I am bit cross

Yes it is rude to correct people. I once corrected my late MIL, about 30 years ago, for mispronouncing Penelope when reading to my small children. She was livid to say the least and told me how rude it was to correct people. Lesson learned.

I always notice incorrect grammar because that is just the way I am. However I would never ever dream of correcting anyone!

I would never make a public correction of a friend's grammar - it's disloyal rather than rude. However, I am dismayed at the general level of poor grammar amongst so-called 'nationals'. And, the idea that an apostrophe is 'only an apostrophe' is the reason why so many younger members of the population are unable to use apostrophes. Unfortunately, this is not helped by the predictor on smart phones/tablets that often 'corrects' words it doesn't like and puts in something else quite ridiculous. With the enormous changes in our society resulting from waves of migration the English language is degrading as I hear everywhere the phrase 'innit?' not even being used to represent isn't it? but just as an ending to a sentence. So, if we want to preserve our national language we should not only write it correctly but we should speak it correctly too.

My iPad has a nasty habit of correcting and adding things of its own accord. It really makes me doubt myself!

I notice such things but would never comment. Why would I want someone to feel inadequate?

You can't rely on your spell check, it is sometimes wrong. You would not believe the number of CVs I used to receive from accountants who were experienced at bank reconciliation's!

A Fb post which pops up now and again is: "If you see a post from me where I use your instead of you're send out a search party, I have been kidnapped"!

I agree it is a wee bit cheeky but what do they actually teach in school now. I frequently find myself correcting my grandchildren who constantly say "me and whoever are going to wherever". When I tell them it should be "whoever and I " they ask why. I also hear it on television all the time and it really irritates me. I would however never correct an adult, although feel if children are never told where they are going wrong how will it ever change

Calm down louli
They’re, their, there!

My instinct is to correct grammar and punctuation, but I have learnt that on forums we are not supposed to do it. I still find it difficult not to, though.

I think it's quite rude too, I'm sure a lot of us type very quickly on Facebook and press enter without going over every bit of punctuation!

I have a sister who is like that in regards to things you say and how you say them. I once made the apparently unforgivable mistake of calling my 'living room' the 'lounge'. My sister leapt on me immediately with 'one only has a lounge at an Airport, not in one's home!'
I also apparently don't pronounce Luton or Gatwick correctly as I have a tendency to not pronounce the 't' properly. Quite honestly I don't care and find it really petty when people do things like that!

Summerstorm - that it something that irritates me too. Irrationally so.

I had a standing joke with my ex manager, who would always say "me and George went . . . " and I would immediately jump in with "George and I". It could take a very long time to tell a tale, and we'd both end up in fits of laughter.

I think there is a time and a place for correcting things, but you have to choose your time carefully. I used to correct my children's teachers' comments on homework. If they can't write correctly, how on earth were they meant to teach my children? Thankfully all my children have mastered the knack of spelling, grammar and punctuation. I think I would have had to disown them if they'd become sloppy with it!

Personally, if I had said something incorrectly, I would far rather be corrected, than to continue with the error.

(Posts, desperately hoping that there are no glaring errors in the post!!!)

It's never too late to learn to use grammar correctly. You've now learnt something new or, at least, you have been reminded about something you should have learnt at school! Happy spelling from now on.

louli - I know that the apostrophe confuses many people DH sometimes uses them when they are not needed - eg when a word is in the plural.

The apostrophe is used for 2 reasons (based on what my grammar book says). Here are examples.

1. To show something belongs to someone.

eg "Look at the girl's dog".

Note - where there is more than one owner, the apostrophe moves to the end - thus "the girls' dog".

2. Where a letter has been missed out

eg "The dog's growling". "Oh no he isn't."

I hope that helps.

I find it amazing how individuals take it upon themselves, entirely unasked to correct various posts for grammar/spelling etc.

I think their crass social skills and rudeness could also do with a correction as well, but I am too well mannered to say so

Oh dear!! Lesson 1

Really pees me off when people do that, so annoying haven't they got anything better to do with there lives, need to get out more.

I do not have this problem. My friends are literate, so there is no need for me to correct their spelling punctuation or grammar. My friends and I are a cell of the paramilitary wing of the Punctuation Society.

Yes, it does matter so much IMO, however it is still very rude of someone to correct you if you have not asked them to do so.

The evil hive-mind in my mobile phone has just removed a comma from my previous post. I will now consider whether the destruction of all spell-checkers and auto-correct programmes should be my next mission.

rambling rose I am sure it was kindly meant but I don’t think many of us need a lesson!

Grampie - I only use data in the plural anyway

Exalted - I disagree. While yes, of course, it’s bad manners to pick someone up on a grammatical error, I don’t see why it should be “even ruder” to pick up someone who points out the error. They are being gratuitously rude and I see no harm in pointing that out to them. Anyway FB is full of bad grammar, that’s just how it is.

Fine example of small mindedness!

I don't do Facebook Skype or Twitter
Am I missing out?

As long as you are understood I see no problem. What I find annoying is the complete lack of punctuation! No capitals or commas. You have to work so hard to understand what’s being said.

I've got Grammarly installed on my Chrome which checks for apostrophes and the like. Grammer does change the meaning of the sentence but I wouldn't bother contacting the writer over it! Shows small-mindedness as they haven't any contribution to the discussion.

We received a form from the council in conjunction with the police, there were mistakes in the grammar and wrongly inserted apostrophes. I ssuggested to DH that he corrected the mistakes before filling in the form.