I like to think myself as an open-minded descriptivist when it comes to language, that is I think that there’s no such thing as right and wrong language, and that grammarians should only describe how language works, and not dictate what you can and can’t say (as a prescriptivist would). However, I have lurking just beneath the surface an inner Grammar Nazi armed with knowledge of the ‘rules’ of English, honed through a couple of years studying English Language in VCE, and it’s aching to get out and correct people at the slightest absent or superfluous apostrophe. This is my attempt to defend myself and argue that it is okay to correct people on occasion, even if I know that what they’ve said or written is not ‘wrong’ per se. These are my guidelines for when it’s ok to correct people’s English:
My overarching criterion is: Don’t be a dick.
