Reporting things

During a conversation, you can interpret anything you don't catch by non-verbal clues.

Try chatting in less-than-perfect French to a French native - they correct all your mistakes.

I came across a Facebook group t’other day and one of its’ “member rules” was no correcting their members spelling or grammar please.
Such pedantry is an attempt at hijacking a topic, (why not just start your own for heavens sake) It is often (I believe) an (unkind) way of demonstrating perceived superiority over others.
I am far more concerned with what someone has to say than how they say it and it would have to be practically indecipherable for me to “ not bother” reading because I don’t like capital letters/the font, a few too many full stops and exclamations etc. etc..
I mean to say, would you honestly interrupt a person (in person) during the course of a conversation, particularly a stranger, and correct them? ?

Calendargirl Practiss Practice makes perfick perfect.

Thank you Elegran, will practise!

HowdidIgetthisold12

Aveline

Can I just ask why you always use three full stops instead of just one?

Because she feels like it I guess....so do I if I feel like it...are we being policed now on our grammar? Give me strength.

No-one is policing posts, HowdidIgetthisold12 If you read Aveline's post, and my replies, you will see that we are just asking why the three dots were being used as full stops, and I added that I found it difficult to read a post without any spaces between one thought and the next.

That is no more "policing" than someone else finding it difficult to read something entirely in capitals, or someone else saying they just didn't understand what a poster meant by a statement and needed it explained.

Howdidigetthisold I wasn't 'policing' just asking. I wondered if it was a stream of consciousness post, a hesitant one or did the posters full stop button malfunction. With some very light keyboards it's hard to prevent repeats.
That's all nothing sinister.

Thanks for that , Elegran. Useful. As an ex teacher of English it seems there are a lot of us around judging by all the earlier posts.

Blossoming

I find posts in capitals difficult due to visual impairment. The letters just seem to run together in a big jumble. That’s my problem though, not the poster’s. It does mean I can’t always tell what people are saying and cannot respond as a result.

Are you alright with lowercase letters?

Something one can do on a computer is to copy a post onto the clipboard, then paste it into a text program - on Windows systems, the WordPad program is bundled in, so widely available.

Then select all the text and then reformat it into a larger font size, say 24 point.

Some text programs allow one to convert all capitals to lowercase.

Calendargirl Can I demonstrate the strike-through facility for you?

I'll do it using a capital X in place of these two dashes --, because as soon as I post my demonstration, they will vanish from sight while they do their work.

You have to place the two dashes right up against the start and finish of what you want to strike through, but with a space before the first two dashes, and another after the finishing two. Like this ( But put a - dash for each X.)

Blah blah XXstruckthroughXX more blah.
It shows in the post like this -
Blah blah struckthrough more blah.

Aveline

Can I just ask why you always use three full stops instead of just one?

Because she feels like it I guess....so do I if I feel like it...are we being policed now on our grammar? Give me strength.

I find posts in capitals difficult due to visual impairment. The letters just seem to run together in a big jumble. That’s my problem though, not the poster’s. It does mean I can’t always tell what people are saying and cannot respond as a result.

lemsip

MN is mumsnet

Thank you lemsip.

MerylStreep

AcornFairy
If you want to highlight something use the bold facility

Thank you for your suggestion MerylStreep.

MerylStreep

AcornFairy
If you want to highlight something use the bold facility

At the risk of sounding stupid, the ‘bold’ facility is fine, but I can’t seem to get the hang of the ‘strike through’ one.

Have often tried to use it, but failed.

Where am I going wrong?

AcornFairy
If you want to highlight something use the bold facility

Oh sugar. write, not right.

kittylester

Most of my posts are made on my phone.

That just amazes me. Mind you it takes me so long to right a post sometimes that the conversation has moved on!

MN is mumsnet

MawtheMerrier

I learned from MN that these are referred to as shouty capitals and do have that effect. I have a friend who tends to use capitals on FB and suspect this is accidental as she is not a shouty person.
I rarely use them by accident on the iPad, but on the Mac it is too easy to brush the “caps lock” key and then look like an irate fish wife!

I'm wondering if I come across as "an irate fish wife", as I do tend to use capitals when my intention it is to emphasis something! It is so easy for misunderstanding to arise so I try to not jump to conclusions.

By the way, what is MN?

I learned from MN that these are referred to as shouty capitals and do have that effect. I have a friend who tends to use capitals on FB and suspect this is accidental as she is not a shouty person.
I rarely use them by accident on the iPad, but on the Mac it is too easy to brush the “caps lock” key and then look like an irate fish wife!

Not intending to upset anyone, but I’m not keen on lots of CAPITAL letters in posts, or lots of !!!! or just too much excitable/ OTT/ in-your-face type posts.

Makes me feel tired just reading them.

My opinion only, of course.

I rarely if ever post on my phone - too fiddly.

Unless out and about I always WhatsApp friends & family on the laptop - as a touch-typist it suits my brain!

I think I use them ...... when I want to add a bit extra to what I have already said. I've no idea how they work really.

As for proof reading, during lockdown etc I used to do that because I was at home in the study on the computer. Now, I post 90% of the time using my phone while out and about, like now on a bench in a field! So it isn't always easy to proof read and make corrections, and often I have to leave off.

Most of my posts are made on my phone.

DaisyAnne

If someone were proofreading your post, the ellipses would need a space before and after.

I have no idea how people type posts into phones. I use them for messaging; they often take over.

If someone were proofreading your post, the ellipses would need a space before and after.

Correct. I have informally adapted this informal way of writing.

I've watched young people type into their 'phones - they appear to use both thumbs at speed. I think the keyboard is too tiny to use any other way!