I blame the lack of people reading books, good magazines, and quality newspapers (if there are any left) for the degradation of grammar skills in our society. If people read, they'd know that "for all intents and purposes" is NOT "for all intensive purposes," and that "wrought iron" is NOT "rod iron." (That's a new one on me!) Add to that the fact that people apparently see no need to proofread what they've written on their phones or what they've allowed spell check (which is wrong about as often as it is right) to change, and we're heading down the toilet as far as written language is concerned!

I wonder how this affects mystery shopping. I know we don't have to be perfect in our reports, but I suspect that when people accuse editors of being too picky or complain about being asked follow-up questions that sometimes it's due to shoppers' own lack of grammar skills. I belong to a Facebook group of shoppers, and am appalled at the spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors in people's posts. It's one thing to be casual and less than meticulous about what you write online, but it's usually easy to tell when someone is being casual vs. when they really don't know the diff between "your" and "you're" and "it's" and "its." Or "their," "there," and "they're." Three problems that a report should never include. They may be easy typos to make, but proofreading (with our own eyes and brain) should catch them.

I thought about applying to be an editor for a company that I shop for, but decided it would be far too much work and far too frustrating for the amount of pay. I get crazy proofreading and editing clients' work as it is. I don't need more things to drive me over the edge!

The ultimate is when you read the guidelines from a company warning you that you must submit a perfect report, but the guidelines have grammatical and usage errors.

@christinereed wrote:

The ultimate is when you read the guidelines from a company warning you that you must submit a perfect report, but the guidelines have grammatical and usage errors.

I think this bothers me more than any other issue I encounter in mystery shopping! I just hate it when I see assignments and guidelines that are laden with errors. I've posted here before about instructions that, in writing, say exactly the opposite of what they mean. Such as the bank-shop guidelines that state to arrive "within 30 minutes of closing." What they really mean is to NOT arrive within 30 minutes of closing.

And then there are the instructions that are so poorly written I can't figure out what the heck they mean. It's pretty ironic to be required to have great writing skills when the MSC's can't get their own materials properly written. Not to mention their (often) poorly written websites.

@christinereed wrote:

The ultimate is when you read the guidelines from a company warning you that you must submit a perfect report, but the guidelines have grammatical and usage errors.

I have seen the actual sentence in the guidelines asking you to proof read your report for spelling errors have two letters transposed. Talk about a double standard.

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 01:22PM by scanman1.

I get resumes where people say they are "detailed orientated"

I have seen the actual sentence in the guidelines asking you to proof read your report for spelling errors have two letters transposed. Talk about a double standard.

"proofread"



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 03:24PM by Summit Scheduling.

@Summit Scheduling wrote:

I get resumes where people say they are "detailed orientated"

Arrgghhh.... Nope.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 03:28PM by BirdyC.

Another pet peeve is the increasingly seen lack of differentiation between "every day" and "everyday."

Everyday, of course, being an adjective to describe something that happens every day. It's getting so that I never see "every day" written out.

@BirdyC wrote:

Another pet peeve is the increasingly seen lack of differentiation between "every day" and "everyday."

Everyday, of course, being an adjective to describe something that happens every day. It's getting so that I never see "every day" written out.

I thought there was a difference.
"Every day" I go to the market.
I go to the market "everyday."

@sillysister74 wrote:

I thought there was a difference.
"Every day" I go to the market.
I go to the market "everyday."

LOL, sillysister! Sadly, many do not seem to know what that difference is!

It's getting so that it's an everyday occurrence to see people write, "I go to the market everyday." I see things like that almost every day. (We could get very silly with this, couldn't we?)



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 06:49PM by BirdyC.

@BirdyC wrote:

@christinereed wrote:

The ultimate is when you read the guidelines from a company warning you that you must submit a perfect report, but the guidelines have grammatical and usage errors.

I think this bothers me more than any other issue I encounter in mystery shopping! I just hate it when I see assignments and guidelines that are laden with errors. I've posted here before about instructions that, in writing, say exactly the opposite of what they mean. Such as the bank-shop guidelines that state to arrive "within 30 minutes of closing." What they really mean is to NOT arrive within 30 minutes of closing.

And then there are the instructions that are so poorly written I can't figure out what the heck they mean. It's pretty ironic to be required to have great writing skills when the MSC's can't get their own materials properly written. Not to mention their (often) poorly written websites.

My first shop said to be sure to order the following required items: an appetizer (optional), and an entree. Huh?? Well, for pity's sake. Is it required? Or is it optional? Talk about confusing the new kid. <insert eyeroll here>

I feel so close to you all. I think I have found my people!

@Threemom wrote:

I feel so close to you all. I think I have found my people!

I fear we're becoming extinct.

@touchshopper wrote:

My first shop said to be sure to order the following required items: an appetizer (optional), and an entree. Huh?? Well, for pity's sake. Is it required? Or is it optional? Talk about confusing the new kid. <insert eyeroll here>

Speechless. For once.

@BirdyC, your signature line made me think of a new thing that annoys me: when spell-check doesn't know perfectly good words and assures me that I've misspelled them. Today's example was "outlier". What? That's a great word! It's not even that unusual...

My husband really hates "One of the only"

Yep. That spool checker really snows what use wants to say.

The spelling and grammar checker tells me that I am good to go with that sentence.

Delizzy



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/06/2015 09:38PM by Delizzy.

Birdy C, an apostrophe is one of the very few grammar items I know how to use properly most of the time. It is always autocorrected to 's when the word should read s'. Makes me batty. And while I'm on my little vent; I may have to dress down verbally or in written form the next time I hear or see the word 'irregardless'. What part of double negative escapes logical thought? Don't get me started with the sentence that begins with 'Me and ....'

I really enjoy your posts. Your thread suggestion is excellent.

Today my autocorrect attempted to change pop to PPP... Not sure what was happening there!!

Oh, and how about stationery vs. stationary? Another head banger.

As far as punctuation goes.... I like the used-too-rarely semi-colon; it's a marvelous device when a comma or a colon is incorrect and a period is too definite. But spell check is always telling me that the semi-colon is wrong! Thank you very much, Mr. or Ms. Spell Check, but I do know what a semi-colon is and how to use it. Please take your correction and stuff it.

@MA Smith wrote:

Birdy C, an apostrophe is one of the very few grammar items I know how to use properly most of the time. It is always autocorrected to 's when the word should read s'. Makes me batty. And while I'm on my little vent; I may have to dress down verbally or in written form the next time I hear or see the word 'irregardless'. What part of double negative escapes logical thought? Don't get me started with the sentence that begins with 'Me and ....'

I really enjoy your posts. Your thread suggestion is excellent.

Apparently spell check doesn't acknowledge the existence of the plural possessive.

Oh, and "irregardless" makes me violent.

@BirdyC wrote:

Oh, and how about stationery vs. stationary? Another head banger.

As far as punctuation goes.... I like the used-too-rarely semi-colon; it's a marvelous device when a comma or a colon is incorrect and a period is too definite.
...

My sister calls the semi-colon the feather boa of punctuation: you have to know what you're doing or it can look silly, and you have to be judicious in not over-using it or it becomes a distraction. But used just so... fabulous!

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

My sister calls the semi-colon the feather boa of punctuation: you have to know what you're doing or it can look silly, and you have to be judicious in not over-using it or it becomes a distraction. But used just so... fabulous!

Indeed it is fabulous when used correctly and appropriately. Your sister is a wise woman, CaliGirl!

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

@BirdyC wrote:

Oh, and how about stationery vs. stationary? Another head banger.

As far as punctuation goes.... I like the used-too-rarely semi-colon; it's a marvelous device when a comma or a colon is incorrect and a period is too definite.
...

My sister calls the semi-colon the feather boa of punctuation: you have to know what you're doing or it can look silly, and you have to be judicious in not over-using it or it becomes a distraction. But used just so... fabulous!

For a quite a few, including myself, the semi-colon has a special meaning.
[www.upworthy.com]

@BirdyC wrote:

Oh, and how about stationery vs. stationary? Another head banger.

As far as punctuation goes.... I like the used-too-rarely semi-colon; it's a marvelous device when a comma or a colon is incorrect and a period is too definite. But spell check is always telling me that the semi-colon is wrong! Thank you very much, Mr. or Ms. Spell Check, but I do know what a semi-colon is and how to use it. Please take your correction and stuff it.

Yes, the semi-colon is certainly having its heyday right now, showing up all over my campus and as tattoos.
I just want to add another one that kills me - A whole "nother" story. Ugh, just stop!!!!

@christinereed wrote:

The ultimate is when you read the guidelines from a company warning you that you must submit a perfect report, but the guidelines have grammatical and usage errors.

Oh my goodness yes! Here's one I just saw, written in the shop comments:
"Use spell check, proper grammar and punctuation. Take pride int he presentation of your work."
Okay I will, but you don't have to? Too funny!

@BirdyC wrote:

@MA Smith wrote:

Birdy C,
Oh, and "irregardless" makes me violent.

THANK YOU!, THANK YOU!, and THANK YOU! I swear to the heavens I ended up with one of the lowest grades I had in college because my professor was right behind me; I mouthed off that I did not know how anyone could get their doctorate and never found out 'irregardless' isn't a real word. She was also known for starting a sentence 'Me and...'

It's not so much I hate the word. I hate explaining the 2 negative. No one gets it. Tonight I'm a happy girl, my 94 year old dad pronounced guacamole correctly. We will now work on tortilla.

Yeah I hate the word. But I'm loving you.

Live your life in such a way that when your feet hit the floor in the morning; the devil shudders...And yells OH #%*+! SHE'S AWAKE!

@CaliGirl925 wrote:

@BirdyC, your signature line made me think of a new thing that annoys me: when spell-check doesn't know perfectly good words and assures me that I've misspelled them. Today's example was "outlier". What? That's a great word! It's not even that unusual...

Thank you! Outlier is a real word. If for not 3 more courses I might have double majored and outlier was very important in my accounting/math world. Statistically an outlier is the stuff way out on the far side of the flat of a bell curve. It's not a common word but it is a word!, and it can be used in a sentence.

you rock!

I think the one I see most often (not in MS necessarily) is compliment vs. complement.