Overused words

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No, actually, that wasn't directed at anyone. I don't see your point of view as being particularly extreme. Perhaps, a bit right of center, but just a step from the middle ground.

Excellent! For a moment, I feared I had given offense. At the same time, I relished the oppotunity to rant on how we've turned elitism into a dirty word.

When I think of elitists, my mind wanders back to college, and certain professors whose attitudes set me directly off my feed I will refrain from recollecting in detail.

Jesus, that last sentence needs to be taken out back and shot.

You can use my pistol. [shudder] Don't you hate it when sentences get bored and wander off right in the middle? :p

Bob
 
...That's a balance I'm afraid I cannot strike. Wilful violation when appropriate is one thing; ignorance of the rules themselves - or lack of effort to follow them, if known (laziness) - is entirely another. The former is acceptable, the latter unacceptable. Of course, that's my opinion.



I wonder where you're going with that. If it's bait, I'll rise to it.

I think, if you refer to my attitude towards the grammatically-challenged, you consider me an elitist. Not so. I do not consider that I "[...] deserve favored treatment by virtue of [my] perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources", nor do I have a "[...] sense of entitlement enjoyed by such a group or class."* Neither am I part of a controlling, dominating or ruling group. Thus, the appellation is misplaced.

In fact, that the appellation is bandied in the first place denotes the truly sad part of this whole affair. We endure a society in which excellence - one might go so far as to say, "being elite" - is derided, is politcally unacceptable. We have taken egalitarianism to a ludicrous extreme, where everything must be acceptable, where there is no pass or fail, where everyone starts and finishes at the same place and time, regardless of whether or not they should be running in the first place. I ask you, what is so wrong with excellence? What is so dreadful about expecting excellence from others? Why must we 'encourage'? Encouragement is insufficient without consequence for failing to comply. A carrot means little until you compare it to a stick.

You tawk funny.

oh...and i'm be thinking its "willful" with too L's and "politcally" works better with a spare "I" in the middle. ;)
 
BTW, I'm not the grammar police, nor am I picking on individuals or citing specific examples. It's just an observation I wanted to share, with the slight hope of helping a few people with their communication skills.

negative. manifestation of your grammar nazism. :)
 
How can correction not be helpful? It's better to not be a jerk about it, yeah. But you can be 'helpful' all the live long day and change nothing.

Or am I missing something?

Bob

Because this forum is where people generally come to learn.
That's about providing information first and then correcting if required or requested.
 
When people feel like they're going to be "corrected" all the time, they're a lot less likely to post the information that they have. Not everyone liked being in school; getting constantly corrected for little grammatical things often makes the recipient feel belittled, and at the very least it's annoying (not to mention people who click on the thread looking for new information and instead find a lecture about dangling participles).

Frankly, it makes the person GIVING the constant corrections look condescending/elitist/pompous (pick one).
 
I agree that it is better to be helpful than grammatically correct, but I do get a mental twinge at the misuse of insure/ensure, affect/effect, accept/except, and one that is often seen on these boards (including this thread), the incorrect use of "advise" for "advice." The twinge also occurs with "alot" and "alright."

Rick
 
but I do get a mental twinge at the misuse of insure/ensure

I used to think "insure" was only for insurance companies, and that people used it wrongly if they used it in place of "ensure", but I've since changed my view. I've seen "insure" used in place of "ensure" in several classic texts and most dictionaries seem to think it's OK too. I still prefer to use "ensure" over "insure" outside of insurance circles, but don't think it's necessarily wrong if others do.
 
This expanded conversation reminds me of arguments my wife got into in Law School, regarding whether the Constitution should be considered a "living document", or whether it should be interpreted strictly according to its language.

Some believe that language is, and must be, an organic thing that evolves and changes century-to-century, or even year-to-year. While it is an observable fact that language does evolve over time, with usage and vocabulary ever in flux, many still hold to a more dogmatic view that we should resist the change in language, acknowledging it as a de facto evil, if you will.

Others believe in continually adjusting one's diction to suit the latest language meme wafting off of the internet, or from popular culture... which while remaining "current", lends itself to continual chaos and a limited audience to fully grasp one's meaning.

The truth is in the middle, though. Language will always change, and some rules of usage must bend when they are widely forsaken on a large scale. However, agreed-upon rules allow us to communicate more effectively with more people across a wider age range. The trick, it seems, is to find that happy balance, and know when to accept another's violation of agreed-upon rules as part of something genuine, and not the result of a lapse in mental judgment or personal character.

Besides, there are several ways we might encourage excellence, or even competence, from one another. And elitism is neither excellent, nor competent.


Unless you are French, they have a national language institute that tells people what words won't be an assault on the French language. God how I loathe the French.
 
When I'm filling out a form or my resume etc. where it is important to get the spelling right, I use Webster's to check the correct American spelling. The online version always gives me so many "acceptable" alternatives it simply becomes a waste of time! After every alternative spelling they give, they may as well just say "Those are just our suggestions, spell it any bloody way you like."
 
Because this forum is where people generally come to learn.
That's about providing information first and then correcting if required or requested.

That's a given. No one wants to ask for advice on brewing and be thwapped with a rolled-up copy of the Sunday Times for misspelling. And I never do that.

I do tend to shudder like a Parkinson's patient while trying to painfully scratch my way to the bottom of a horridly-written post, though I remain silent unless asked to comment/correct the writing. I save the editorial comments for writing sites and threads like these. ;)

Bob
 
For some odd reason, this is how I picture Bob typing out his daily HBT post's

A07.gif



Just sayin'.
 
OK, I have noticed another peeve on here. Not necessarily mine, but an observation none the less.


Cheap is not equal to Inexpensive!!

Too often new posters want an inexpensive way to start homebrewing and not brewing up a cheap hooch!


There is no way to stop them from posting a "Help with cheap beer" post but I think veterans here need to not jump to the conclusion that the poster wants a poor quality beer. The rants in response can drive potential members away quick.

Inexpensive beer can be decent to good quality and drinkable.

Thought for the day. :D
 
For some odd reason, this is how I picture Bob typing out his daily HBT post's

A07.gif



Just sayin'.

Get the camera out of my office! How DARE you invade my privacy like that!?

:D

It's not like every post sets me off. It's actually quite rare that I get my panties in a wad about something.

But it's a funny, funny GIF!

Bob
 
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