Forum Spelling Correction Etiquette

[JAM]

I understand what you are saying, and the last will example is probably why lawyers manage to make money even on the most straightforward and clear agreements.

However, the red, white and blue is not a description of quantity, so using a comma after "white" wouldnt change anything description-wise regarding the colours. So I still believe the second comma is obsolete..

To make this pool related, I can add that my favourite games are:
1-pocket, 10ball and fishing. No comma:wink:

The serial comma is also sometimes called the "Oxford comma" because it's used by Oxford University Press or the "Harvard comma" because it's used by Harvard University Press.

The importance of them is for clarity to the reader of the text. Newspapers and the fourth estate, so to speak, usually don't use the serial comma.

Here is a non-legal example if *why* the serial comma is important for clarity.

Example #1: I went to visit pooladdict, a pool player and Oscar.

Am I visiting pooladdict, a pool player, and Oscar, or am I visiting pooladdict, who is a pool player, and Oscar?

Example #2: The cupcakes are available in black and white, blue and red, and green and yellow.

Without the serial comma, the sentence would read like this:

The cupcakes are available in black and white, blue and red and green and yellow.

Again, the serial comma is needed for clarity.

Another example is this:

Example #3: I made sandwiches for the picnic consisting of turkey, tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly.

Without that comma, the sandwich made with tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly sure is not appetizing.

In sum, the serial comma should be used before the last item of a series.

The American flag will always be red, white, and blue in my eyes. :grin-square:

 

[pt109]

Grammar and spelling errors are unimportant to this forum. At least that's what me thinks.

If you had a book and you weren't sure if it was 'moist' or 'maoist'....
...you wouldn't know whether to dry it or burn it....:wink:

 

[vagabond]

All of us make spelling errors.

Some,intentionally make errors in spelling,grammar,punctuation marks and syntac inorder to mislead,torture the self appointed detectives on the message boards who think that they can identify the anonymous posters by their pattern and style of writing.A smart anonymous poster who enjoys torturing these self appointed detectives does not maintain consistency with his/her style/pattern of writing.

PS: A smart anonymous poster can derail even an experienced Graphologist.

 

[JAM]

Some,intentionally make errors in spelling,grammar,punctuation marks and syntac inorder to mislead,torture the self appointed detectives on the message boards who think that they can identify the anonymous posters by their pattern and style of writing.A smart anonymous poster who enjoys torturing these self appointed detectives does not maintain consistency with his/her style/pattern of writing.

PS: A smart anonymous poster can derail even an experienced Graphologist.

This may be true, but I have recognized several banned members posting over the years.

One common tell is when their posts are written in only lower case. There's a few more tells that have to do with punctuation and spelling.

The subject matter these multiple-identitied posters gravitate to, however, is usually the most revealing tell of all.

In fact, there are a few members today who have multiple accounts.

Sometimes people will spew their words of hatred of everything related to AzBilliards, its moderators, its members, the topics of the threads, but for reasons unknown, these self-proclaimed AzBilliards haters continue to read this forum on a daily basis. Not all of them are lurkers, though, and do occasionally post with a new identity.

I guess anonymity has its benefits.

 

[JoeW]

i was reading your post and thinking, 'who is this grammar pontificator with the mistake-laden paragraphs?'

then i read your close ... "btw -- how many mistakes can you find?" i had to laugh at myself!

i'm no academician, so i'm sure i am missing some of your traps. i did spot one typo, one uncapitalized word, one run-on sentence (i think!), three mistakes, a couple of truant commas and one wrong-headed word (i think!)

how close am i?

propriety is my life!

sunny

I did not count them but I think you are close. One or two are controversial. Some depend upon your perspective :grin:

I was thinking that the post might have been corrected with all the appropriate mark ups.

Words and the use of them are fun.

 

[akaTrigger]

Joey, I have on occasion corrected spelling after I quoted someone because I wanted to help them save face - it is normally a simply mistake but it's kinda embarrassing for them so I fix it. I don't do it all the time, but every once in a while if it's something commonly inaccurate or a simple typo.

 

[BasementDweller]

All of us make shooting errors. Some of them are simple mistakes. Some of them are simple and error on our part as to the correct angle of the shot. None of it is intentional of course but I was wondering what you thought about using CTE to solve this problem?

Would it be a proper thing to correct someone's alignment error with their stance and not get paid to do so; you know, just correct it and not mention it at all?

For example, your opponent might line up to shoot a ball out of rotation accidentally. Would it be considered good etiquette to correct the error or to simply leave it in place? (Keep in mind that for whatever reason you are playing this person they are much better than you). It always shows a lack of class to highlight someone's errors especially in front of a large group of people unless you are just trying to get under their skin and then that only makes you a needler.

I guess the reason for my thread comes from a CTE background. I align and pivot for my shots and I am always second-guessing my setup and it is a life-long habit derived from a true desire to get better. I am an above average potter but I wouldn't be offended if someone "AUTOMATICALLY" corrected a minor alignment error while I’m in my PSR. However, if someone gave me bunny ears while I was preparing to pocket the nine-ball for the cash I would wonder if they thought they were being a smart ass or if they thought they were doing me a kindness. : confused:

Anyway, maybe it's a personal fetish but every time I see a missed shot I want to correct it no matter who the shooter is. The errors just kind of pop out at me. In the past I have always just ignored the shooters alignment or the amount of english used, shook my head and said to myself “boy they really suck”..

Just wondering what most of you would think if someone corrected your mistakes at the table and didn’t even let you know what they were doing. Just sort of snuck up behind you and realigned you, or gently moved you cue tip placement one tip to the right or one tip to the left. Personally, I would encourage any of you to do this for me.

Had a little time on my hands this afternoon, in between thinking about CTE/Pro One and work.

I think this is a great idea. I went ahead and cleaned up your post a bit, just so it reflects what you were really trying to say.:thumbup:

 

[sfleinen]

The serial comma is also sometimes called the "Oxford comma" because it's used by Oxford University Press or the "Harvard comma" because it's used by Harvard University Press.

The importance of them is for clarity to the reader of the text. Newspapers and the fourth estate, so to speak, usually don't use the serial comma.

Here is a non-legal example if *why* the serial comma is important for clarity.

Example #1: I went to visit pooladdict, a pool player and Oscar.

Am I visiting pooladdict, a pool player, and Oscar, or am I visiting pooladdict, who is a pool player, and Oscar?

Example #2: The cupcakes are available in black and white, blue and red, and green and yellow.

Without the serial comma, the sentence would read like this:

The cupcakes are available in black and white, blue and red and green and yellow.

Again, the serial comma is needed for clarity.

Another example is this:

Example #3: I made sandwiches for the picnic consisting of turkey, tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly.

Without that comma, the sandwich made with tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly sure is not appetizing.

In sum, the serial comma should be used before the last item of a series.

The American flag will always be red, white, and blue in my eyes. :grin-square:

Jen:

These are fantastic examples that illustrate the need for serial commas. I've been taught them all throughout my earliest school years, I use them all the time, and I can't imagine sentence structure without them. In fact, to me, serial commas are so fundamental, that:

1. It's the reason why, in one of your previous posts, I actually had to ask you what you meant by "serial commas." I had no clue that another way existed, which caused the need to actually create a term for "serial commas."

2. I can't imagine how it can be taught in schools that "the other way" (i.e. no serial commas) is even legit. I mean, in normal everyday speaking, when you're enumerating a list in your speech, you insert the same "pause" just after the second-to-last item, just before the word "and." For example, if we're going shopping at the AZB Marketplace, I might say, "We need to pick up tip tappers, shaft burnishers, and chalk." I don't know about everyone else, but when I actually speak this sentence, I insert a very slight pause after each item -- including right after "shaft burnishers." I don't blend "shaft burnishers" and "chalk" together -- it sounds rushed and unnatural. To me, the comma is a natural pause, just as if you're speaking the sentence.

I certainly can see why you consider yourself the "Efren" of your trade, Jen. Great post!

-Sean

 

[TheBook]

Know aye wood dent core wreck there miss stakes. If day our two lay see to you is spell chick why wood eye dough it four em?

 

[JoeyA]

Remember, there are many foreign posters on (in? at? :wink this forum. Knowledge about the english language shouldnt hinder people from other countries to post valuable info here. Not everyone are from Arizona..

Especially words like loose and lose, and other examples used by you JAM in another post, can cause difficulties for us.

JAM, I quoted your post because I really cant understand the logic behind you supporting the use of both comma and and.. as separators. It doesnt make sense to me to write "The flag is red, white, and blue." Whats the logic behind that? I can tell you for sure the Norwegian flag is red, white and blue :grin-square:

I'm with you lobster man. We don't need no stinkin' comma before and.
C U at DCC.

 

[JoeyA]

An affluent pool aficionado is sadly going to pass away next week. He wrote up his will and chose three people from this forum to leave his wealth to.

The pool aficionado left his life savings to JAM, pooladdict and JoeyA.

Since there is no serial comma between "pooladdict" and "JoeyA," JAM gets half of the pool aficionado's money. Pooladdict and JoeyA can split the other half.

What a shame that serial comma is missing. Otherwise the money would have been divided up in thirds. Without the serial comma, JAM gets half. :thumbup:

WHOA NOW! Maybe we should talk a little bit more about that comma thing.

 

[TATE]

I've only done it if the meaning could be misunderstood due to the typo.

Almost all of my posts have "edited by Tate" at the bottom. I proof them after they're posted and correct the spelling and punctuation errors. I do this because the usual typing frame box is too small to comfortably proof read, and I don't like scrolling through text line-by-line to read it. Rarely will I alter the content.

Chris

 

[JoeyA]

The serial comma is also sometimes called the "Oxford comma" because it's used by Oxford University Press or the "Harvard comma" because it's used by Harvard University Press.

The importance of them is for clarity to the reader of the text. Newspapers and the fourth estate, so to speak, usually don't use the serial comma.

Here is a non-legal example if *why* the serial comma is important for clarity.

Example #1: I went to visit pooladdict, a pool player and Oscar.

Am I visiting pooladdict, a pool player, and Oscar, or am I visiting pooladdict, who is a pool player, and Oscar?

Example #2: The cupcakes are available in black and white, blue and red, and green and yellow.

Without the serial comma, the sentence would read like this:

The cupcakes are available in black and white, blue and red and green and yellow.

Again, the serial comma is needed for clarity.

Another example is this:

Example #3: I made sandwiches for the picnic consisting of turkey, tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly.

Without that comma, the sandwich made with tuna fish and peanut butter and jelly sure is not appetizing.

In sum, the serial comma should be used before the last item of a series.

The American flag will always be red, white, and blue in my eyes. :grin-square:

Awww geeze, you're breaking me down with that patriotic stuff. I'm getting weak, as I see your point.

 

[JoeyA]

Joey, I have on occasion corrected spelling after I quoted someone because I wanted to help them save face - it is normally a simply mistake but it's kinda embarrassing for them so I fix it. I don't do it all the time, but every once in a while if it's something commonly inaccurate or a simple typo.

Trigger,
That's kind of the same way I viewed it but now I am reconsidering my perspective. A lot of great information has come out of this thread at least for me.

I believe it is OK, to write the misspelled word correctly when you are doing the writing yourself but it is not OK in general to correct someone else's quoted material, unless it is Sean, then you can blast him real good.

I originally was leaning toward your way of thinking but maybe it is better if you don't quote them at all and that you use and spell their misspelled word correctly.

I fear that some people may not know or care if the word is spelled correctly and your correction could easily be reviewed as a sleight or an ad hominem attack which is against foum rules.

In addition, if a person didn't know how to spell the word correctly, if you do as I think I will do in the future, you still have a problem because the person may not realize that you know how to spell the word correctly and some may not care.

For me, I actually like someone to correct my spelling when they write using the same word and leave my quote alone. I will see it quick enough and appreciate the fact that they took the time to let me know they cared enough to correct my spelling error or typo.

I don't care for the "IN YOUR FACE" quotation marks or the ridiculing "It's LOSER, not LOOSER, YOU STUPID LOSER" statements that are sometimes made on this forum as it is most of the time not well received.

 

[JAM]

WHOA NOW! Maybe we should talk a little bit more about that comma thing.

:rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1::rotflmao1:

I knew I'd convert you to the serial comma when I mentioned the cheesenips. :wink:

 

[Bob Callahan]

The most common blunders I see today, thanks to the variety of English styles taught in the United States, as brought up by JoeyA, is the serial comma and the quotation mark usage

...and hyphens.

 

[JoeyA]

I think this is a great idea. I went ahead and cleaned up your post a bit, just so it reflects what you were really trying to say.:thumbup:

I didn't notice. :thumbup:

 

[poke&hope]

Ignore it

If I faux pas keep your mouth shut and pretend you didn"t see-hear anything. My wife finds out and spelling is the least of my worries.

 

[ShootingArts]

Ima farmer pruf redder miselph

Joey,

I was the checker(proof reader) for the drafting department at the local nuke for a few years. Saw some funny typo's and some that there would have been major headaches had the mistakes been approved as formal documentation.

After a few years of having to focus on every word and punctuation mark at this level I have a hard time not noticing errors. As long as the meaning is clear like most people I have no problem with anyone's writing. If it is truly bad I do question how competent the person is but it has to be truly terrible. What could have been one of the most embarrassing gaffs of my life, I was friendly with one of the grand old gentlemen of another sport. He had a vast arcane knowledge in a niche area but he wrote horribly. Fortunately I never treated him with anything but the great respect he deserved. After knowing him over the Net and meeting at a few major events I learned that he was not only a PhD but the head of a school or college at an ivy league university.

Although I occasionally run a spell checker on larger pieces of writing and have sometimes caught part or all of the original quote in the automatic spell checking I make a real effort to not change a quote of what someone else said in any way. At most there should be a note here and there (sic) or (pic) if the error changes the meaning of what is being said but we rarely fail to communicate our message. If all else fails we have the emoticons and the even better archaic arse symbols.

Hu

 

[JoeyA]

Joey,

I was the checker(proof reader) for the drafting department at the local nuke for a few years. Saw some funny typo's and some that there would have been major headaches had the mistakes been approved as formal documentation.

After a few years of having to focus on every word and punctuation mark at this level I have a hard time not noticing errors. As long as the meaning is clear like most people I have no problem with anyone's writing. If it is truly bad I do question how competent the person is but it has to be truly terrible. What could have been one of the most embarrassing gaffs of my life, I was friendly with one of the grand old gentlemen of another sport. He had a vast arcane knowledge in a niche area but he wrote horribly. Fortunately I never treated him with anything but the great respect he deserved. After knowing him over the Net and meeting at a few major events I learned that he was not only a PhD but the head of a school or college at an ivy league university.

Although I occasionally run a spell checker on larger pieces of writing and have sometimes caught part or all of the original quote in the automatic spell checking I make a real effort to not change a quote of what someone else said in any way. At most there should be a note here and there (sic) or (pic) if the error changes the meaning of what is being said but we rarely fail to communicate our message. If all else fails we have the emoticons and the even better archaic arse symbols.

Hu

Hey Hu!

It's good to see you posting again. Thanks for chiming in. You always write and spell exceptionally well. Hope you are doing well.

Yeah, I think the spelling correction when you are quoting someone is a big FAIL!