

Ask HN: Why the grammar and spelling pedants? Is it good for HN? - SoftwareMaven

it? What kinds of mistakes should be corrected (at least factual errors, obviously)?<p>I value grammar and spelling, but is an HN comment thread the right place to teach it?
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gregjor
There's probably no point correcting comments posted online. I think it's most
polite to correctly spell or construct a sentence in the comment without
directly pointing out the error.

Correct spelling and grammar is not pedantry. If you don't bother with
spelling and grammar your readers may think you uneducated, lazy, not able
think and communicate with precision. Especially in a technical field you
don't want to be perceived as a sloppy thinker. When I see misspelled words
followed by (sp?) I wonder why the author was too lazy to open a browser tab
and Google the suspect word -- it's so easy to look up a word when you have a
computer with an Internet connection in front of you. When I see grammar
errors I wonder if the writer finished elementary school.

Writers struggling with English because it's not their first language should
be cut some slack unless they ask for help.

Many times in my career I've seen résumés and proposals tossed aside because
of spelling or grammar errors, especially in cover letters. If I notice errors
on a web page my scam alarm goes off (except for "FAQ's," which I've given up
on). The little things do matter.

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10dpd
Like it or not, grammar and spelling has a huge influence on people's
perception of you. Online we don't have the visual and auditory cues we use to
make judgements. So I have mixed thoughts - pointing out someones flaws in
public is never a good thing.. if you really feel the need to correct someone,
do it in private so they don't feel embarrassed.

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gregjor
Some research on this and one possible solution:
<http://typicalprogrammer.com/?p=68>

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whichdan
I think everyone here would agree that HN would be better served with an
extremely robust spell- and grammar-checking WYSIWYG comment editor. /s

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10dpd
Use OSX - at least here on Chrome text is automagically underlined when there
is a spelling error.

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Mz
I don't mind the pedants, as long as they aren't assholes about it. I grew up
in a bilingual home, so I am prone to certain errors in spite of generally
being told I "write well". I am acutely aware that poor grammar and spelling
can be genuine obstacles to effective communication. As long as pedantery
(sp?) is not served up with a huge side of sneering, disrespect, pissing on
people and similar, I think it has real benefit for the forum.

