Punishing "grammar police

feralmaker7 said:Main thing is you understood my point.😁 Maybe the difference is small, but I didn't mean anything by it—I don't always write in perfect textbook English either, and I make mistakes (or errrors😕). But tell me—does it actually bother you when people write without periods, commas... or anything at all? Just curious.

That's rough. Though, honestly, that nylon isn't good for anything—you can always give it another shot.🙂

feralmaker7 said:So, that's it.

hiddensailor14 said:So, she’s actually out there preaching about spelling mistakes now...🙄

P.S. It's spelled Scarlett O'Hara...😛

Like they already told you, just focus on what’s actually being said...😉

Jeremy Diaz9 said:This is what happens when I try to quote your comment.
How am I supposed to actually talk to you like this?
Maybe take a moment to learn how to use the quote function.
It’s not about being rude or nitpicking, but there really is such a thing as forum etiquette.
Fix your post, and then maybe we can start over...

feralmaker7 said:It wasn't intentional—I was just trying to type a normal reply and it ended up looking like this. Honestly, it might be best if we don't chat, since you clearly already have a negative opinion of me. I'll try to fix the post, though the last one already took way too much effort. Actually, I don't even know how to fix it—I just checked and the edit option is gone.

Jeremy Diaz9 said:Anyway, let's not hold a grudge.
The bottom line is, playing editor for other people's comments never ends well; it always just ends up provoking someone into an argument.
Just look at where this thread has headed ever since you showed up with your "editing skills."
It’s particularly irritating when someone who is also illiterate tries to act like an editor.
You can claim you're perfectly literate, of course, but you aren't.
And I would never, ever nitpick about someone forgetting a space after a comma if you hadn't taken it upon yourself to correct others.
The same thing applied to Jason Campbell70.
And this thread itself is proof of that.
Let me repeat: whenever editors show up—whether they mean well or not—the whole discussion goes off the rails.
That's all there is to it.
As for how you write, frankly, I couldn't care less, as long as I can understand what you're trying to say.
Is that clear enough for you now?

feralmaker7 said:Look, I know how to spell—honestly, when I signed up, the system wouldn't let me use an apostrophe in my username, so I had to settle for this. Seriously.🙄 What "meaning" am I supposed to focus on? And if you're going to lecture me and roll your eyes at the same time, at least get your own grammar right so I don't have to feel embarrassed for you.

Andrew Sanchez572 said:Once again, an authority on etiquette (and a true veteran of this forum) has emerged 🙄🙄🙄
. Not only does this individual possess a certain flair for writing, but they serve as a shining example of courtesy to all our fellow forum users—and especially to the ladies among us 🙏
. It’s quite a phenomenon... it honestly feels as though I were to wander into a discussion about lawn care just to argue against people smoking on their own grass 😂
.

Jeremy Diaz9 said:Anyway, let's not hold a grudge.
The bottom line is, playing editor for other people's comments never ends well; it always just ends up provoking someone into an argument.
Just look at where this thread has headed ever since you showed up with your "editing skills."
It’s particularly irritating when someone who is also illiterate tries to act like an editor.
You can claim you're perfectly literate, of course, but you aren't.
And I would never, ever nitpick about someone forgetting a space after a comma if you hadn't taken it upon yourself to correct others.
The same thing applied to Jason Campbell70.
And this thread itself is proof of that.
Let me repeat: whenever editors show up—whether they mean well or not—the whole discussion goes off the rails.
That's all there is to it.
As for how you write, frankly, I couldn't care less, as long as I can understand what you're trying to say.
Is that clear enough for you now?

feralmaker7 said:It isn't the correcting itself that gets under my skin—it's the attitude behind it. I wrote my first post because I simply wanted to share my perspective, and I didn't expect it to spiral into some massive debate. Am I perfectly literate? No—perfection doesn't exist—but I'm certainly not illiterate. And I wasn't "playing editor"; I was just expressing what bothers me and providing an example to make my point clearer. I don't consider that being a grammarian. I could easily list every mistake you made in this post right now, but I won't—because that's not what I do. That doesn't mean I don't notice them. At least you're putting spaces after your commas. 🙂

Jeremy Diaz9 said:And you, naturally, will seize any given opportunity to sneak in a little plug for drugs.
Isn't that right?

hiddensailor14 said:Well, you probably realize just how many different grammar rules we juggle here. It feels like our linguists can only agree on one thing: they can't agree on anything else...😁
People make mistakes—typos, slips of the pen, whatever. So how exactly are you planning to decide who's writing correctly and who's just uneducated?
It seems to me that spelling errors only bother you when people are actually trying to write, or when they're attempting a specific regional dialect. Meanwhile, folks from the rural South or the Midwest can write however they want, provided they aren't totally butchering the basic vocabulary.😕 That doesn't really matter. Look at me. I can barely manage the standard way or the regional ways, so what am I even supposed to do?🤷 If I were small and tried to write something decent, I'd probably get a failing grade. And yet, I'd still try to write something smart...
I just sat down to read a few things...🤔
But it doesn't really matter what the main rule is...👏

Jerry Martin19 said:Glad you two smoothed things over so fast. Usually, these petty bickering matches turn into multi-day wars, but thank God you guys are reasonable. 🙂

Scarlett, Jeremy Diaz9 explained the point of the thread and why he feels the way he does. It isn't about whether your intentions were good or someone else's were bad (even though we mostly criticized those doing it with bad intentions); it's about the fact that correcting someone's grammar almost never stays on topic. It just spawns arguments, bickering, or more simply, ad hominem attacks and other garbage that has nothing to do with the actual discussion. I started this topic specifically so these things happen less often. For my own sake, and hopefully for everyone else's too...

p.s. regardless of grammar, good intentions are still good intentions. They might be misinterpreted, or have a negative cause (like this case), and sadly, they're becoming less accepted on this forum. Anyway, it's good to know there are still some users here you can actually talk to normally. 🙂

Jerry Martin19 said:Glad you two smoothed things over so fast. Usually, these petty bickering matches turn into multi-day wars, but thank God you guys are reasonable. 🙂

Scarlett, Jeremy Diaz9 explained the point of the thread and why he feels the way he does. It isn't about whether your intentions were good or someone else's were bad (even though we mostly criticized those doing it with bad intentions); it's about the fact that correcting someone's grammar almost never stays on topic. It just spawns arguments, bickering, or more simply, ad hominem attacks and other garbage that has nothing to do with the actual discussion. I started this topic specifically so these things happen less often. For my own sake, and hopefully for everyone else's too...

p.s. regardless of grammar, good intentions are still good intentions. They might be misinterpreted, or have a negative cause (like this case), and sadly, they're becoming less accepted on this forum. Anyway, it's good to know there are still some users here you can actually talk to normally. 🙂

feralmaker7 said:Honestly, I’m not even sure how many different style guides we actually have to choose from—I still find myself sticking to the old-school ones from back in the early '70s.🙂 Look, since standard American English is the official benchmark, if you try to write using that specific formal structure and mess up, it just looks like you don't have a handle on the language—generally speaking. But when you lean into regional dialects, you get a bit more leeway because there aren't strict rules to follow—unless, of course, you're measuring them against the formal standard. Speaking in a local dialect is honestly like knowing a second language; we have so many variations that it's almost like people from one small town can't even understand someone from the next county over, right? So, reading this post written in that heavy regional dialect feels like reading an entirely foreign language. Strictly speaking, anything that isn't standard American English would be considered "wrong," but since those dialects are still part of the American linguistic fabric, they aren't actually wrong. They are—but they aren't.🙂If I remember my school days correctly—and my memory isn't *that* bad—the regional dialect used to be an official language back in the day.
Honestly, I just don't have the energy to argue about this anymore—people can make up their own theories about what's "right" regardless of the actual rules. I was just pointing out what bothers me about poor grammar; I wasn't looking for a fight. To wrap this up: I don't think editors should be punished—but those people using insults just to mock others? Yeah, they definitely should. I know most of you disagree, but I’m not asking for consensus—I’m just saying my piece because I can, you know?🙂
On a side note—I happened to stumble upon my namesake with an apostrophe today. She actually signed up a whole year before I did, so... yeah, I guess I'm just stuck without my little apostrophe!
Your accent is pretty charming—really—but I have to be honest, it takes me a second longer to process what you’re saying when I read it. Just because of that, I'm hoping you might try sticking to standard American English, even if you make a few mistakes here and there.🙂 The main thing is just having something smart to say—and I mean that sincerely, not ironically or anything like that, just so there's no confusion.
Kind regards!👍

hiddensailor14 said:A few, maybe three or four. That's just too many.

Oh, there are plenty. It's just that people always find a way to wiggle out of it by claiming that where they grew up, they speak and write differently.😁

I'm with you on that.👍
Besides, it doesn't really bother me either way, since I rarely make mistakes myself...😬

Morgan Rodriguez57 said:😂 🤣

Oh, come on—it’s almost painful to listen to on TV when nearly every single word has the wrong emphasis... 🙏 😁

Jason Campbell70 said:Seriously, I wasn't even talking to you.🙏

Ethan Martinez11 said:Everything you're saying makes perfect sense—just not on every single sub-forum. ☕

If you wander into the Social Science section intending to debate linguistics, yet you can't decide whether to spell a word correctly or incorrectly, or if it's an option or an objection—well, that lack of basic knowledge renders you incompetent for any serious discussion. It’s akin to someone attempting to lecture on mathematics without being able to solve a simple equation, or discussing medicine while insisting the human body consists of 237 bones.

And frankly, I will always call out such individuals, regardless of how you feel about it, the moment I spot them. It’s the sheer audacity of those who refuse to master the basics yet insist on acting like experts. Trying to compete with true scholars—that is the primary issue.

Secondly, this forum is a medium of the written word. In this space, your grammar serves as your personal ID card. It speaks volumes about your education and your level of culture. Therefore, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more careful here and there. Because as much as being corrected might irritate you (not that I do it often myself!), it raises the blood pressure of others just as much when people stumble over basic spelling or punctuation rules and nuances (or whatever else), making themselves look ridiculous. Moreover, it shows a lack of respect for others. I have realized this countless times, and if you actually took a moment to reflect, you would see the truth in it. Communication is a two-way street; if you expect concessions from others, you must be willing to make them yourself. Let's flip the script: why should anyone here have to struggle through your sloppy, half-baked ramblings? Is it really too much to ask to think for a second or two before hitting a key? Are we on the same page, or what? 😉

Finally, it is telling that those who grumble most loudly against proper writing are exclusively the uneducated. For the learned—or at least those who actually bother to learn something on this forum—it is never an issue. On the contrary, they are grateful for every lesson.