Quoting someone else's post: do you correct their typos?

Post Reply New Topic

I always want to, but I only do it if I think the person won't notice.

But I didn't go online until I was 40, so I already kinda knew that people don't love being corrected so much.

And on the other hand I used to be a secretary, so when I was at work, I was being paid to correct people's spelling, grammar, and such - to make their correspondence look more professional.

LOL.

It's tempting. But I look at it as a historical record. I have to leave it alone or I have altered the past. I will edit my own posts if I find something in them right away. I always proof read before posting and then usually proof read again AFTER it shows up in the forum. I guess that's a bit obsessive, but it's what I do ...

If I notice that a poster makes more than the occasional typo, I usually ask them to take more care of their spelling, yes... depends on the kind of forum, though. But then again I post on discussion forums where most of the people know how to value good grammar and spelling.

If I notice that a poster makes a certain mistake several times, I mention that if I reply to one of their posts: I first comment the meaning of what they say (in order to stay on topic) and then mention their mistakes and the correct rule for these in small print at the end of it.
I don't want to annoy them, so I try not to be that obvious. But I can't always keep myself from correcting them...

Edit: Wouldn't you know it.. lots of typos in my own post...

Last edited by dreamwalker on 20 Oct 2010, 1:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Neah, I leave their post alone when I quote theirs. I have done it on accident not even realizing it was their post I was fixing so I just hit the back button and go back to it.

I most certainly WANT to, but I don't! It can be too easy to get carried away with it to the point of altering the intent or meaning of what that person was trying to convey! So I just leave it ALL alone - even though a person's mistakes might drive me BATTY!

I most certainly correct my OWN mistakes!

I don't correct typos while quoting, because I wouldn't like it if somebody did that to me.

tempting, but no.

Tempting, but I do not do so out of respect for the person's attempt at fluent English.

I usually do. In the suspicion that they were casual mistakes.

Though if the post is filled with errors, especially grammatical ones, I don't bother (ie there's no hope that it was a casual mistake).

I don't do it to be an ass. I do it because there's little reason to repeat an error of any sort - correcting it will make it easier for subsequent readers to comprehend the post.

No, I don't.

Seems a bit rude really.

No, I do not correct people's mistakes in their quotes. I believe that when I quote someone, I want their words to be exactly as they quoted it---mistakes or not.

I never have although sometimes it's tempting.

Geez, I could use a refresher on English Comp, but I don't think it is considered friendly to correct people in front of everyone. I wouldn't mind someone sending me a pm giving me advice on how- to info on proper grammar , but everyone makes typos.

I think the desire to do so is not to put down the poster, but to ease the sense of unbalance you get when something is not right. It's just a compulsion, in other words. I agree it would be rude to do so.

Yes, I think that is an accurate statement.

I remember one time (a bit off subject here) my brother-in-law put in new kitchen windows in our kitchen. I noticed they were off center a bit---not too much, but enough for me to notice it. After my brother-in-law left I pointed it out to my wife. She then noticed it too, but it didn't bother her much. But it did me. I took the windows out and put them back in centered---but only after my brother-in-law had left. I never told him I did this. I felt it would be rude to let him know what I did to his work.