Grammar Nazis?

[Aspieistj]

In what context? There's no inherent problem with "enough of" by itself.

Ex: "I've had enough of this."

OMG!!!! I have NPR on the radio and the announcer just said there isn't enough OF time to complete a task. The word of is totally unnecessary!!!!!

 

[Ereth]

In those two cases, you're correct---it is unnecessary. But it's not always misused.

(A forum tip: you can edit posts you've already made so you don't end up double-posting.)

 

[Ariel]

Yes, I have to correct people. Even if it makes me cringe afterwards, the urge gnaws away at me until I've spoken out. I took up the issue with a shop manager over grammatical errors on packaging. You're in good company!

 

[Aspieistj]

Yes, I have to correct people. Even if it makes me cringe afterwards, the urge gnaws away at me until I've spoken out. I took up the issue with a shop manager over grammatical errors on packaging. You're in good company!

Ever notice that on "Jeopardy" if anyone mispronounces any word, even a foreign one, Alex Trebek cannot stop himself from immediately saying the word correctly? He feels comfortable adopting many foreign accents but occasionally I don't find him entirely convincing. Oh--Arthur Chu lost some credit a few times because he is occasionally sloppy about careful enunciation/pronunciation. When and it appeared he was losing and he began to struggle, he took his time and tried to be correct in every response.

 

[Sunnylims]

Yes, I have to correct people. Even if it makes me cringe afterwards, the urge gnaws away at me until I've spoken out. I took up the issue with a shop manager over grammatical errors on packaging. You're in good company!

Glad to hear there are others like me!

I'm a little more lenient if I can tell someone is not a native English speaker. I am actually very impressed and envious of anyone who has the ability to speak more than one language. Even if you are from another English speaking country, the dialects are completely different, so it is still pretty amazing. I am way less forgiving of people who have grown up speaking this language. Especially online posts because it's not like you're being timed or anything (usually) so you have time to think about and look over what you have written and make sure that it makes sense before you press 'post.'

There is a hilarious Youtube channel that can keep me entertained for quite some time. The series is called "Your Grammar Sucks" and it's just this funny guy who reads horribly misspelled comments out loud. It's funnier than I just made it sound haha, look it up if you enjoy good grammar

My main 'hot buttons' are when people can't differentiate between: Your and You're, Too, Two, and To, Then and Than is a big one.

 

[Spinosaurus kin]

I seem to die inside whenever apostaphe's are used wrong. Like when dumbasse's use them in plural's. Or when someone write's "its raining" as an abbreviation for it is, or using the opposite for the possessive of it, "it will be in it's designated place" REALLY ticks me out.
And double negative's... *cringe* "I don't want to look like no chav!" (My mother)
Or the wrong use of their and all similar sounding word's.
"Their going to be late!" "Over they're!" "There house is on fire!"
Other than those MAJOR misuse's of language, I can deal with it.
See what I did there? How can that in any way look right to someone?

I think this problem lies in the communication part of being an aspie. As a large number of us have trouble with getting our point across, and most of us are unable to understand the subtle nonverbal communication magic that NTs have, that we only really have language to communicate by. I think in the same way, some NTs have that problem with facial expression. Just yesterday, one of my friends walke past one of our teachers and adressed them with only their last name- missing out the Dr. part (any doctor has a bigger annoyance with this than Mr or Mrs) and then she had a mini rant and told him off. When she saw my pained expression, she thought I was holding back a laugh, when I was just feeling extremely awkward. She said my expression offended her. WHAT DID I DO?

So I think it is an issue with communication and miscommunication than anything else.

 

[Aspieistj]

I seem to die inside whenever apostaphe's are used wrong. Like when dumbasse's use them in plural's. Or when someone write's "its raining" as an abbreviation for it is, or using the opposite for the possessive of it, "it will be in it's designated place" REALLY ticks me out.
And double negative's... *cringe* "I don't want to look like no chav!" (My mother)
Or the wrong use of their and all similar sounding word's.
"Their going to be late!" "Over they're!" "There house is on fire!"
Other than those MAJOR misuse's of language, I can deal with it.
See what I did there? How can that in any way look right to someone?

I think this problem lies in the communication part of being an aspie. As a large number of us have trouble with getting our point across, and most of us are unable to understand the subtle nonverbal communication magic that NTs have, that we only really have language to communicate by. I think in the same way, some NTs have that problem with facial expression. Just yesterday, one of my friends walke past one of our teachers and adressed them with only their last name- missing out the Dr. part (any doctor has a bigger annoyance with this than Mr or Mrs) and then she had a mini rant and told him off. When she saw my pained expression, she thought I was holding back a laugh, when I was just feeling extremely awkward. She said my expression offended her. WHAT DID I DO?

So I think it is an issue with communication and miscommunication than anything else.

I just read a new response to a thread on perfect pitch and the writer said he didn't know of any real advantage to having it. I immediately thought of how much better it is to know the exact tone on which to begin a song and how valuable perfect pitch is to a choir. (Ever try to sing the National Anthem in a key that is too high? You will end up screeching, "And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air." Then I thought about this thread and decided that my pain on hearing or reading grammar or pronunciation errors is similar to when I hear someone sing off key. Regarding people for whom English isn't their native language, of course I am tolerant, with two exceptions; I don't want to be forced to deal with a heavy accent when I call customer service and I am annoyed if someone who came to this country 20 years ago continues to make a lot of errors or still has a strong foreign accent. If I were to move to a foreign country I would make a huge effort to learn to speak that language well. However, I might require the help of a speech therapist because I can not roll an R and that would really embarrass me.

 

[Aspieistj]

Oh, lest someone thinks I am a boor, I don't ordinarily correct anyone's English. I did when my children were young and I felt a responsibility to give them the advantage of reading, speaking and writing English well. Also, I am very uncomfortable when a good friend speaks poorly because I sincerely want to give them to be well spoken to avoid being thought ignorant. One of my sons works with Mexican crop workers and he has learned to speak Mexican Spanish. I have heard him and as my high school Spanish teacher used to say, he has a "decidedly American accent." I asked him if he is fluent in all tenses of verbs and he just scoffed at me. All I recall from high school is the present tense. If I were to actually have to speak Spanish I would be driven to learn proper grammar. Another thing about this son, he deliberately abandons standard American English and adopts whatever level of fractured English the people around him speak. He says he is just trying to make them comfortable. Since we are all Aspies here I don't understand why some people aren't sympathetic to each other's quirks. We are all weird here so I think we should "play nice."

 

[Flinty]

Boy, did I used to be a grammar Nazi, and a mean one at that. (Example: "You should look that up in the dictionary. That's a book, by the way.") But there are no damns given about grammar anymore, so it's just another way the world has passed me by.

 

[SUM1]

I am not a Grammar Nazi, I am the Grammar Police.

 

[Chopstick]

I agree that Grammar Police is a more appropriate description since there’s no evidence that Hitler had any interest in grammar.

Secondly, my mom speaks English as a second language, and she genuinely appreciates being corrected. She has expressed frustration at being influenced by native English-speakers who make simple mistakes. I have seen many posts with basic grammatical errors, and in the past I have even pointed some out. (The misuse of there, their and they’re) My intentions were innocent, but I received such abusive responses that I was forced to stop, I now keep things to myself. You can’t force people to take an interest in bettering themselves.

 

[Judge]

I agree that Grammar Police is a more appropriate description since there’s no evidence that Hitler had any interest in grammar.

You could say that. Short of something gone wrong in the translation, most people I know who have read "Mein Kampf" came to a similar conclusion. Poorly written, at times very difficult to follow. Never read a formally published work with so many run-on sentences.

 

[Aspieistj]

I agree that Grammar Police is a more appropriate description since there’s no evidence that Hitler had any interest in grammar.

Secondly, my mom speaks English as a second language, and she genuinely appreciates being corrected. She has expressed frustration at being influenced by native English-speakers who make simple mistakes. I have seen many posts with basic grammatical errors, and in the past I have even pointed some out. (The misuse of there, their and they’re) My intentions were innocent, but I received such abusive responses that I was forced to stop, I now keep things to myself. You can’t force people to take an interest in bettering themselves.

Amen!!!

 

[Ereth]

The term "grammar Nazi" really has nothing to do with Hitler's prowess as a writer . . . it's comparing grammar perfection to the vicious, relentless policies of Nazi Germany. I've never liked that sort of hyperbole, to be honest.

 

[gouldgrl]

Anyone here get hugely annoyed when someone else uses bad grammar, or mispronounces something? I always feel the urge to correct them. It just gnaws away at the inside of my soul or something. Lol I just hate it. My boyfriend says "video game council" and "jalapeno" (without the tilde on the N).I correct him all the time but it doesn't seem to sink in. If I misspell or mispronounce something, I seriously beat myself up about it. I don't like being hypocritical.

I am generally annoyed by misspellings and poor grammar, and like you, I try to use discretion and tact when compelled to correct someone. It's impossible for me to read employment ads on Craigslist, for example, without responding to at least one regarding the poster's multiple spelling and grammar errors. I mean, seriously, how can you state that you want someone with a good command of English and a good eye for detail, but neglect such things in the copy of your ad?

On a more personal level, I am a bit more restrained. Only after my sister repeatedly used "copywritten" as a past tense form of "copyright" did I finally bring the error to her attention.

 

[gouldgrl]

For me, discomfort due to poor English, slang, misspelling and mispronunciation cause real distress. I don't believe it is any different from the stress those of you with AS experience with uncomfortable clothes. I can't prevent myself from reacting with a flinch when I notice any mistake. Every grammar, punctuation and pronunciation lesson that was ever taught to me in school is like a decree from God. However, I remain a terrible speller. I never send anything without using a spell checker. I think my poor spelling may be due to being taught to read phonetically. With the "see, say, hear" method of teaching reading the reader recognizes the "look" of the word. These people often don't do well with multisyllabic words that are unfamiliar to them. I am very seldom corrected regarding my use of English and when I do make a mistake, I am grateful to have that error pointed out to me, as long as it is done gently. My agonizing need for perfection in language is definitely one of my many very uncomfortable AS traits. It is inconceivable to me that, once an error is pointed out to a speaker/writer, that person doesn't immediately make every effort to become correct. I do wonder if the quality of teaching in the US may have declined since I was in school (I was born in '44.) I recall endless drills regarding the differences of homonyms like to, too and two. HAlloween is not hollow. FebRuary isn't Feb-you-ary. PuMPkin has only one N. I could write for hours about all the mispronunciations and grammar mistakes I am forced to suffer every day. I am an ISTJ Aspie and poor English is a constant, painful irritation to me. I am grammar witch!

I think we were separated at birth!

 

[gouldgrl]

I try not to correct what someone types online, it is never taken well in my experience. However there are some nonsensical use of words in speech which are like nails down a blackboard for me. The worst is something that is becoming more prevalent, especially here in Southern England. That is the use of the the word 'Of' instead of 'Have'. i.e. I should of gone to the shops earlier...

Even my wife, who is highly intelligent has started doing it. It drives me to distraction!

Agreed! What do you think of "try and"? As in, "I'm going to try and climb Mt. Everest next year?" It seems to me that one can "try to" do something--but "try and"? Yet, I am seeing it in print with much greater frequency.

 

[Sunnylims]

My horribly uneducated step-brother once asked me "What old I was." I think I had a meltdown. haha

 

[Ereth]

Agreed! What do you think of "try and"? As in, "I'm going to try and climb Mt. Everest next year?" It seems to me that one can "try to" do something--but "try and"? Yet, I am seeing it in print with much greater frequency.

It's probably more formal to say "try to," but phrases like "try and" do have a place in the language. It seems similar to the Texan "fixin' to," which my father uses. (He calls it the state verb.)

 

[wyverary]

I suppose I'm in the minority here, as I tend to not care so much about grammar and spelling, so long as what is said is comprehensible and gets the point across. In spoken conversation, especially, I don't think it's terribly important to try and incorporate all the rules of the proverbial book...I use a lot of idioms and "shortcuts" myself, and one has to accept that it's more often than not a cultural thing rather than knowledge or education. An exception to that could be something like what one often sees written on social media, when the offense to grammar and spelling is clearly born out of laziness rather than a lack of education...THAT bothers me quite a bit.