What kind of error is using Women instead of Woman
An online argument.
Guy says "You are looking for a women".
Girl replies "talking all that sh*t with bad Grammar".
Guy replies "Spelling is not a part of Grammar".
Another guy says "when someone uses a wrong word through spelling, while intending to use another, it is a grammatical error.
Is it a grammatical error, or a usage error? If grammar is about structure, how is this a grammatical error?
Solution 1:
Spelling mistakes are not grammatical errors. They’re just glitches in the execution of one or another encoding technology used for the language. If you cannot hear it, it’s not grammar.
But using a plural for a singular or vice versa is very much a grammatical error because you've broken obligatory numeric concord. Each of these is ungrammatical because of that:
- I am looking for a ❌puppies.
- I ❌are looking for a puppy.
- Those ❌puppy are hungry.
- These puppies ❌is hungry.
- I am looking for a ❌mice.
- I ❌are looking for a mouse.
- Those ❌mouse are hungry.
- These mice ❌is hungry.
- I am looking for a ❌children.
- I ❌are looking for a child.
- Those ❌child are hungry.
- These children ❌is hungry.
- I am looking for a ❌women.
- I ❌are looking for a woman.
- Those ❌woman are hungry.
- These women ❌is hungry.
Spelıng ᴅᴜᴢᴢɪɴᴛ mattǝr: pea-pill ʀɪᴛᴇ ɼonɠue thingɀ aⱳl ꞇʜe ᴛʜʏᴍᴇ, buttᵉ theᴉr stiɭ ɢʀᴀᴍᴀᴛɪᴋɪʟ.
The previous sentence was grammatical but ill-written. Different concepts all together. Orthography is not grammar. It’s merely writing.
For grammar, it’s the morphology that matters here, for morphology is part of grammar. It’s something you can hear, just like syntax.
Solution 2:
The issue about grammar has already been addressed, so this answer takes a broader perspective.
Your quote is a case where being wrong in one category can make it right in another.
- Being wrong grammatically (grammatical agreement) means the spelling (of the plural) is right.
- Having the wrong spelling (should be singular) means the grammar isn’t the problem.