There, They're, Their





I spent most of my working life as a newspaper sub-editor so people think I'm a grammar and spelling Nazi, but I'm not. I couldn't care less if you don't know the difference between your and you're or its and it's - unless it's (not its) your (not you're) job to know.

My partner is a cabinet-maker. He's not brilliant at spelling but then, I couldn't knock up a beautiful Welsh dresser if you gave me all the state-of-the-art tools in the world and a year to finish it. Each to his own.

However… if you're (not your) a person who makes their (not there) living with the written word then you should be able to spell the damn word. It's a part of the skill-set. I don't expect a brain surgeon to tell me they are  darn good at their job, well, apart from the slight matter of being an alcoholic with the shakes.

I don't want my bankers to be innumerate, my roofer to be afraid of heights or my gardener to be allergic to plants.




This principle doesn't seem to hold true in the world of the media. I can forgive the odd error - it might just be a typo and we all make mistakes when we're rushed or tired. But some of the media is littered with ungrammatical, badly spelled articles and postings. Even the Daily Mail website was wittering on about Jada Pinkett Smith getting a "desert" thrown in her face on a TV show. Which desert would that be; the Sahara, the Gobi, the Kalahari?




So what has brought on this rant? Two things. There is, as I write, someone on the Linkedin website who is advertising their services as an EDITER. I go to the foot of our stairs. Then I read that The Apostrophe Protection Society had been shut down because, said its chairman “ignorance and laziness” had won.


Look at this: 



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7 comments:

  1. I love this post! I struggle with certain punctuation marks like the proper use of : and ; and I have a list of words I frequently misspell by my computer. Every time I'm about to type dessert or desert I consult my list.

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    1. We all have blindspots! I'm a good speller but I don't know how to spell every word, obviously, but I guess my super power is being able to look at a word and know it is spelled wrong, even if I'm not sure of the correct spelling.

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  2. I saw a cartoon in an English teacher's classroom. The caption read: "How to comfort a grammar Nazi: they're, their, there." I get really irritated when people use the wrong one, but I too make allowances for those who should know better and those who don't. And don't you know, any time you attempt to correct someone else's grammar on the internet, your post will contain at least one grammar error. (I just hate it when those slip through.)

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    1. I always feel mortified when I spot an obvious mistake in my writing!

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  3. An "editer"? oh my! This person would probably edit according to her/his own special spelling and grammar knowledge. I cringe at the spelling and grammar of some of the blogs I read and glance at my pencil holder coffee mug that says "I'm silently correcting your grammar"

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    1. I must admit I was genuinely shocked when I read it. I like your coffee mug slogan!

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  4. I absolutely adore language and all its complexities. It's been sad to see editing gone the way of the dodo. ~sigh~ Be well!

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