MB Club grammar police please take note.
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ash59fifty-uk
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She don't alf talk pissh. Howay man
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A colleague of mine, a native Czech, speaks fluent Czech (obviously!), German, Russian, and... English.
He reckons that the hardest language to master is English because it's so easy to be understood by native English speakers who ignore incorrect grammar, verb tense, etc. His dearest wish is that those with English as their first language were less tolerant of incorrect use of our language as that would make it easier to learn and master.
However, as an educated man, his opinion is clearly racist and generally worthless.
He reckons that the hardest language to master is English because it's so easy to be understood by native English speakers who ignore incorrect grammar, verb tense, etc. His dearest wish is that those with English as their first language were less tolerant of incorrect use of our language as that would make it easier to learn and master.
However, as an educated man, his opinion is clearly racist and generally worthless.
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Who let her out of the kitchen anyway ?
D
Deleted member 6183
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Oh and remember, any grammar correction posted must contain a grammar error of its own. :fail
Grammatical.
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I think that this is being taken to two extremes.
Correcting someone else's poor grammar can be indeed considered rude or just inappropriate in some circumstances.
And it can also be counter productive at times (e.g. someone making a 999 call).
But not correcting someone's poor grammar also means they will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and possibly be ridiculed by others.
Additionally many people come here to learn the language, and how can they be expected to improve their English if no one corrects their mistakes?
Many of us speak local foreign languages when going abroad, and I for one do appreciate it when the locals correct my grammar.
Ultimately, there is a time and place for everything, including correcting someone else's errors. In the right circumstances, with the right people, it is both appropriate and helpful to do so. In other cases it can be perceived as patronising and obstructive.
In short... like so with so many other things... it requires social skills to ensure it is done in the appropriate circumstances.
My own observation is that on a whole we probably correct others too little rather than too much.
But for the Guardian's Mona Chalabi to call it Racism, and then for others to blame the 'Loony Lefties' in the Guardian, is simply trying to create an issue where it does not really exist.
Correcting someone else's poor grammar can be indeed considered rude or just inappropriate in some circumstances.
And it can also be counter productive at times (e.g. someone making a 999 call).
But not correcting someone's poor grammar also means they will continue to make the same mistakes over and over again and possibly be ridiculed by others.
Additionally many people come here to learn the language, and how can they be expected to improve their English if no one corrects their mistakes?
Many of us speak local foreign languages when going abroad, and I for one do appreciate it when the locals correct my grammar.
Ultimately, there is a time and place for everything, including correcting someone else's errors. In the right circumstances, with the right people, it is both appropriate and helpful to do so. In other cases it can be perceived as patronising and obstructive.
In short... like so with so many other things... it requires social skills to ensure it is done in the appropriate circumstances.
My own observation is that on a whole we probably correct others too little rather than too much.
But for the Guardian's Mona Chalabi to call it Racism, and then for others to blame the 'Loony Lefties' in the Guardian, is simply trying to create an issue where it does not really exist.
Last edited:
Alex225
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The English language is the English language so you can't argue that because someone doesn't understand it that well, that it should just be disregarded is utter b*llocks.
I would never pick someone up on bad grammar with any real sincerity and I'm not out to make anyone feel stupid but at the same time it should be used correctly or at least be acknowledged as such.
That argument reads, that rather than aim to increase intelligence and undestanding, let's just dumb it down for the people that don't get it. No thanks!
I would never pick someone up on bad grammar with any real sincerity and I'm not out to make anyone feel stupid but at the same time it should be used correctly or at least be acknowledged as such.
That argument reads, that rather than aim to increase intelligence and undestanding, let's just dumb it down for the people that don't get it. No thanks!
