Anyway DU could have a grammar check too???

[a kennedy]

That would be very helpful for some of us. :blush:

[triguy46]

1. My wife is our staff grammarian....

30 years of teaching English, raised 2 kids who both scored 34 on the English section of the ACT and knew the 23 helping verbs by age 5. Not that they knew what a helping verb was, but memorization does have its place.

[-..__...]

2. You mean like flagging three question marks...

when one is sufficient???

[bliss_eternal]

3. While I don't know what you

are referring to, try not to let other's criticisms bring you down. :hug:

[babylonsister]

4. Don't worry about it! If your message is true, who would care? And if they do,

tell 'em to get lost! I don't have a problem with anyone's grammar or spelling but my own.

[rug]

5. I'd prefer an anger ignition lock. Blow on a tube before you post.

[hlthe2b]

7. Now that's a good idea...

LOL

[hlthe2b]

6. No offense to some of our more grammatically-challenged DUers

but, I have a feeling that a grammar check would lock up the entire website at times....:shrug:

It seems like a good idea, but people often do not post complete sentences-intentionally. We also have many posters that are challenged by English being a second or third language..

I think we might be better served by asking DUers to assume that the occasional incoherent post may reflect these kinds of issues and to give benefit of the doubt. We should try to help the poster clarify, rather than jump on grammatical errors.

[LiberalFighter]

16. I don't have a problem with incomplete sentences...

but I believe that using the correctly spelled words is important. Such as to, two or too. There or their. These are simple enough for anyone out of high school.

Just today someone had know instead of now. Yes, grammar check would be helpful. But most if not all high school graduates should know the difference.

Our local union has a secretary that invariably has several misspelled words in pamphlets put out on the floor in the plant. Management would read the same material. Having management able to see the mistakes doesn't put the local union in a good light.

I want our group to put forth the best face for everyone.

[MuseRider]

8. I could certainly use it

but I think it would be very frustrating. Still, I would use it. I hate to think how many times someone looked at one of my posts and shuddered over it.

[hootinholler]

9. Nah, we'll just do what the free republic does...

Have bots generate traffic.

Oh, that's right, we don't have to look like we have more people than we do.

-Hoot

[Fuzz]

10. Unpossible

[Siyahamba]

11. Grammar checks aren't perfect

Every grammar check software I've seen has missed grammatical errors.

If you're concerned, perhaps pick up a inexpensive grammar guide at a bookstore, or a web site? It's good to hear that you are making an effort, and I would rather read a post from someone who is making an honest effort than someone who doesn't care. :)

[libodem]

12. I hate like hell to make all of us look stupid

in front of Free Republic trolls. But sometimes a good run on sentence is the only way I can make my point.

[flaminbats]

13. excellent point..

either DU should have a grammar check for everything we post, or there shouldn't be a time-limit imposed on correcting our posts. but something needs to change, this needs to be a forum..not a proofreading session! :argh:

[Snarkoleptic]

14. Any way we can require proper use of anyway?

[upi402]

18. That my think 2! n/t

[Occulus]

15. Grammar checks are unworkable.

I think Openoffice has a grammar checker. I don't like the results it gives, and so I don't use it. There are simply too many legitimately accepted ways of saying the same thing for a grammar checker to work properly.

Now, a CONTEXT checker would be very very cool, especially for those who don't know the difference between

they're, there, and their

loose and lose (that's a pet peeve)

it's and its

PROPER USE OF THE APOSTROPHE (huge pet peeve of mine)

That's about all I can think of. A grammar checker might get all those... or, based on the context, not.

[garybeck]

17. it would bog down the servers tremendously. DUers are have such bad grammar :)