[Joe Sr.]

I get it, but sometimes it just not worth it.  People in my office can't compose a proper English sentence in business communication so perhaps my expectations have been lowered.

That said, I do my best.  And I restructure my sentences to avoid the dreaded apostrophe.

If you want to get heated, let's argue about how to pronounce "Pliny."

[JJeffers09]

It's informal conversation, and to me that gives anyone a little wiggle room.  You point out an author that doesn't need an editor and I will point out a unicorn.

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[yso191]

It's informal conversation, and to me that gives anyone a little wiggle room.  You point out an author that doesn't need an editor and I will point out a unicorn.

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I agree.  'Conversational' should be the name of the game here.  I tend to read and reread my posts at least 3 times for spelling and grammar, but even then I sometimes have to go back and edit a post.  Some sloppiness irritates me here but it is rare.  Sometimes I can't even discern what a post is attempting to say.

[JJeffers09]

It's informal conversation, and to me that gives anyone a little wiggle room.  You point out an author that doesn't need an editor and I will point out a unicorn.

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I agree.  'Conversational' should be the name of the game here.  I tend to read and reread my posts at least 3 times for spelling and grammar, but even then I sometimes have to go back and edit a post.  Some sloppiness irritates me here but it is rare.  Sometimes I can't even discern what a post is attempting to say.

Also, there should be a 5 beer buffer... just saying

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[GS]

I will agree that there are plenty of people that couldn't find a coherent sentence with two hands and a flashlight, but in the end if I understand what the person is saying, it's not worth being a grammar nazi.

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[guido]

I would say (and I know that I'm in the minority on this by a wide margin) that the ongoing trend of "it doesn't matter, as long as I get the point across" only leads to lower expectations of everyone all the time.  It doesn't take much more time to just try a little and make things much better.  Must we always lower the bar?

(I know, I'm just a grumpy old man and should accept it and shut up)

I'm a grammar Nazi, but I only correct my closest of friends. I also realize I'm in the minority (actually, I become worried when I'm in the majority) and agree that society has become incredibly dumbed down. I have a hard time finding mediocrity to be acceptable.

[homoeccentricus]

I'm the ultimate grammar nazi who has turned into an anti grammar nazi nazi. I deliberately make mistakes, and when a grammar nazi crawls out of their hole, I suck their blood.

[kramerog]

The idea that a forum is like a conversation with a few friends is a false paradigm.  Since 100 people or more read a post, it makes more sense for the writer to put a little more effort into being clear than for 100 people to each put in more effort to understand.

[reverseapachemaster]

I think this is a forum about homebrewing.  If there is a proper English forum you may want to seek it out and discuss your grievances.  I for one could care less if someone doesn't practice proper English during informal conversation.  You may call it what you will, but I would bet you a round of beer that you wouldn't correct someone at a bar.  What's the point of doing it here?

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Not every person who reads the forum counts English as their first language. Improper spelling and grammar can be confusing to somebody who is not familiar with common misspellings and incorrect grammar in English. We could certainly scare off some of these readers with:

Let's eat Grandpa!

versus:

Let's eat, Grandpa!

[Alewyfe]

I'm usually on this forum to learn something...OK, sometimes just to be delightfully entertained. If I happen to come away with not only a better understanding of some brewing technique but a little better grammar as well that's just a bonus. I will never be upset by someone who's intent is to help me become better. If on the other hand I perceive that you are lording your superior intellect over me or denigrating me or anyone else in any way, I will seek you out and cave in your face.

To put someone in a position that they didn't feel comfortable posting here because they are poor spellers or grammatically challenged would be to our loss as a community.

It's all about how and when we offer advice. The original poster didn't finger anyone. They just made a general comment. If the shoe fits, wear it. If you prefer to go barefoot, you're welcome here too.

[JJeffers09]

If a grown adult is scared of a forum because someone says, "Lets eat grandpa!" Then I am at a loss for words.

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[Slowbrew]

I think this is a forum about homebrewing.  If there is a proper English forum you may want to seek it out and discuss your grievances.  I for one could care less if someone doesn't practice proper English during informal conversation.  You may call it what you will, but I would bet you a round of beer that you wouldn't correct someone at a bar.  What's the point of doing it here?

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Not every person who reads the forum counts English as their first language. Improper spelling and grammar can be confusing to somebody who is not familiar with common misspellings and incorrect grammar in English. We could certainly scare off some of these readers with:

Let's eat Grandpa!

versus:

Let's eat, Grandpa!

My kids all loved that joke.  It usually starts with "Commas save lives..."  8^)

One mistake that used to drive crazy was misusing Affect and Effect.  It isn't all that hard to see the difference but so many people type it incorrectly.

My biggest mistake, generally, is dropping out words as I type.  I think "we cannot go into that" and type "
we can go into that".  Many  a battle has ensued in work emails because of that little tick.  Unfortunately, even rereading the sentence won't always show it to you because your mind fills in what is missing.  That's why you tell kids to read to the wall.

If you want to see pedantic fights get out of hand spend some time on Slashdot.org.  It used to be a great tech site but has sunk really far in recent years.

I promise to do my best to be clear and ask for forgiveness when I fail.

Paul

[HoosierBrew]

I think there needs to be a balance struck. When you can google pretty much any brewing issue and an AHA link comes up among others, it's safe to assume that a few thousand people, many of them non-forum members, are getting their impressions of AHA (and info) in part from our posts. So there is an obligation to at least try to come off coherent and correct. But at the same time, crossing over into belittling or embarrassing people obviously isn't ok. After all, we're just making beer.

Personally, I read and re-read my posts to be sure my grammar is good, and often edit for that. But grammar and spelling come easy to me - there are people that struggle with grammar and spelling who are far better at higher math than I am.

[a10t2]

I will never be upset by someone who's intent is to help me become better.

That's good, because "who's" is the contracted form of "who is". "Whose" is the possessive pronoun.

One mistake that used to drive crazy was misusing Affect and Effect.  It isn't all that hard to see the difference but so many people type it incorrectly.

The one that absolutely kills me is ensure vs. insure. "Insure" has one very specific definition, yet I see it all over the place.

[erockrph]

One other reason to cut some slack on forums like this is that so many of the posts are coming from someone's mobile device. Between fat fingers and autocorrect, I've had my share of phone posts that I've either needed to edit or convince myself that it wasn't worth the effort.

Personally, my biggest issue with bad grammar and spelling is that it leaves the reader with the impression that the poster either doesn't care, or is unintelligent. That's why I try to take a little extra effort when I can. Still, this is a casual forum and I definitely cut an appropriate amount of slack.

The only exception is "irregardless" - that word drives me insane.