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Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

If Fluther is more concerned with grammatical accuracy than content why does it not have an entrance exam?

Asked by Hypocrisy_Central (26879points) April 30th, 2014

Notwithstanding the kid logging on from the Bronx that snuck on to the site, the guy who managed to connect from some remote island in the Pacific, the young lady who practically self-taught herself from a mission school in sub Saharan Africa who doesn’t have perfect command of English, etc. not regarding them, how come Fluther did not have an entrance exam to make sure all user could at least read and write on an AA college degree level for instance? If they happen to not be born in an English speaking nation or had the opportunity to get a 1st world education or a world class in a 1st world nation it would be up to that user to qualify themselves to meet the lowest bar for spelling or grammar, (so they can tell if Spellcheck, should they even have a robust version, missed something), that will keep Fluther appearing heads and shoulders atop the Q&A ladder; question content an insignificant fact.

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52 Answers

dappled_leaves's avatar

Because every question is an exam in itself. If your question survives the modding process, you pass. If it doesn’t, the question is pulled. Either way, jellies are free to try and try again – an entrance exam would prohibit that, or at least hamper it.

Do you think we should ban jellies for having poor grammar? Fluther is not that harsh.

chyna's avatar

Who said they were?

rojo's avatar

Fluther is not MORE concerned. It simply has a certain standard that is required to be met.

Hands up everyone who has never been corrected for some English transgression on Fluther?

Blondesjon's avatar

this horse isn’t dead yet?

Cruiser's avatar

I don’t see nothin that Flurther as a whole ain’t overly concerned about grammar or spelling as evidenced by all da questions and comments that are left riddled with gramerr and speling erors. ~

dappled_leaves's avatar

@Cruiser Now you’ve gone and done it.

ibstubro's avatar

20,000 lurve later, you’re still getting by with calling
“If they happen to not be born in an English speaking nation or had the opportunity to get a 1st world education or a world class in a 1st world nation it would be up to that user to qualify themselves to meet the lowest bar for spelling or grammar, (so they can tell if Spellcheck, should they even have a robust version, missed something), that will keep Fluther appearing heads and shoulders atop the Q&A ladder; question content an insignificant fact.”
a sentence, and still whining about the English standards being too strict.

Amazing!

Adagio's avatar

Always the stirrer.

dappled_leaves's avatar

@ibstubro Well, precisely. I couldn’t even read that, let alone figure out what it means.

@Hypocrisy_Central, do you recognize that your details are illegible? If your questions are so often pulled for exactly this kind of thing, why don’t you proofread them before you post them?

Cruiser's avatar

@dappled_leaves as crazy as it seems, I put this question though 2 of my best word processors and neither could find a grammatical or spelling error. Mind boggling.

dappled_leaves's avatar

@Cruiser That doesn’t sound crazy to me… this is exactly why I don’t use such programs. But word processors and spellcheckers are not the only way to proofread a sentence, We didn’t even have these things once, remember?

Cruiser's avatar

@dappled_leaves Great point! We once had @Jeruba who would settle all dowts to gramor and speling errirs.

dappled_leaves's avatar

@Cruiser Indeed. I hope she returns from hiatus. I miss her here.

ibstubro's avatar

KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Exactly why we have a problem with users trying to cover every base and close every loophole. You can’t and it makes you verbose and confusing.

Question as written:
If Fluther is more concerned with grammatical accuracy than content why does it not have an entrance exam?

Answer:
If Fluther was more concerned with grammatical accuracy that content, wouldn’t there be an entrance exam?

Details as written:
Notwithstanding the kid logging on from the Bronx that snuck on to the site, the guy who managed to connect from some remote island in the Pacific, the young lady who practically self-taught herself from a mission school in sub Saharan Africa who doesn’t have perfect command of English, etc. not regarding them, how come Fluther did not have an entrance exam to make sure all user could at least read and write on an AA college degree level for instance? If they happen to not be born in an English speaking nation or had the opportunity to get a 1st world education or a world class in a 1st world nation it would be up to that user to qualify themselves to meet the lowest bar for spelling or grammar, (so they can tell if Spellcheck, should they even have a robust version, missed something), that will keep Fluther appearing heads and shoulders atop the Q&A ladder; question content an insignificant fact.

That is TWO sentences that do NOTHING to clarify the Möbius strip of a question!

It’s a Mod, Mad, Mod, Mad world!

jerv's avatar

The difference between humans and computers is the ability to handle less-than-perfect syntax. Technical correctness isn’t an issue so long as you get your point across.

KNOWITALL's avatar

Entrance exams with high standards would exclude too many people. Even native English speakers, I’m sure.

Cruiser's avatar

@KNOWITALL That is an understatement and I doubt the vast majority of us would pass said exams and why the powers that be are smart enough to avoid putting up such a roadblock here.

ibstubro's avatar

Pfft. “Entrance Exams” is a conceit. How many times have you even filled out a “Quick Questionnaire” in order to view a site? Fluther can be followed without being a member. Not so with Quora. I’d like to see this question, as posted, submitted to Quora.

gailcalled's avatar

Might you consider the guidelines an entrance exam?

Coloma's avatar

One can discern fairly quickly whether another is literate, it’s the hidden dicks that take awhile to reveal their trickiness.
There should be a Tricky Dick exam.

Mimishu1995's avatar

And even if you passed that exam could you guarantee that you wouldn’t be modded?

dappled_leaves's avatar

@Mimishu1995 Everyone gets modded, lol.

Coloma's avatar

Yes, equal opportunity modding. haha

Berserker's avatar

Haha sorry, I don’t have an answer, anyways there are already good answers here. But I just wanted to say, not really sure why but I laughed so hard when I read this. A spelling and grammar test lmao.

GloPro's avatar

Maybe it’s another reason to revisit having the mods make minor spelling and grammar corrections for a jelly, as long as it doesn’t alter the question being asked. Apparently just kicking a question back is the big, black hole we lose questions to. As long as the OP is correct, it seems posts within the conversations aren’t held to as high of a standard.

ucme's avatar

I make sure to watch Sesame Street before I log in, keeps me on my toes.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@dappled_leaves If your questions are so often pulled for exactly this kind of thing, why don’t you proofread them before you post them?
Speaking for myself, I think not, and who says I didn’t?

@Cruiser I put this question though 2 of my best word processors and neither could find a grammatical or spelling error. Mind boggling.
Oh, for what reason that you find it mind boggling?

@ibstubro KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid
Only if that worked. Giving some people the straight dope causes them to believe they were insulted, thern they get huffy.

@jerv Technical correctness isn’t an issue so long as you get your point across.
Let me know which part of the lagoon you are in, because I have seen it in these waters.

@gailcalled Might you consider the guidelines an entrance exam?
Nope….too nebulous.

Cruiser's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central because IMO the question is so very awkwardly written and borderline incoherent I was certain grammar check would expose it’s faults and it got a pass.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

^ I guess part of the point is made, what Spellcheck would say was a grammatically correct statement, question, etc. to humans might be seen different, it could have been you understood the question precisely but it had a minor typo or hanging participle, but you still would have gotten it.

Dan_Lyons's avatar

Hey, wait a minute. are you saying none of you took the Entrance Exam?
It took me almost two hours!

Cruiser's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central It’s just that I am very good at solving puzzles ;)

ibstubro's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central You missed my point, entirely.

@ibstubro KISS – Keep It Simple, Stupid
Only if that worked. Giving some people the straight dope causes them to believe they were insulted, thern they get huffy.

Emotion has nothing to do with it. What I mean is attempting to ask a question where you only want the answers “Black” or “White” by trying to exclude every other color. It can’t be done, and the more verbiage you add, the greater your chances of making mistakes.

I am 20 hours short of an English Education degree and I have used the English language for 50 some years, and I can find no meaning here:

Notwithstanding the kid logging on from the Bronx that snuck on to the site, the guy who managed to connect from some remote island in the Pacific, the young lady who practically self-taught herself from a mission school in sub Saharan Africa who doesn’t have perfect command of English, etc. not regarding them, how come Fluther did not have an entrance exam to make sure all user could at least read and write on an AA college degree level for instance? If they happen to not be born in an English speaking nation or had the opportunity to get a 1st world education or a world class in a 1st world nation it would be up to that user to qualify themselves to meet the lowest bar for spelling or grammar, (so they can tell if Spellcheck, should they even have a robust version, missed something), that will keep Fluther appearing heads and shoulders atop the Q&A ladder; question content an insignificant fact.

It’s not even readable, and yet it to stands.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@ibstubro Emotion has nothing to do with it. What I mean is attempting to ask a question where you only want the answers “Black” or “White” by trying to exclude every other color. It can’t be done, and the more verbiage you add, the greater your chances of making mistakes.
Emotions have everything to do with it, in this place. If one ask “Is this water hot or cold” with the context of them getting in the water, getting and answer ”compared to liquid nitrogen it is hot”, or ”it is colder than magma”, or even ”to me it is not hot” might all be true, but not in the context of the person asking. So the focus has to be narrowed, maybe it would have to be asked in a way that the listener might feel is belittling, such as ”Is the water hot or cold? Hot being understood as hotter than 95 deg. Fahr. and cold being below 75 deg. Fahr.” Because people cannot interject its temperature in relation to magma, the tundra of Green Bay, a glassier or anything else should not be an affront to them.

It’s not even readable, and yet it to stands.
Read it again slower…..

dappled_leaves's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Reading it slower makes it worse. You still haven’t answered my question about this, or seriously addressed @ibstubro critique of it. Do you recognize that your details are illegible? Do you recognize that people who are not you can find no sense in them whatsoever?

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

^ If they can’t understand the question the way it is written, they should do as I do when I come across a question I can understand, (mouse click-there it goes, another question appears) then I read what it says, and I answer it or repeat the 1st action.

dappled_leaves's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central You have still not answered the question.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

^ OK, whose question, your 1st question or your 2nd question? I will do what is hard for some to do in this place actually answer a question. So your question was….?

ibstubro's avatar

@Hypocrisy_Central Again, you entirely miss the point. KISS has nothing to do with emotion. It is an admonition to say what you have to say in as few words as possible. @dappled_leaves is correct, reading your details slowly only makes them worse. The details are obviously completely extraneous, because no one understands them. So your question negates itself. Fluther obviously will lower its standards for individual members if the volume of glaring errors is consistent enough. I have had a question modded because one sentence in my details was not 100% clear.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@ibstubro Again, you entirely miss the point. KISS has nothing to do with emotion. It is an admonition to say what you have to say in as few words as possible.
I am quite aware what it means, what you are not getting is to use it ”as is” in this place” it evokes kneejerk reactions, which has its roots in emotions. Then people want to go whining “troll” and other such poppycock.

@dappled_leaves Keep tap dancing..]
Given the opportunity to reiterate your question so I do not mistakenly answer a question you didn’t ask you now don’t want to re-ask it? Why make a stink over it then? I can have an answer in season and out of season, can’t say anyone else has.

gailcalled's avatar

I can have an answer in season and out of season, can’t say anyone else has.

The above is grammatically correct and spelled flawlessly, but an absurd figure of speech that makes no sense.

ibstubro's avatar

The question itself has been polished, now only the details are a train wreck.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

@gailcalled The above is grammatically correct and spelled flawlessly, but an absurd figure of speech that makes no sense.
That would make it no different than a host of other things said around here.

ibstubro's avatar

Yes, I agree, @Hypocrisy_Central, you seem to be the host of many ”...an absurd figure of speech that makes no sense.”

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

^ Well, we all have out cute ideas, and they are just that, cute ideas; don’t stop having them. ;-P

ibstubro's avatar

Well, we all have out cute ideas?

Berserker's avatar

Yall so kawaiiii!

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

Better watch out, that may not be grammatically correct ~~

Berserker's avatar

Shit, you telling me I might fail the test?~

Response moderated
talljasperman's avatar

I have 65% mark on grade 12 English and 6 credits in university English , and two classes of business communication and my grammar is still atrocious.

Hypocrisy_Central's avatar

^ No soup for you!! ~~

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