Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Big Mac]

Perhaps I'm over-reacting a little bit, but I'm just wondering how you would feel if a fellow foreign teacher at your school was constantly correcting your oral grammar.

I'll be the first to admit that I make mistakes once in a while. We all do. However, it makes me very angry when someone decides to be the Queen of Grammar and informs me every time I make a grammatical mistake. It just seems so condescending and makes me feel like this person thinks she's a superior being or something.

I told her today that it makes me angry and her response was "well, you're an English teacher." She's right, but who does she think she is? I'm pretty sure that most of the time my grammar is pretty good. It's not like I'm corrupting the minds of the children with my horrible English.

Here are a couple of examples of crimes I've committed recently...

"They must have went there" is apparently supposed to be "they must have GONE there."

When someone asks me "How are you," I usually respond with "I'm good." It must be a local thing specific to where I come from...who knows why I say it that way. She informed me that I'm supposed to say "I'm doing well."

Would that tick you off?

She's told me before that she is trying really hard not to let her American accent get corrupted by the Canadian version of English. So I wonder if she's attempting to teach me the "superior" version of the language or something.

[laogaiguk]

Classic arrogance, but as long as she is doing it OUTSIDE of class, and not infront of other people, while it's human to hate it, it's a good thing. Every single time it's a good thing. But, the thing is, are you sure she is always correct? She might not be, I am British/Canadian, and there have been a few times I heard a Brit say somthing and thought it was wrong. I was wrong though.

Also, if she is doing this infront of someone, tell her to go to hell.

[Big Mac]

The last time she did it in front of other teachers and it made me really angry and a little embarassed. That's why I let her know right then and there that it makes me mad.

In fact, I should say that I wasn't even talking to her when she corrected me. She overheard a conversation I was having with another teacher.

I don't know if she's right all the time. Please look at the examples in my original post and tell me what I did wrong, because I've been trying to figure it out. To me, it just comes down to word choice. I don't think anyone is 100 per cent perfect when they're speaking anyway.

[Qinella]

Well, she's right that you are an English teacher. By your writing, I infer that you did not previously know the phrase 'would have gone' is correct and that 'would have went' is wrong. I mean, gone is the standard past participle. You really don't know how to use it? That's.. funny.

However, I think the response 'I'm good' is perfectly fine. It is good. The cake is good. I am good. So? If you had said, 'I'm doing good', then it would be erroneous. Also, I think when people say 'I'm doing well' or 'I'm well', they sound pretentious.

In any event, she shouldn't be such a hard-nosed arrogant fop, but she is, so you have three choices, as I see it:

1. Stop talking to her. If she hears you talking to someone else and corrects you, just ignore her. Don't even look at her.

2. Try really hard to catch her in a mistake, and then, ever so casually, correct it. This one can be dangerous, because if you make a mistake, you're gonna look foolish.

3. Start speaking to her with the worst grammar you possibly can. Maybe you will get lucky and her head will explode.

[ChopChaeJoe]

Just give her an exagerated smaile and , "Why THANK YOU so, so much," everytime.


The purpose of language is communication.

[mrd]

While it would be easy to be immature and simply stop talking to her, I think you should take the high road, as difficult as it may be. Its important to keep in mind that you're going to be surrounded by this woman for quite sometime at work, so it would be in your interests to make that time as stress-free as possible.

Next time she corrects your grammar, I would say something like:

"You know, I appreciate that you're trying to help me correct my oral grammar, but the truth is, I just end up feeling completely irritated everytime I try and talk to you. I'm trying to communicate and instead it doesn't feel like you're listening to WHAT I say, but instead, only HOW I say it. So I would really appreciate it if you could give me grammar advice only when I ask."

As long as you use "I" language she shouldn't take offence. You have to do something, she can't keep doing this! Chances are, other teachers feel the same way you do.

[Hyeon Een]

I think I grew out of correcting people's oral grammar when I was about 10 years old (except when I'm correcting a Korean girlfriend's grammar because she asked me to)

Probably because I grew up with a mother who has terrible grammar. She always says things along the lines of "We was at the shops.." and so on. I corrected her once when i was about 10 years old and got a smack for it (it embarassed her in front of family) and I haven't done it since.

Since I grew a little older I realised that unless you're an English teacher it really doesn't matter a jot. She makes way more money than I ever will in this profession, and some of it is BECAUSE of her grammar.

My mother has a cleaning business which she started about 20 years ago. Now she has several hundred employees (cleaners). They like her much more than her partner because she speaks the same language as them (ie grammatically incorrect with lots of slang). Apart from the smack in the head, I've learned that sometimes people with incorrect grammar might even have an agenda, and that it suits their purposes to not always talk in the most correct way.

With regards to the OP, it sounds like you were speaking colloquial English in an informal environment, and that your co-worker needs to grow the hell up. If someone in my workplace makes a mistake then I ignore it. If I ever thought it might be out of ignorance rather than just a manner of speaking I'd probably check it first, then perhaps mention it to them in private. 99% of the time the way we speak is not the same way we teach or write. Through many years of living the language we know what is 'right' or 'wrong', but that doesn't mean that it carries through to our day to day speech. Your co-worker is a muppet in need of a de-gloving. Sort them out.

[dogshed]

I already told my coteachers that Americans spend millions of dollars on English education and Americans still can't speak English but the Germans speak very good English. Germans were always correcting my English when I was there.

Have you told this woman that the Canadian accent is superior to the American accent and that all us American's are jealous? I wish I could spell color with a u.

I would just give her more and more colloquialisms until her brain explodes.

"Yur rite. I shoulda said done gone instead of gone. Or should ah say way done gone? I'll hef tah look dat up. If I know why come then it's easier to 'member how to git er done."

[Pak Yu Man]

Make her a present to show her you're ok with what she does.

something like a paper hat with the label "Grammar *beep*" or "Grammer NAZI".

Maybe she'll get the hint. Obviously it's her first time here and she wants to show everyone how good she teaches...er how well she teaches.

Maybe she sucks in the classroom...she wants to fool yall with her grammar awesomeness

[some waygug-in]

I think suggestion number 3 is the best..

Next time just say...Gosh dern it gerlie! yuz iz ear-rezitz-table when ya tok like that. Let's git to gather in git some reeeel lernin goin on.. wink, wink..nudge, nudge.

or better yet;

Ya makes mu willie harddd when ya talks like that.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Thank her and try to improve your oral grammar. What's the harm in her pointing it out if you are indeed English teachers? And then just wait patiently for the day when she slips out and you can be the smug grammar policeman to her.

Really, this is the silliest thing in the world to get upset about and if it bothers you so much, just respond by trying to use better grammar.

[laogaiguk]

[ilovebdt]

Oh dear.
I know someone like that and it annoys the hell out of me.

Does she not realise that there are differences between spoken and written English?

Dialects, accents and regionalisms all influence the spoken language a lot.

Her life must be really dull if the highlight of her day is "correcting" your spoken English.

Have you thought that she might have a little crush on you and she does this so she can connect with you so to speak?

ilovebdt

[Yu_Bum_suk]

[laogaiguk]