# Don't Just Say "You're Wrong." Tell What's \*RIGHT\* **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [June 1, 2016, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208 "2016-06-01T04:15:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/41 "2016-06-05T19:26:25Z")
I googled my screen name and the word “um” for this message board. Here is the wall of shame or imprudence. I will bold the word um where needed. > [@Kickstarter... in... Sp-a-a-a-a-a-ce](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/kickstarter-in-sp-a-a-a-a-a-ce/720269/3): > > … > Space cup. They have a working prototype in the International Space Station. Now they want to make them out of glass for zero g and 1 g encounters. > > Q1) **Um** , why? I know 3-D laser printing is expensive, but c’mon. > My guess: because it’s cool for earthbound folk. Eh, ok. > Q2) That base looks a little narrow for 1 g environments. > > The group also says, “With this project supported we’ll also have resources to invest in more like-minded living-and-working in space demonstrations. We’ll let you know what we mean soon…” That I can get behind. I’m pretty excited about working out nuts and bolts stuff. > [https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spaceware/space-coffee-cup](https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/spaceware/space-coffee-cup) That wasn’t directed against a poster, but rather at a kickstarter project. Probably ok (???) > [@orgasmatron finally here](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/orgasmatron-finally-here/53624/3): > > Um, beg to differ. Has **not** “been invented”. **Is** “in the process of being researched” if he ever gets any funding. Notice the words “could offer”, “could allow”, “could begin”, and “could be”. > We now return you to your regularly scheduled debate on The Ethics of the Orgasmatron. That seems ok to me, and way not ok to others. Or so I guess. > [@Children abducted by gypsies?, Part II](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/children-abducted-by-gypsies-part-ii/503092/5): > > Um, wow. Not helpful, but mainly due to vagueness. Ok, here’s where I apparently messed up due to cluelessness. I’ll present the exchange. > [@Rorschach Test - Science or Pseudo-science?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rorschach-test-science-or-pseudo-science/114281/6): > > In my intro Psychology text, it said that for what it was designed for, this test had a correlation coefficient of 0.33, which means that if you wanted to find the answer to a yes-no question, you’d get it right about 66% of the time. Of course, flipping a coin gets you the right answer 50% of the time. You wouldn’t want to say that it’s absolutely useless, but if you were trying to determine something, you’d probably use more than just this test. > > I think I should point out that, IMO, there are a few things in Psychology that the average person believes would be absolutely useless, but that have been shown through scientific studies not to be. > [@Rorschach Test - Science or Pseudo-science?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rorschach-test-science-or-pseudo-science/114281/7): > > **Achernar** : Um, I believe you’re thinking about the [coefficient of determination (R2)](http://www2.chass.ncsu.edu/garson/pa765/correl.htm) which is the _square_ of the correlation coefficient. > > In your example a correlation coefficient of .33 implies that one variable can explain about 11% of the variance. > > .33^2=.11 > Not sqrt(.33) (=.57) > > FWIW, .33 might indicate a moderate effect, except that I’m not sure what variables are being studied here. > [@Rorschach Test - Science or Pseudo-science?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rorschach-test-science-or-pseudo-science/114281/8): > > Okay, my apologies for getting that wrong. I don’t remember that certainly the measurement that was given in the book, but I’m fairly sure about the 66% figure. ## I certainly did not think Achernar was an idiot and am fully capable of making a similar mistake. It’s easy to do. I was trying to be conversational and even polite. ☹ I suppose I may have wanted a “Wake up” word of some sort, but there was absolutely nothing dumb about what I was responding to. Proposed expression: “Just to clarify”. Then add softener at the end. I dunno. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 5, 2016, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/42 "2016-06-05T20:48:31Z")
I put “um” or “well” into a post because I’m trying to say something other than a simple contradiction to a statement that another poster has made. I do the same thing in speech. I use hesitations because I’m trying to introduce my objections in the most hesitant way possible. I use them a lot in speech too because I’m frequently trying to disagree with someone without getting them angry. If you’re 4’11" like me, you can either make your disagreements in the most hesitant way possible, or you can never disagree with anyone you talk to about anything (and that’s pretty difficult), or you can get occasionally beaten up by the people you disagree with, or you can just never talk to anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Martini\_Enfield](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/martini_enfield/32/11123_2.png) [@Martini\_Enfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martini_Enfield)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/43 "2016-06-06T10:30:28Z")
For what it’s worth, I draw a distinction in text between “Um” (_You’re an idiotic mouthbreathing peasant_) and “Erm”, which has stronger connotations of “_Excuse me, if I might make an observation at this point…_” Both should, I would suggest, be avoided altogether where possible, though. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2016, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208/44 "2016-06-06T11:59:05Z")
Let me just note that while in Australian English there is a distinction between “um” and “erm” as hesitation words, there is no such distinction in American English. “Erm” isn’t pronounced in American English, which is rhotic, as it is in Australian English, which is non-rhotic. The closest I can get to explaining it to an Australian is that an American trying to pronounce the spelling “erm” would produce something that you would spell as “errrrrm”. To an American, your pronunciations of “um” and “erm” would sound pretty much indistinguishable: > **[Rhoticity in English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhoticity_in_English)** > > Rhoticity in English is the pronunciation of the historical rhotic consonant /r/ by English speakers. The presence or absence of rhoticity is one of the most prominent distinctions by which varieties of English can be classified. In rhotic varieties, the historical English /r/ sound is preserved in all pronunciation contexts. In non-rhotic varieties, speakers no longer pronounce /r/ in postvocalic environments—that is, when it is immediately after a vowel and not followed by another vowel. The r... [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dont-just-say-youre-wrong-tell-whats-right/756208.md?page=2)