Another grumble....

I've seen 'Chester drawers' advertised several times on Facebook buy n sell pages. One that took a bit of working out recently was someone asking if anyone had a "Harley Quinn" outfit she could borrow!

Those are both brilliant, definitely for the staffroom notice board!

Two great ones from my grandson's school (can't be too critical, they're still learning, but these are too good not to share):
From his friend, writing about his favourite subjects: "I like fonix".
From my grandson, in his English exercise book: "Hear are some homophones " .
As his Mum said, these would actually be quite witty if they'd been written on purpose!

Small GS, after jumping on his DF, solemnly told me he mustn't hurt Daddy's besticles!

Predictive text isn't really an excuse for spelling and grammar errors on FB as they have an edit facility.

I noticed on a menu that coldsaw was available with salad.

Has anyone else noticed that estate agents will describe houses as having Dorma windows?

I agree absent

I don't think there is more illiteracy around than in the past; quite the contrary and far from it. I do think it is very important – sometimes critical – to use words correctly. I should like teachers to be left alone, without diktats from government about how to do their job, to ensure that, largely, this happens.

My grandson when small asked if he could have 'quad bikes and ships' from the fish and chip shop. Cod bites and chips.

My friend told a new doctor that she takes frolic acid!

Don't know if anyone noticed, Overthehills, but they used that expression on the last episode of Howard's End. "I'm good" in reply to the question "how are you".
Also some tv presenter recently said "they're on tenderhooks"

My grandson insists that the weapon in Starwars is a light 'saver'. I thought this amusing until I saw that Amazon and Ebay often use this spelling!

I think 'ship this couple' is shorthand for do you want this couple to be in a relationSHIP. Many people 'shipped' Ted & Robin in How I Met Your Mother, although I certainly did not. I think it is a dreadful phrase.

Me: How are you?
A N Other: I’m good!
Me: I’ll be the judge of that!

Far North - gesture, of course, thanks!

The villain in many apparently illiterate emails is the dratted corrector which makes gibberish of many communications. I am an excellent speller, but keep the thing to speed up the chore of typing. I have often been embarrassed by stupid looking vocabulary in messages I did not check sufficiently. Maybe my next resolution is to find out how to delete this menace to communication.

Goodwill gesture

Ship this couple, though??

Nope - I can't fathom either 'good will jester' or 'ship this couple'. Elucidation please!

Jane10, I have a problem with “good” as well. I always want to tell people I wasn’t asking about their behaviour!

War drove (wardrobe) chester draws, they're, their, there, allowed, aloud - so many that drive me bonkers. I think "gotten" is the one that gets to me the most. It was even written in the itinerary from our last tour operator as in "tickets can be gotten....".

I think President Bush has a lot to answer for.

There have always been a lot of people who find spelling and grammar difficult. I was amazed when I was teaching how many children confused words like accept and except , rigid and ridged. It's not to do with teaching standards falling really, some will never get it. But today we come across a much wider range of people through social media (such as this site too) so it seems to some of us (Including me) that there is more illiteracy about. My own problem is that I'm writing on my phone with predictive text which I can't work out how to switch off!

Someone wrote (on email, so dont blame facebook) that he loves eating profiter rolls

A student of mine once used ‘haughty culture’ instead of ‘horticulture’.