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Discussion » Questions » Human Behavior » Do you hurry and correct edit spelling errors because you don't want to look stupid? Or leave it and say whatever?
Benedict Arnold

Do you hurry and correct edit spelling errors because you don't want to look stupid? Or leave it and say whatever?

I hate it when I make an obvious spelling mistake and it takes forever for the edit thing bottom to load and let me fix it.
I particularly hate it when the.autocorrect messes up the verb tenses and makes you sound like a toddler, and you end up with, "All your base is belong to us". . . or something

I was looking at how many comments have been edited. I wonder how many of those have been edited in a rush due to "don't want to look dumb" errors, like mine.

Do you correct or do you forget?




Posted - February 4, 2017
Tags : None

Responses


  • I usually just find a replasem . . .a replaiseme . . .a substitute word for the one I don't know how to spell. There are other conjugations I have given up on remembering. . .. verbs like to lay and to lie, for example, still give me a hard time when trying to remember their ing forms.
    Thank you Rooster, that's funny.
      February 4, 2017 9:56 AM MST
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  • 52955
    A person's grammar, both written and spoken, is not a direct or an automatic indicator of intelligence.  For instance, Albert Einstein himself was a terrible student from a very young age, almost to the point that some people may have thought he lacked intelligence, when in reality, was was so brilliant that the mundane, rote, infantile curriculum bored him. 

    I don't feverishly correct my own mistakes for want of avoiding to appear stupid, I do it because I believe that spelling and grammar should be correct. In me, that's an extremely simple concept, BUT, I also accept the fact that not everyone else on the planet sees it the same way.  It may seem to some people that I assume everyone else should hold the same importance for correct grammar that I hold, and that is far from accurate. 

    I can't stand having said or written something incorrectly. On AnswerBag and Experience Project before they went ghost-town, and now on AnswerMug, I have created a reputation for myself that if I knowingly allowed my own errors to go unchecked, I bring richly-deserved scrutiny down on my head from some folks. At the same time, I'm not fond of the in-your-face "this post has been edited by its author" box. I avoid it like the plague. I prefer to delete a post entirely and rewrite it than to announce to the world that I've edited it. I don't know why that edit notification is necesssary.

    Conversely, AnswerMug makes it so difficult to edit certain things and impossible to edit others that it makes no sense. When posting a question, we're allowed 140 characters, but inexplicably, that's cut down to about 64 characters if the author edits the question. Polls can't be edited at all, especially not the choices portion. I try to be as careful as I can to proofread before hitting enter, but left and right, some things slip through. AutoInCorrect, as I call it, likes to sneak in all the time just to make us look ridiculous. 
    ~
      February 4, 2017 6:56 AM MST
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  • I think language is an evolving thing and sticking to rules, like a hound on a pork chop, is silly and fruitless. We certainly don't go around saying thee and thy. My appreciation for someone in reference to their grammar and spelling. carry as much weight as their ability to choose a hair style. 
    I don't know why  certain somebody wouldn't be able to spell, or to grammar, they may have not been lucky enough to have the education that I've had, or they may just don't know how to spell. Im sure some people do find it funny and cute, and even perhaps a quirky personallity trait, for someone to go about correcting others, I can see that. Others may not so much.
    That said...
    I do it cause im vain and simple, I don't want people to think im stupid. Appearance, I suppose. 
    Im taking from what you write that it is a matter of pride for you?
      February 4, 2017 9:26 AM MST
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  • 52955
    (I'm)

    I often wonder if some people think that grammarians don't know or don't agree that languages evolve. I certainly know it is true, and I agree that it's a normal part of linguistic development.
    The evolution of language does not eliminate the fact that there are certain things within the language that are right and wrong.

    For instance, to form an analogy using human evolution as a parallel, as a species we are more civilized and more advanced in many ways than we were two centuries ago, yet we still have violence, murder, war, crime, greed, apathy, racism, etc.  We have evolved, there are still some things that are right and some things that are wrong about humans. Language is the same way: it evolves and there are some things that are right about it and some things that are wrong. 
    If I say, "You be went to the store later," I'm not a hero if I hide behind an evolution of language argument. 

    Lastly, some people care more about proper grammar than do others. To me, that's a simple concept. I'm not a better person than someone else because of my stance on grammar. By the same token, that person who cares about it less than I do is not a better person either based on that trait. Badmouthing someone for their grammar is wrong, regardless of what their stance on grammar is. (Please know that I am NOT accusing you of badmouthing anyone; I'm making a general reference.)

    ~
      February 4, 2017 10:17 AM MST
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  • Don't correct me Randy. 
    I don't find it cute, im one of those that finds it annoying. 
    Obviously, you know that I know there's an apostrophe missing there. I mean you should know that much.
    I couldn't.care less about anybody's stance on grammar. Or punctuation. And you know, just because I choose to speak or write in a certain way, it doesn't mean I don't know.my gerunds from my infinitives. 
    Who's language is it anyway Randy? Does.anguage belong to the.Purists? Should we ignore classics like Huckleberry Finn, because they chose the vernacular over the static.? Should we reject translations of the.bible that made it availAble to the masses to read because they had "dumb" down the.language?
    Are you really equating violence.and.fear, traits that reside deep in our primitive brain, to an innate.desire to be grammarous?
    Language.is a tool.
    What would a purist do in a society where language is a series of tics and tsks?
    "Hey Borg, when you said Tak, I think you meant Taak?
    No? This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at February 4, 2017 10:40 AM MST
      February 4, 2017 10:38 AM MST
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  • 52955
    Don't tell me not to correct you, Lago.  Also, ask yourself whether or not I care that you find it "cute".  I'm not a 7-year-old girl, so I don't do anything for its cuteness factor.  Just as you have the right to write what you want to in this site, so do I. If I choose to write what you call a correction, I will do so. If it tears you up so badly, don't write anything incorrectly, and there won't be anything to correct. 
    You want me to ignore when you write something incorrectly, well, you also have the choice to ignore my "corrections".

    Thanks, and happy AnswerMugging!

    :)
      February 4, 2017 11:01 AM MST
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  • Dude, I think you are under the impression that just because you say yo know your grammar, that you actually do. 
    So now I need to walk on egg shells because you may just show up and correct me? Are you serious?
    Are you seriously telling me, that if, from now on, I don't want to be correceted, by you, then I need to tote the.line drawn by you?
    If anything that's just funny.
    I think you think it's cute.
    Don't correct me.
      February 4, 2017 11:17 AM MST
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  • 52955
    Just because you think something doesn't mean you're correct. You have every right to think whatever you wish to think; I have no desire to control or dictate what you can or cannot think. Nor do I want anyone, including you, to walk on eggshells with their writing. If I comment on something that someone writes, one of the dozens of options she or he has is to ignore me. 

    As for your "don't correct me", you must realize that it just invites more of the same.  Ignoring me might have the opposite result. 

    I wonder if your tone here indicates that you're angry over this triviality. If so, your rant on personalities might require a second look, but this time from within. It's not that big a deal, really it isn't. Maybe taking it a little less seriously is something you need to consider. Oh, and by the way, your entire post above is absolutely rife with errors. Fix them. 

    :)

    This post was edited by Randy D at February 4, 2017 2:13 PM MST
      February 4, 2017 2:13 PM MST
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  • You are right Randy. 
    I should have taken your initial response and be grateful you took the time to answer my question. 
    Sorry for acting like a little you know what . . .
    Please accept my apoli...appolo. .. you know what I mean.
    )
      February 4, 2017 2:50 PM MST
    1

  • I kept thinking and I asked myself, maybe im wrong. I realised that I do immediately form an opinion, like I was telling Tom, based in big part on the way they talk. I judge their level of education and their intelligence. To the point where my attitude toward the person is dictated by this opinion that has taken me two minutes to form. 
    So maybe, it does have a more decisive influence in our interactions that im giving it credit for.
    I still think it is silly, but it may actually be more important thAt I was admitting.
    Sorry again for earlier.
      February 4, 2017 3:02 PM MST
    1

  • 52955
    Peace, Pal?

    ~
      February 4, 2017 4:44 PM MST
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  • 7280
    I agree language is a tool---and it can be used for various purposes in various situations and modified at will by the person using it...

    In the paradigm of successful communication, the existence of a properly operating sender and receiver is postulated...

    And in that model, just like Morse code, the language must mean the same thing to the person sending it and to the person receiving it...

    (Interestingly enough, I just used "parallel construction in that last sentence.  And that is simply a preference of mine even if not technically necessary....And that turns out to be in agreement with your comment "Whose language is it anyway?" above.--obviously it is both yours and mine to use as we choose.)
      February 4, 2017 11:09 AM MST
    0

  • You know Tom, as much as I may say that it doesn't matter, I have to admit that I do, myself immediately form my opinion of somebody based in the way they talk.. .or write.
    Thanks Tom, I understand. This post was edited by Benedict Arnold at February 5, 2017 8:38 AM MST
      February 4, 2017 2:54 PM MST
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  • 7280
    I agree that "bad" grammar is not necessarily indicative of a lack of intelligence...I wonder though if good grammar might not be a sign of the presence of intelligence.
      February 4, 2017 10:57 AM MST
    1

  • 52955
    Nope. Intelligent people use both good and poor grammar; less intelligent people use both good and poor grammar.
    ~
      February 4, 2017 2:01 PM MST
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  • 7280
    My experience is that the intelligent people I know are well versed and proficient in the nuances that grammar can provide.  Intelligence may not be a necessary condition to speak well, but I find experientially that it is frequently highly correlated. 
      February 4, 2017 3:54 PM MST
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  • I just edit them when I notice it. I never thought about it that much.
    As far as anyone feeling having it highlighted that it's edited? So what? You think professional writers and journalists  never make a typo, spelling, or grammar mistake?  Hell no! They have a whole team of editors and proof readers to check that for them and make the corrections. We don't have that luxury so don't sweat it when it's alerted that you caught your own mistake.

    Actually my journalists example might not be the best now that I think about it.  Randy would have an stroke if he read some of the articles that make it into the area newspapers.  What makes it to print around here is jaw dropping at times.
      February 4, 2017 8:34 AM MST
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  • I know Glis, but my question is a lot simpler than that.
    Consider this . . . Let's say a sneeze. . .do you sneeze the same when you're alone or with friends than the way you do it around people you don't know? 
    For me, the answer is simple: no, I don't.
    When im alone is more like an overly enthusiastic karate rebel yell, KIAAAASHABABA!!!
    Where as if im by others, it is more to the tune of a preteen Japanese girl sneezing. . .you see?
    Do you see any other reason, besides Ms Jane's compulsive nature, for example, to correct your post.other than fear of the way others will judge you?

      February 4, 2017 9:47 AM MST
    2

  • When I see that I make a glaring mistake it just bothers the hell out of me. I feel like a I failed at a standard I want for myself.
    It bothers me more when it's in  a thread title I made than a response.  Certain mistakes bother me more than others too and it's mood dependent.

    Way I see it editing is a PITA so by doing it I am training myself to do better.
      February 4, 2017 10:04 AM MST
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  • I dont.know.what PITA means.
      February 4, 2017 11:10 AM MST
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  • pain in the ***
      February 4, 2017 11:53 AM MST
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  • Ha
    I should have been able to figure that out.
    Thanks G.
      February 4, 2017 4:10 PM MST
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  • 52955
    (jaw-dropping)

    Glis, I have a stroke daily from reading the local, national and international press, and from listening to TV and radio news programs.  The local hospitals have given up on me; they just keep an ambulance parked outside of my place 24/7, and they ask me for a few minute's heads-up before I go super-nova. 
    ~
      February 4, 2017 10:22 AM MST
    1

  • My written grammar isn't the best but some of what I see in professional publications  boggles the mind. Not talking about silly and arbitrary things like a double space where a single space belongs either.
    I think what's left of my local paper is run by people who learned some kind of pidgin English as a second language using Youtube for lessons.

      February 4, 2017 10:33 AM MST
    1

  • 46117
    I am very confident and comfortable with my level of intellect and if make an error, it is in the realm of the amount most people make here and there.    I am a good proofreader, if I miss something, I was in a hurry, not because I have no idea how to spell or use pronunciation. 

    So, I have nothing to prove.  My desire to have a nice, correct, properly spelled and punctuated sentence has more to do with being understood after I put all this effort in rather than worrying that Joe Blow is judging me based on my superior knowledge of the spell checker.
      February 4, 2017 8:40 AM MST
    1