It is time to STOP with the typing errors criticism!

OldXCguy wrote:

It amazes me that the grammarians on Letsrun continue to point out verbal errors, since they (the errors) are so ubiquitous that they are virtually a part of the landscape.

How do they (the grammarians) correct some and not others?

An extremely high percentage of posts could be criticized for some mistake or another (including some of mine), so they should really be critiquing almost every post, or just letting them all go (as I do).

BTW, I am well aware that my comments could have been written better, but I don't have time to sit here editing this. I assume the same is true for most posters.

We've got to pick our battles. We decide to point out the most egregious errors, especially the ones that have come to signify uneducated and low-brow individuals. The trashy individuals that inhabit Myspace and such seem to be the biggest offenders. The whole "UR" thing from the text message generation has blurred the difference between "your" and "you're" for many young people.

As for the apostrophes to pluralize things, I just don't have a clue how that came to be.

I can't disagree with either of you, especially on the examples you have cited. Sometimes I am also irked by the drivel the passes for English, but I rarely if ever make corrections, since I don't have a clue where to start. More power to you editors. As Larry Rawson might say, "You youngsters out there, go down to your local high school track. Then leave the track, go back into the school, and learn to start writing better."

fgfg wrote:

yes, this is not a formal sight the grammer stuff is misplaced

as long as the person is makeing an honest attempt to be clear [don't write gibberish] it is petty to pick at small stuff.

"site"

"grammar"

"making"

Whether a formal or informal site, you will look equally stupid when you spell words incorrectly, or use the wrong word altogether (sight). I am not being petty. Rather, I am trying to help you represent yourself and your opinions with a bit of class instead of appearing to be an uneducated fool.

The Teacher wrote:

fgfg wrote:

yes, this is not a formal sight the grammer stuff is misplaced

as long as the person is makeing an honest attempt to be clear [don't write gibberish] it is petty to pick at small stuff.

"site"

"grammar"

"making"

Whether a formal or informal site, you will look equally stupid when you spell words incorrectly, or use the wrong word altogether (sight). I am not being petty. Rather, I am trying to help you represent yourself and your opinions with a bit of class instead of appearing to be an uneducated fool.

Well, looks like somebody needs to take the ol' sarcasm-meter into the shop...

Kids are weak these days wrote:

We've got to pick our battles. We decide to point out the most egregious errors, especially the ones that have come to signify uneducated and low-brow individuals.

Based upon what standard? I sincerely hope that you are merely a troll, because it's difficult to believe that your ego is really that enormous.

I'm sorry, but the LetsRun message board is not the place to perform "mentoring" regarding spelling and grammar errors. This isn't a formal environment; it is a casual setting where people discuss their running (amongst other things). In stark contrast, if this were a more technical environment the scrutiny would be warranted.

As an example, if you were listening to a formal speech or a television newscast you could justifiably expect to hear exemplary grammar and diction. On the other hand, if you were socializing with a large group of runners and sharing stories along with some pizza, would you expect the same results? If one of those runners said some like "I ain't gonna...," would you go out of your way to correct him afterwards and emphasize that he MEANT to say 'I am not going to...'? No, of course not. People would think that you were an arrogant jerk, much like our friends Whoops! and Picking Nits.

Exactly! Do you correct your friends in person during a casual converstation? No! Well if you do, I'm sure you don't have any real friends.

james the baker wrote:

Exactly! Do you correct your friends in person during a casual converstation? No! Well if you do, I'm sure you don't have any real friends.

James, never mind correcting grammar. If some people spoke to one another in real life as they do on Letsrun, they would have no friends, and there would be brawls breaking out every five minutes or so. (Has anyone actually called someone an assclown in real life?)

James the baker.....this is called the Small Penis disease....in order to make themselves feel bigger they need to try and make you feel small.......poor things

abbey of cluny wrote:

Cicero wrote:

ie = id est, that is. You're looking for e.g. = exempla gratia, a given example, for example. Nice try though!

Exempli gratia

The given example is singular, not plural.

Thank you! ;) Are you a medievalist, by any chance?

Cicero wrote:

ie = id est, that is. You're looking for e.g. = exempla gratia, a given example, for example. Nice try though!

Thank you. REally. I just learned something.

Keep it in perspective wrote:

On the other hand, if you were socializing with a large group of runners and sharing stories along with some pizza, would you expect the same results? If one of those runners said some like "I ain't gonna...," would you go out of your way to correct him afterwards and emphasize that he MEANT to say 'I am not going to...'? No, of course not. People would think that you were an arrogant jerk, much like our friends Whoops! and Picking Nits.

Depends. If my friend were carrying on like a know-it-all jerk and started speaking with with a third grade vocabulary, which is very common on the posts that get called out for spelling/grammar issues on letsrun, then I'd relish in correcting his grammar.

Have you ever read the posts on youtube? Why in the world would you want letsrun to turn into that kind of cesspool of illiteracy?

What I don't understand is why someone would correct someone who clearly pressed the wrong key or put two letters in the wrong order. Like when someone says "soemone" or "thge". Or when someone says "its". The worst part is someone taking away from a potentially informative thread. There have been a lot of threads started with interesting questions or stories, only to be sidetracked by some grammar moderator.

I think a lot of them got beaten up on the playgrounds.

William J. Clinton wrote:

Depends. If my friend were carrying on like a know-it-all jerk and started speaking with with a third grade vocabulary, which is very common on the posts that get called out for spelling/grammar issues on letsrun, then I'd relish in correcting his grammar.

If that's the case, you have just reinforced my original point. The majority of people who do this are simply functioning as a slightly different variety of troll. I would imagine that is why Wejo stated that they should be banned! Why should the "grammar trolls" be treated differently than any other variation?

A significant endorsement wrote:

If that's the case, you have just reinforced my original point. The majority of people who do this are simply functioning as a slightly different variety of troll. I would imagine that is why Wejo stated that they should be banned! Why should the "grammar trolls" be treated differently than any other variation?

I don't think so. There is a world of difference between poster A who asks: "Shuold I buy my shose at Road Runner Sports" and poster B who writes "physicallity > mentallity".

You tell me who will be corrected?

William J. Clinton wrote:

I don't think so. There is a world of difference...

I'm sorry, but a troll is still a TROLL!

The vast majority of the various LetsRun personalities that interject these off-topic comments don't really seem to care about the context of the original message, or how articulate the author may (or may not) sound. As Wejo himself already said, they don't contribute anything pertinent to the discussion. They are simply acting like condescending jerks.

I think we need to distinguish between two very important types of corrections: 1. somebody makes a grammatical or spelling mistake that possibly confuses those that may be reading the post and 2. somebody makes a typo (e.g. smoething - thanks Cicero) and doesn't have time to catch the dotted, red line. There are plenty of times the grammar police will come on here correcting the typos that don't need to be corrected in order to understand the post. This goes back to the concept of "adding to the discussion". If a correction adds to the discussion by possibly clarifying something to the other readers, then by all means correct away. But too many times the corrections are, to a degree, pointless.

I understand the arguments that this shows the destruction of our English language, but that was busted up long ago by the allowance of "slang".

But a problem does arise with only correcting what needs to be corrected in order to clarify a post: if the post needs clarification, how does the correcter know if there interpretation is correct? This can only be corrected by asking the original poster their original intent. With this said, we can certainly view all "correction posts" of the unnecessary variety, unless it is a clarification question directed at the original poster.

My personal opinion is that a public forum is no place to "teach" somebody about proper English by condescendingly telling them where they are wrong. If you really want to "teach" somebody, correct them in a positive manner, like a real teacher would do. I personally don't know of any grade school teacher who would yell out the corrections condescendingly to their student in the middle of class.

If you don't agree with any of this, ok, difference of opinion, but you cannot claim being a "teacher" if condescension is the only method of teaching. Call it what it is: being a jerk.

separation wrote:

if the post needs clarification, how does the correcter know if *their* interpretation is correct?

That was an honest mistake and I do understand the difference.

Seperation has stated many good points here. I would just like to add a bit. I think the number of people who are not English speaking but yet still post on letsrun.com is underestimated. I would fully expect for them to make errors when posting. Also could we if nothing else make an agreement that in the case of an argument trying to win will not be based on poor writing. If that is the only way you can win the argument just throw that one in the lose column.