I worked as a copy editor for years, and as a result it's like having a nervous tic when I see mistakes like the wrong use of affect/effect, etc. But I just bite my tongue and let it pass, as in my experience, people don't like being pulled up on their grammar, no matter how gently and tactfully I try to put it!
The one that gets me most is the misuse of the apostrophe. I can't help it! Many people just use apostrophes for decorative effect. I think it's because they think the use of apostrophes is a really complex subject - but it's not! I used to be pretty clueless about it too, and the way I learned how not to use apostrophes was that whenever I was wondering whether to write "it's or its", I would say to myself "Put the dog in it is kennel".
These days I'm more relaxed about grammar. Bad grammar can slow you down when reading as it can be difficult to work out what the writer is really trying to say, but if it's just a few mistakes you generally get the jist.
And as for poetic license - eg, "fixin'" - I love it. One of my favourite YouTubers, who sadly died recently, was Dutch, and he had a creative way of writing his video titles. He always used to drop the 'g' at the end of a word, and use the definite article. So instead of "Bagging Ben More", he would write: "Baggin the Ben More". I love that.
Of course I make grammatical errors too, and you're right that it can be almost impossible to edit your own work. I find it helps to glance over it again 24 hours later.
You are viewing a single comment's thread from:
It seems to be pretty much the consensus that proofing your own work is difficult. I didn't believe that I was alone in that boat, and I don't mind if people toss me a line that I need to correct, I'll gladly accept it and make the corrections.
I am glad that they have an "edit" button for sure, mine gets a pretty regular workout.
Yeah I'm glad for that "edit" button too! If I see any "howlers" on your posts I will gently point them out, but so far I've never noticed any. I will ignore minor errors, as this is part of my therapy to try and disengage from my former copy-editing grammar mania!
I have a good friend who has a habit of mispronouncing words, often quite hilariously, but if anyone corrects her, she gets really upset. She's very intelligent, and it could be a kind of dyslexia. So I just bite my tongue when she calls Lake Garda "Lake Giardia" or a friend's dog called Diego, "Dago".