Kind of Had an SC Moment

[sms001]

Had this happen last week woodensunshine. Not the clerk correcting me part, but the misuse of 'may ' and 'can.' Turns our that what thehuckster typed about the accuracy of the two words was spot on:

me - "May I have a pound of pastrami please?"
deli worker - "No, I'm sorry, we're out."
(me - " 'k, pound of roast beef.")

Guess I can't have it!

Seriously, it's a losing battle to correct most people's grammar, especially strangers, and it's VERY inappropriate to do so in a retail setting. I might of "corrected" your deli worker in turn by pointing that out, or I might have gotten snarky too; we're all subject to the moods of humans. CSers are just better informed and more empathetic about how it comes out.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

I explained to my trainer that I simply am unable to use the shortforms, and when she said I would start using it over time due to needing to type notes in on calls, I informed her that I can type about 72wpm accurately.

Yeah, I won't be using abbreviations in my notes if I can help it. But I know to expect it if I have to read anybody else's notes in a case. I am prepared to spend much of my time gritting my teeth -_-

Reading "chat speak" gives me eyestrain, so I've pretty much informed all my friends if they want to send me a text, e-mail, instant message, etc. that they better be using full words. I don't mind if they take longer to respond because of it, but I'd prefer not to get eyestrain and a headache from reading entire conversations of "lol so wut r u doin tom?" GAH!

Also I type at around 115-120 wpm accurately, so I'd be in the same boat as you. "I'll type out full words, thanks. If you had made the others do that they would've sped up as they got better at typing while on a call, but instead you gave them abbreviations that make all the notes look like you have an entire office of unprofessional teens." (Not that I would say anything past the first sentence, but I would be thinking it.)

[PepperElf]

Mr. Wooden asks if he CAN have roast beef.
Deli guy corrects his grammar using the excuse that his mother is a teacher.

The bitch in my wants to say, "Fine. GIVE me the roast beef."

but seriously, doesn't matter one bit if his mommy is a teacher. She's not here. And this ain't grammar school, it's a deli.

So the even bitchier side of me wants to say, "And when you're my teacher and not the deli-boy then you can correct my grammar. Give me roast beef."

[Gizmo]

I've also been seeing a lot of confusion between "now" and "know". Can't figure that one out.

I think it comes from the move towards more verbal learning and less written learning. There are a few other words which sound similar to each other but have different meanings that apparently people are starting to use interchangeably. I see "right" instead of "write", waste/weight", threw/through" & "meet/meat" mix ups all of the time. I'm not sure how much is teaching and how much is lazyness/stupidity though.

Although I also see people saying stuff like "My friend borrowed me..." instead of "loaned" and I come from an area that delights in using "learn" instead of "teach" ("That will learn 'em")

I don't bother correcting people - a) its rude and b) it will most likely fail to be understood anyway.

[PepperElf]

I don't bother correcting people - a) its rude and b) it will most likely fail to be understood anyway.

True. I mean sure I'll correct Mom - just cos it's revenge for all the times she corrected me - but correcting strangers is just rude and condescending.

Sure it fucking makes my skin crawl when people say things like "I seen" instead of "I've seen" ... but is telling them off really going to do anything? Seems to me more like another round of "putting someone down so I can feel good about myself".



You know if anything, the OP might want to consider letting the manager know what happened. Cos having an employee playing grammar-facist is just going to piss off paying customers.

[Andara Bledin]

So for something like work there is no way I can bring myself to using such horrible abbreviations in a professional setting.

I am the same way. I am incapable of using typed shorthand for most words, since by the time I've even considered the shorthand, I've already got the full word or phrase typed out and have moved on already.

When I'm dealing with space issues, or am hand-writing, however, it's a different matter.

The grammar thing that makes me twitch, mostly because the bosses do it all the time, is using I as part of a compound object of a preposition. >_<

For ****s sakes, man, you used to be a teacher; why don't you know that it's "with him and me" and not "with him and I"?!? Do you say "with I?" Of course not! So why the hell do you use "I" when you add another object?

^-.-^

[Zoom]

"Give me a XXX"

"Naw, but I'll sell you one."

[siskaren]

The grammar thing that makes me twitch, mostly because the bosses do it all the time, is using I as part of a compound object of a preposition. >_<

For ****s sakes, man, you used to be a teacher; why don't you know that it's "with him and me" and not "with him and I"?!? Do you say "with I?" Of course not! So why the hell do you use "I" when you add another object?

^-.-^

Oh God, I am so with you on this one! Where it really drives me nuts is when I hear it on a scripted TV show. Someone who's paid to write doesn't know this?

[PepperElf]

"Naw, but I'll sell you one."

tho, technically the deli-guy can't sell you anything. not unless he has a register.

internet abbreviations

I mean sure I might say "lol" but I rarely say things like "UR". Hell, it's the one way to seriously piss the fuck out of other gamers. Players running around saying "Heal plz!!!" and getting offended when you expect them to use manners cos it's just too hard to type...?

I literally had someone give me a complete heal, vs the small bit I'd asked for, simply because I typed out "May I please bother you for a heal?" or something like that. I used manners so she gave me more than I'd asked for.

So yes, manners can pay off

[WoodenSunshine]

You guys are fantastic! We went back to the same deli yesterday (why Mr. Wooden can't get roast beef and cheese at the same time is beyond me) and the same guy was there. Not a peep. Then again, there was another worker there too.

My biggest problem with words is the difference between affect and effect. I swear to you that I have to google it every single time that I have to use it. It's like the words are sprayed with Pam or something.

Also, as a side note, I have speak to people from all over this country on a daily basis. I've heard it all as far as accents and idioms. As much as I cringe when some people use certain word combinations, I don't correct them because a.) that's not my job, b.) it's rude, and c.) I learn a lot more about the world if I shut my mouth and listen.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

"Heal plz!!!"

BUFF PLOX! BUFF! HEY! BUFF PLOX U NOOB! FAIL NOOB GET A LIFE! BUFF ME.

Me: ... /afk

My biggest problem with words is the difference between affect and effect. I swear to you that I have to google it every single time that I have to use it. It's like the words are sprayed with Pam or something.

Effect is a noun. - The sound effects were amazing.
Affect is a verb. - The rain affected Amy's hair.


Though one mishap that really bothers me is the whole "nauseous" thing.

"It makes me feel nauseous."
No, no it doesn't, because if you felt nauseous then you'd be making the people around you feel sick. It makes you feel NAUSEATED.
Gah!

[PepperElf]

"It makes me feel nauseous."

i admit that's one that mom uses too. although to be honest it's not something I'd correct her on, even if I remembered that the phrase is inaccurate.

last thing i wanna do is nag mom when she's feeling like barfing while they flush the chemotherapy meds out of her. I'd feel like a jerk...

[WoodenSunshine]

Though one mishap that really bothers me is the whole "nauseous" thing.

"It makes me feel nauseous."
No, no it doesn't, because if you felt nauseous then you'd be making the people around you feel sick. It makes you feel NAUSEATED.
Gah!

I did not know this! Although, I suppose it doesn't matter when you're praying to the porcelain god.

I have a photo from Grammar Girl's website that illustrates affect and effect taped to my desk. It helps to have a visual representation.

[AmbrosiaWriter]

Well, I'd never correct some one who felt sick. I do correct when people don't feel sick and they're commenting on things that make them feel nauseated. Though it's never a snide correction, it's always:

"Oh? So you make people around you feel sick?" -said in a joking tone-

[thehuckster]

"Oh? So you make people around you feel sick?" -said in a joking tone-

As soon as someone feels nauseated, it tends to spread to others who all of a sudden are sort of "focused" on how their stomach feels and sometimes their sensitivity gets the better of them. A few times after a group of people and I have a meal and afterwards someone starts feeling queasy, I start wondering if it was the food we just ate and I start feeling queasy myself, even if it wasn't actually the food.

So, technically, they are nauseous. It's just that if they kept their mouth shut they'd merely be nauseated.