Possibly Tedc, maybe just the one. However, it’s far too early for the comma police to be on duty and noticing, or so I thought! 
There’s always just the odd one lurking somewhere though!
I don’t correct anyone’s spelling or grammar either but I used to with my husband. Now I just let stuff go. For myself, it’s more of an ocd thing. The good thing is that I’m now fully aware that I do it. Plus like yourself, a big portion of this is from being a control quality inspector for so long, so is job related. Analyzing becomes habitual.
1 Like
……… 
That is what happens with me, I realise it’s something I do and have done for the last five decades so very difficult to just ignore.
I often say “it’s just how my mother put my hat on”, that usually suffices when comments are made about me noticing an error!
Earlier in this thread I believe someone mentioned about engineers being pedantic. This is something I’ve noticed too, there are engineers in my family who are very precise in their ways about detail.
1 Like
I think I picked this up from my father. He has ocd and was an engineer. Everything was/is precise.
Precise! That’s a good word for it.
1 Like
Obviously there are areas where you have to be precise, jobs etc.
Anyone who starts being pedantic with me, which thinking about it I’ve had, I guess it depends if they are paying for the job.
In my every day life I wouldn’t put up with one can’t stand being around nit pickers, who point things out to you, where they imo should be pointing back the finger at themselves.quite a few of those on forums as well.
1 Like
I am well aware of the inner pedant that is inside me. I can’t help it. Accuracy in spelling and grammar was considered very important in my, ahem, Grammar school. I always feel it keenly when the rules are broken though I realise that most people don’t care.
Two examples will indicate my problem.
Nowadays a lot of people think that ‘would of’ is correct though I know that ‘would have’ is required. Another example is the ubiquitous ‘wanna’. Both of us at home depend on the subtitles when we watch the telly. The subtitle writers are very keen on ‘wanna’ even when the person speaking has clearly said ‘want to’. I suppose they think that they are correcting the actor’s mistake.
2 Likes
Baz,
I wonder if “very precise” people are drawn, towards engineering, rather than engineering people becoming “very precise”, because of their experience as an engineer?
Just a thought.
Another thought, isn’t it natural to make mistakes?
Is the real problem, with the Pedantics, that they feel the need to put you right (publicly)?
That’s the bit which is embarrassing to the “man in the street”.
I don’t mind, too much, being a bit stupid, but I hate being told that I’m stupid, in public!
They only annoy me if they do it to put people down and show them up and embarrass them, or to look clever or superior.
If they are just pointing out an mistake or error, in the workplace for example, that can be a good thing, but not if they’ve got a hidden agenda of making someone look bad in front of the boss!
There are times and places to correct something but usually it’s kinder and less self-serving to keep your mouth shut! Sometimes I wonder if some pedants are on the autistic spectrum.
2 Likes
For the record, I don’t point out people’s mistakes to them unless it’s affecting me personally. Example: you’ve given me the wrong change, you put the wrong name on a birthday cake, I asked for purple and got red instead type of situations.
Tiny little things most people wouldn’t notice, I don’t point out to them. Why would I? I don’t want to correspond with others needlessly.
I spend my life as far away from most people as possible and prefer it that way.
2 Likes
No. That’s just being an @ss****!
2 Likes
Reminds me of the old joke…
a little boy when asked where Is your grammar he replied… down the bingo with my grandpa 
2 Likes
That is possible I guess. We all have certain ways, traits and skills although I would rather suspect the attention to detail develops as a result of engineers continually having to be that way in their work.
I do know for certain that after being trained in my work, then being further trained to recognise something that is not aesthetically pleasing, that does have to be ‘taught’ rather than it existing in a person. The average person would not believe the lengths that are gone to in order to make a product aesthetically pleasing both in appearance and also in the descriptive text and photographs of that product. It really has to be seen to be believed.
1 Like
Hve alwys bin a rotun spelar.
1 Like
While I had electronic training to know components and how they all worked, I think my acute observation skills came from necessity as a youngster. I used this trait for protection purposes which I think just expanded from there.
I do believe most people naturally acquire these skills and are then more easily taught how to use them in a more refined way for production purposes etc but I could be wrong
1 Like
Adorable 
There’s another ‘old one’ where the absence of just one comma
completely changes the meaning, see below:
“It’s time to eat, grandma”
“It’s time to eat grandma”
The importance of correct punctuation!
1 Like
Pedants don’t annoy me, they educate me if anything. Anyway, I can always say, “I knew that!” when they correct me on a point. 
1 Like
Haha. Snort! Yeah! Comma punctuation can be serious stuff 
LOL!