,' not 'He don't'"), then I don't correct them. SignatureDena Jo Delete "delete.this.for.email" for email. >> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct >> another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] >hand to their boss or they about to be interviewed ("Remember, Sam, >it's 'He doesn't,' not 'He don't'"), then I don't correct them. I hope you don't correct them when "they about to be interviewed". No telling what kind of bad habits you might give them. >>When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct >>another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I correct people when I know that such corrections would be welcome and > appreciated, the exception being children, who have no choice. No choice about what? Both children and adults have a choice as to whether to follow your advice or not. Do you mean that you always correct children but use greater discretion in the correction of adults? I still don't see that this gives anyone a choice. And at what age do children become adult for the purposes of correction of this nature? I confess to correcting my own children in this regard (not that they have ever taken a great deal of notice) but I wouldn't venture to do so with other people's children. > If I think someone would be annoyed or take offense, then unless > there's a compelling to do so, like it's in a document they're about to > hand to their boss or they about to be interviewed ("Remember, Sam, > it's 'He doesn't,' not 'He don't'"), then I don't correct them. I think this is a minefield which requires highly developed social skills to avoid offence. Even correcting my students can be tricky. Joint authorship of academic papers has taught me that it is important to be diplomatic about correction and I have also learned that I don't much care for being corrected myself. SignatureLaura (emulate St. George for email) > Do you mean that you always > correct children but use greater discretion in the correction of > adults? Yes, but I wouldn't say "always." > I still don't see that this gives anyone a choice. Adults can tell me to stop, and I will. Children have no such option. > And at > what age do children become adult for the purposes of correction > of this nature? Don't know. I guess I give up somewhere in their teens. > I confess to correcting my own children in this > regard (not that they have ever taken a great deal of notice) but > I wouldn't venture to do so with other people's children. I meant children in my own family. When my niece was, oh, about seven years old maybe, I was trying to focus her on when to use "well" instead of "good." I knew I'd achieved some degree of success when I one day jokingly told her "Ya done good, Tara," and she immediately corrected me. "Ya done *well*," she said. > I think this is a minefield which requires highly developed social > skills to avoid offence. Even correcting my students can be > tricky. Joint authorship of academic papers has taught me that it > is important to be diplomatic about correction and I have also > learned that I don't much care for being corrected myself. Years of union leadership taught me how to take criticism well. SignatureDena Jo Delete "delete.this.for.email" for email. > Adults can tell me to stop, and I will. Hah! Hey, Robin! Would you dare? -- Mark Wallace ----------------------------------------------------- For the intelligent approach to nasty humour, visit: The Anglo-American Humour (humor) Site http://earth.prohosting.com/mwal/ ----------------------------------------------------- >> Adults can tell me to stop, and I will. > >Hah! >Hey, Robin! Would you dare? Hey Mark, would I want to? Signaturewrmst rgrds Robin Bignall Quiet part of Hertfordshire England > > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct > > another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I correct people when I know that such corrections would be welcome and > appreciated, n-dash, not comma. > the exception being children, "Exceptions", shirley. But a complete re-cast would be preferable. > who have no choice. All the children I know have *lots* of choices, in all kinds of things. > If I think someone would be annoyed or take offense, then unless > there's a compelling to do so, like it's in a document they're about to > hand to their boss or they about to be interviewed ("Remember, Sam, > it's 'He doesn't,' not 'He don't'"), then I don't correct them. Does babelfish have a DJ-English translator, yet? <snicker> (guess who's home) -- Mark Wallace ----------------------------------------------------- For the intelligent approach to nasty humour, visit: The Anglo-American Humour (humor) Site http://earth.prohosting.com/mwal/ ----------------------------------------------------- > (guess who's home) (It's like you never left.) SignatureDena Jo Delete "delete.this.for.email" for email. > > (guess who's home) > > (It's like you never left.) I wouldn't have the foggiest notion how to left, so it's likely I don't. -- Mark Wallace ----------------------------------------------------- For the intelligent approach to nasty humour, visit: The Anglo-American Humour (humor) Site http://earth.prohosting.com/mwal/ ----------------------------------------------------- > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another > person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? You should have written "or should you"; I don't always when I should, and sometimes I do when I shouldn't. Also, I prefer the comma before the last item in a list. > When and in what circumstances do you (should you) choose not to? "Should you" should be set off from "do you" with a slash, thus: "do you/ should you", or even "do/ should you". SignatureSimon R. Hughes > > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another > > person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > "Should you" should be set off from "do you" with a slash, thus: > "do you/ should you", or even "do/ should you". Thank you for participating in my experiment Simon. Your contribution was as timely as it was predictable. >>> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another >>> person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Thank you for participating in my experiment Simon. Your contribution > was as timely as it was predictable. My prediction that your reply to me would demonstrate the sense of humour of a bucket of water also came true. Imagine that (or get a friend to draw it for you). SignatureSimon R. Hughes In our last episode, <copeSP-CC54FB.07283930122003@mail.inter.net>, the lovely and talented MC broadcast on alt.usage.english: > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another > person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? When that person has asked you do so or when the state has asked you to do so by putting that person in your classroom. > When and in what circumstances do you (should you) choose not to? SignatureLars Eighner -finger for geek code- eighner@io.com http://www.io.com/~eighner/ "There is no such thing as a moral or a immoral book. Books are well written or badly written." --Oscar Wilde >When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another >person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? >When and in what circumstances do you (should you) choose not to? Apart from my sons and their partners (and my grandsons when they become old enough), I would never even think of correcting anyone's English unless they asked me to. (My family is a special case, not just because it's family. Older son was born in England but was taken to live in France when he was 9, 30 years ago. All the rest were born there. Spoken English varies from excellent (sons) through adequate (their partners) to none. Written English is atrocious!) Signaturewrmst rgrds Robin Bignall Quiet part of Hertfordshire England copeSP@AMZAPca.inter.net spake thus: > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another > person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? > When and in what circumstances do you (should you) choose not to? I frequently correct the English of my non-English speaking colleagues, when I am working in their countries, as I know that they are always trying to improve their English. Of course, most of them already speak excellent English. My Finnish counterpart says that everybody in Helsinki speaks Finnish, possibly Swedish, and "bad English". SignatureDavid ===== > copeSP@AMZAPca.inter.net spake thus: > [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > My Finnish counterpart says that everybody in Helsinki speaks > Finnish, possibly Swedish, and "bad English". They'm all Brummies, then? -- Mark Wallace ----------------------------------------------------- For the intelligent approach to nasty humour, visit: The Anglo-American Humour (humor) Site http://earth.prohosting.com/mwal/ ----------------------------------------------------- > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another > person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? On a Tuesday, between 16:39 and 17:21. That's the *law*. Do not attempt to do it at any other time. -- Mark Wallace ----------------------------------------------------- For the intelligent approach to nasty humour, visit: The Anglo-American Humour (humor) Site http://earth.prohosting.com/mwal/ ----------------------------------------------------- > > When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct another > > person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation and usage? > > On a Tuesday, between 16:39 and 17:21. > > That's the *law*. Do not attempt to do it at any other time. Which particular Tuesday? >>> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct >>> another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, punctuation [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Which particular Tuesday? Second Tuesday of that week. Always. SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/ > > >>> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Second Tuesday of that week. Always. Which week? And do the mistakes have to happen between 16:39 and 17:21 on that Tuesday, or can you correct mistakes that happened on other occasions? > "Skitt" wrote: >>>>> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct >>>>> another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > Which week? Any week. > And do the mistakes have to happen between 16:39 and 17:21 on that > Tuesday, or can you correct mistakes that happened on other occasions? Sure. SignatureSkitt (in Hayward, California) www.geocities.com/opus731/ > > "Skitt" wrote: > [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Sure. Thanks. That's a weight off my mind. > > >>>>> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct > > >>>>> another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Thanks. That's a weight off my mind. Damn! If it were Tuesday, I'd insist on "wait" and "mined". -- Mark Wallace ----------------------------------------------------- For the intelligent approach to nasty humour, visit: The Anglo-American Humour (humor) Site http://earth.prohosting.com/mwal/ ----------------------------------------------------- Only in a leap year- Hank > > > >>>>> When and in what circumstances do you (and should you) correct > > > >>>>> another person's mistakes in English grammar, spelling, [quoted text clipped - 29 lines] > http://earth.prohosting.com/mwal/ > ----------------------------------------------------- |
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