Job Discussion Forums

[mr.bojangles]

To be honest, I find people who correct other people's grammar annoying. Definately no problem between teacher and student, or when being asked, but correcting grammar on line or when not being asked. Believe me we are all human, nobody's perfect. I came across someone's message being corrected. Yes that person correcting was right grammatically, but where they lost points was being tact.
Some years ao when studying at University, I was selling men's suits at a department store. I recall an older woman correcting a co-worker on his grammar. The customer was so smug as she announced (as if we cared), I used to be a school teacher. Well we can see how much tact she lacked that day. Some time after while teaching ESL in Korea, I would hear teachers coorect their peers. ANNOYING! Limited manners at work. At the present moment I am teaching primary school in New Zealand and when I come across great sites like this one, but used by small minded people who get pleasure in correcting others, I think how much self-esteem they may lack.

[TaoyuanSteve]

I've tried to get that kind of a tendency out of my system. I'm not a grammarian anyway. The English language is much freer than some of the prudes would suggest. Some of the best poetry throws grammar and spelling out the window. I especially hate it when people do this on the net on message boards.

[markholmes]

Mr Bojangles, you spelt 'definitely' wrong.

What is a maroon? I've seen this word several times recently and have no idea of its exact meaning (apart from that given by the context in which I have seen it used). We have the the word moron in English.

Maroon is a colour as far as I know.

[DirtGuy]

Rude? Yeah. But what about some postings from ENGLISH teachers that are absolutely pathetic in their use of grammar and spelling. All of you know what I am talking about. It makes you wonder about someone who posts something gawdawful even after they have had a chance to review it. What in the world do they do in class when students are throwing grammar questions at them or they are trying to explain some arcane point? Shouldn't we in our profession be aiming for a higher level of competency in all the ways we use English?

[matchstick_man]

Are you a Christian trying very hard not to blashpheme or is that intensifier a legitimate word? Sorry but I don't really care.

Most English teachers are here between classes and often post as something to do between classes. Many see posting on internet forums such as this as a break from work and a chance to communicate with like-minded individuals.

[Fortigurn]

[wood]

This forum is about teaching English in Taiwan. There is nothing wrong with correcting grammar errors that show up.

[matchstick_man]

Truth be told...I agree with the two poster above however I was just pointing up that some people are often pressed for time so don't proofread their posts. Although I'd maybe be more worried if the posts resembled mobile phone text messages.

[TaoyuanSteve]

This is the internet and we are writing in message forums. This could, at best, be described as a strange genre. These places are informal by nature. If I want to write formally, I'll write an academic paper. One of the things I hate about fellow English teachers is their attempt to upstage each other by pointing out minor errors (that may even be intentional) in informal situations.

On forums such as this one, I make numerous small typos all the time. It doesn't make my spelling or grammar inferior; it means I suck at typing. One user on Forumosa has a signature I really like: "If you find any spelling mistakes in my posts, you may keep them." To those who wish to improve others' English usage, may I suggest you work on your own or your students' and leave the rest of us alone?

Holmes: If you want to know what a maroon is, I suggest you watch more classic Bugs Bunny cartoons.

Have a great day, all.

[DirtGuy]

It is easy to spot typos in a posting. Everyone makes them and I do not think that is pertinent to this discussion. Certainly what I, and I suspect others, find objectionable is when the grammar and construction of a posting is so poorly done it makes it difficult or impossible to take the poster seriously. Or even to figure out exactly what they're talking about. Think about something you have read outside of school that was poorly written. Did you pay much attention to it? Would you have given the poster more credence if the piece had been better written? Doesn't this sound like what we teach our students?

I have worked in industry before and seen how foreign-born workers are held back by their lack of spoken and written English skills. If you have to struggle to understand what they mean, do you really want to talk with them or read their reports? I and other native-born co-workers never did.

Just out of pure self-interest we should at least make an attempt to use the material we teach students. If our thoughts are important enough for all to see, shouldn't they at least be understandable? Minor typos notwithstanding.

[TaoyuanSteve]

I suppose the issue here is the degree of the problem. Yes, someone who clearly cannot write an English sentence is frustrating to read. I agree with that. I am referring to the sort of individual, however, who points out minor typos or grammatical omissions on the internet as a way of furthering his agenda on forums such as these. This type of thing happens a lot. People who point out random, minor mistakes are annoying. There is no need to correct the average poster who types posts quickly, without aid of spellcheck programs, and in an informal tone. However, if we are referring to the sort of person who should not have graduated from high school and clearly needs help with literacy, then perhaps I agree with you.

[mr.bojangles]

I suppose it is the smugness of it that rubs me the wrong way. It may be especially smug when it is in black and white, but I also recall one particular ESL teacher (somewhere in Asia) who was slowly going mad would pick at others' oral language during a conversation. We must not forget our manners!

Kia Ora.

[puiwaihin]

It really depends on the person's motivation for making a correction.

IMO, it's fine if:
they're making a fine point about what something means
they're honestly trying to help another (and the help is welcome)
they're trying to be funny

It's rude if:
they're trying to discredit another person
they're correcting a slip of the tongue/keyboard and not a real error
if they're trying to make someone else feel bad

I try not to ever do the latter.

[Girl Scout]

Most of the grammar corrections I see are rude. But, we are English teachers and college graduates. There should be a minimun level of English that we have obtained. Just because we are on a forum does not mean we should suddenly forget how to write or suddenly become lazy with our usage. Typos I understand.

When I post I try to give thoughful answers to peoples question or my opinion on a topic. I guess I want to believe that other people are thinking about their comments before they post them. How can I do that if there are errors everwhere in a post. I have to agree with DG, when I see a lot of grammar errors I fail to take the poster seriously and very often I don't bother to read the post.

What I really don't like are posters who think this forum is no different from a chatroom. Text writing does not fit on an English teacher discussion board.

[TaoyuanSteve]

Hmm...
Sorry, but since this thread is about spelling and grammar corrections: