I to am a Stupid People

Today I found myself making an erroneous attempt at humor. I say erroneous because it went horribly wrong.

I posted this on Facebook to one of my friends who works at a Veterinary Clinic:
"Sorry about the cat bite...that bites!! Tell Dr. Carter I said that...you know how he loves those puns!! Their so punny!! :)"

Okay. Do you see my mistake?

It is a common error and one that has become one of my biggest pet peeves over the years, which makes it ironic that I would do it myself. I mean, usually, I get physically disgusted when people do this. Okay, maybe not physically (I mean it's not like I throw up or anything) but seriously, this really really bothers me.

Still haven't guessed it yet?

Well it is the common grammatical error with the words "their, there, and they're." I know for some this may seem trivial but to me, it is annoying. It is fundamental grammar; something that should have been taught and memorized when you learned to spell. There are other examples that irritate me just as much: your and you're; effect and affect; to, two, and too; it's and its; where, were, and we're (there are more, but you get my point).

But why does this bother me?

Me of all people! Me, the girl who cannot spell. The answer is simple really. It is just a stupid pet peeve that really has no basis. And on top of it, I STILL have to look up the difference between words like "empathize and sympathize" and "then and than" and sometimes I STILL use the wrong one. I know I am not perfect nor do I know everything in the world, but it for some strange reason makes me shudder when people screw up these little words.

It reminds me of one of my favorite books called " Eats, Shoots and Leaves" by: Lynn Truss, a British journalist who was sick and tired of people getting it wrong. But she is way worse than me. Truss is what I would call a grammar bully (a term which I did not pen). I have a friend, whom I love dearly, but she can be a bit like this as well. Let me clarify, that I do not think she is a grammar bully, but rather a word connoisseur and pretty much knows her stuff. You see, I would not correct someone unless I knew we had that kind of relationship that it would be a welcomed critique rather than taken with ill intentions. People like my friend and Truss are such sticklers for proper grammar that they cannot help themselves and immediately correct a person, regardless of whether they welcome the critique or not. They do not see this as demeaning or uppity, they are just simply correcting a wrong, and after all, wouldn't you want to know if you were wrong?

See the problem with this for many, and I have been one of them in the past, is that it feels like they are saying, "Hey Dumbass! Are you stupid or what?" I know they are not saying this and it's only my imagination fueling this ridiculous reaction, but all the same, that is how it comes across for many. So, I have decided, as a rule of thumb, to not correct people...unless I know for sure it will not be misunderstood. Like my friend who is the stickler, I could tell her if she made a mistake and she would not mind the correction. She WOULD, however, debate me on the issue because it would be difficult for her to believe that she is wrong and I am right!! :)

So the question therein lies, what would you do? If you saw a grammatical error such as the "there, their, and they're" debacle, would you correct them? Or would you just let it go and secretly keep a mental note of the mistake? And on the flip side, if someone does correct you if you were to make such a grammatical faux pas, would you be offended or would you welcome the correction?

Food for thought.

All I have to say is that I am not afraid to correct myself, which I did (on Facebook) and I drew attention to the fact that I too am wrong sometimes and we all make mistakes, so we need to just GET OVER IT!! Right?

Hmmmm. I suppose that is easier said than done!

Wishing you all good health and humor!