Proper spelling and grammar is instrumental in making your writing look professional for a work environment. Beyond that, there's always the risk of someone making fun of you for not knowing something.
 
I don't particularly care if someone splits an infinitive or ends a sentence with a preposition because people generally talk that way, but if someone's being pedantic or annoying, I have no qualms about pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors.

There's little point in nitpicking minor grammar issues on a message board like this (except in passing, in case the poster legitimately didn't know better), and woe betide the person who tries to use a misspelling or syntax error to delegitimize a sound argument (that is the height of pretention, and is insulting to people who only know English as a second language and are trying their very best to communicate). But there are an awful lot of people who don't seem to care whether what they type is even capable of being understood, and that's a serious problem if left unaddressed. I put a great deal of work into my posts in order to be clear and thorough and eliminate as much potential for misunderstanding as possible, and I have more respect for people who do the same than for people who place the burden of decoding sloppy language on the reader.

Proper spelling and grammar is instrumental in making your writing look professional for a work environment. Beyond that, there's always the risk of someone making fun of you for not knowing something.

 

I don't particularly care if someone splits an infinitive or ends a sentence with a preposition because people generally talk that way, but if someone's being pedantic or annoying, I have no qualms about pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors.

BZP isn't a work environment, and as nice as proper spelling and grammar are, some people are dyslexic, some people missed their education, and some people really struggle with spelling and grammar because it just doesn't come naturally to them. I'm sick to death of the snobbery I see about this, especially when it's typically coming from people who have A) no disabilities in that regard, B) their full education, and/or C) possess a natural abilty for that kind of thing anyway. If someone is being pedantic and annoying, pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors when it has little to no bearing on the situation at hand is disrespectful, because it's just using their errors as a cheap way of taking them down.

gr8 m8 i r8 8/8

-BuLiK

 

Proper spelling and grammar is instrumental in making your writing look professional for a work environment. Beyond that, there's always the risk of someone making fun of you for not knowing something.

 

I don't particularly care if someone splits an infinitive or ends a sentence with a preposition because people generally talk that way, but if someone's being pedantic or annoying, I have no qualms about pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors.

 

BZP isn't a work environment, and as nice as proper spelling and grammar are, some people are dyslexic, some people missed their education, and some people really struggle with spelling and grammar because it just doesn't come naturally to them. I'm sick to death of the snobbery I see about this, especially when it's typically coming from people who have A) no disabilities in that regard, B) their full education, and/or C) possess a natural abilty for that kind of thing anyway. If someone is being pedantic and annoying, pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors when it has little to no bearing on the situation at hand is disrespectful, because it's just using their errors as a cheap way of taking them down.

 

I don't think there's anything wrong with pointing out an error as long as you're not rude about it or use it to dismiss or ridicule someone's argument. I definitely agree with your point about disabilities (I went to a college specifically for students with learning disabilities and thus I understand how hard things others take for granted can be for people with LDs), but there's no reason a person with difficulties spelling or typing should take offense if the error is pointed out with grace and tact. Especially because in many cases, it can just be because someone isn't aware of the proper spelling, and by correcting them you can help notify them of the error before they end up making the same mistake in a more professional context.

And of course the comment directly above mine is a testament to the kind of speech that needs to be corrected (I understand the above poster was using it ironically, but in other cases it's not). Using chatspeak in a way that fails to simplify understanding to the degree that it actually complicates it and requires it to be decoded affects anyone who has to read it, and can especially affect people with learning disabilities who have enough trouble decoding ordinary speech. And even for those who can understand it clearly, it conveys a clear lack of respect when used in response to a thorough and well-edited post—the kind of "cool story, bro" response that exudes a casual sense of rudeness.

 

Proper spelling and grammar is instrumental in making your writing look professional for a work environment. Beyond that, there's always the risk of someone making fun of you for not knowing something.

 

I don't particularly care if someone splits an infinitive or ends a sentence with a preposition because people generally talk that way, but if someone's being pedantic or annoying, I have no qualms about pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors.

 

BZP isn't a work environment, and as nice as proper spelling and grammar are, some people are dyslexic, some people missed their education, and some people really struggle with spelling and grammar because it just doesn't come naturally to them. I'm sick to death of the snobbery I see about this, especially when it's typically coming from people who have A) no disabilities in that regard, B) their full education, and/or C) possess a natural abilty for that kind of thing anyway. If someone is being pedantic and annoying, pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors when it has little to no bearing on the situation at hand is disrespectful, because it's just using their errors as a cheap way of taking them down.

 

I'm not sure what I was saying came across, bro. I wasn't saying that BZP was a work environment at all, and by "pedantic and annoying," I had in mind folks like the person who sent me those anonymous messages on Tumblr a few weeks ago, who - in addition to spouting ridiculous things - had a particularly tenuous grasp of grammar.

If you're trying to make the point (again, against someone like the aforementioned Tumblr anon) that someone doesn't know what they're talking about, it's best to attack the points of their argument as opposed to just bashing them over the head for, like, not capitalizing an I or something. My mom does that - it's one of her quirks, but it's become one of my pet peeves. That said, if someone says something incredibly stupid, pointing out their improper grammar - while low-hanging fruit - can serve as a tertiary point, as if to say "not only is what you said stupid, but its stupidity is inherent in [insert grammatical error]."

Of course, this is not to say that everyone who doesn't write with proper grammar unintelligent or undeserving of respect and understanding, but if you make backwards arguments and have bad grammar, a) you won't be taken seriously, and b) 99.9% of the time, there's a common underlying cause.

Perhaps it was wrong of me to use this as a reason for mentioning the anon's usage of the English language, but in this particular instance I knew very well who was sending said messages. However, in the interests of not seeming pedantic myself, I'll keep this perspective in mind if/when I come across another situation where someone is spouting nonsense.

BZP isn't a work environment, and as nice as proper spelling and grammar are, some people are dyslexic, some people missed their education, and some people really struggle with spelling and grammar because it just doesn't come naturally to them. I'm sick to death of the snobbery I see about this, especially when it's typically coming from people who have A) no disabilities in that regard, B) their full education, and/or C) possess a natural abilty for that kind of thing anyway. If someone is being pedantic and annoying, pointing out their typographical and grammatical errors when it has little to no bearing on the situation at hand is disrespectful, because it's just using their errors as a cheap way of taking them down.

Don't forget folks who just don't speak english as a first language! Or people who purposefully use "incorrect" grammar because of cultural dialects or local slang. Or just younger kids.

On a place like BZPower, we're all generally expected to type with proper grammar and spelling 'cause it's a forum and not a chatroom, but it doesn't have to be 100% perfect, just has to be readable. I would only correct someone's spelling and grammar in their creative writing if it was glaringly obvious, 'cause then they can go back and fix mistakes they missed and maybe learn how to write certain stuff better that they didn't realize was wrong before. Even then, it's really not a big deal unless they aim to get themselves published.

I myself fell into the dyslexia and foreigner category, which is why a good majority of my posts are edited seconds after I post them. I'd be kinda ticked if I didn't catch a mistake and someone went, "Um, that's wrong, it's *you're." I'm trying my best, I obviously slipped up. Let it go.

Sometimes people just don't care about how their writing comes across when it's not supposed to be correct. Like the tumblr messages you received, they probably just didn't try 'cause a tumblr message isn't getting graded by your teacher or looked at by your editor or going in your resume. As long as you get your message across, it doesn't matter. I used to try really hard to maintain perfect English in my chats with friends, but I learned to just relax and do my best and know my friends type just as atrociously. my avetgae facebook emsage looks liek thsi. I mean, *average *message; those weren't on purpose I just typed out normally. The only reason I write really well when I try is because as an immigrant I had to take special care in really learning the language, and I only learned it the way it's supposed to be written and spoken rather than grow up exposed to a lot of "incorrect" or "simpler" manners of speaking and writing. Being a huge nerd that enjoys reading big boring books assigned for school helped a bit too. I go out of my way to try to write as if I am in a professional setting because I'm proud of my skill and how hard I worked for it, and want to put it to good use. It reminds me how far I've come from being a little kid crying because I was afraid to try to learn a new language.

Grammar snobbery is just rude, in my opinion. As much as it may irk you, a lot of people just have difficultly typing everything properly, for all the reasons Brickeens listed and I added, and a lot of people simply do not care at that moment and are well aware of their mistakes. For the rest that made honest mistakes, it's probably just not worth pointing out, 'cause they aren't likely to make the same mistake again if it's an accident. And then of course people just get offended when you point out the flaws in their writing, 'cause they feel like you're attacking their intelligence; that's why it comes across as rude even with the best intentions.

When it comes to people being mean at you and they have atrocious grammar, the low hanging fruit could really just be a decoy and they're doing it on purpose. They know they're typing poorly; they don't know that they're wrong, and you should focus on showing them that they are (if they indeed are)