# Official Grammar Nazi **URL:** \ **Category:** About This Message Board\ **Created:** [August 16, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329 "2005-08-16T21:33:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![AdmiralCrunch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6f9a4e/32.png) [@AdmiralCrunch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AdmiralCrunch)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/1 "2005-08-16T21:33:45Z")
In the interest of fighting ignorance, would it be possible to grant a special title to those dopers who are qualified to correct grammatical errors in posts? It doesn’t come with any new priviliges; it just gives these posters the ability to correct grammar without looking snarky or needlessly hijacking a thread. There could be a controlled release in Great Debates or General Questions. If anonymity is preferred, we could create a username specifically to correct grammar. A password would be given out to those who qualify. I don’t have the grammar chops to do this, but I’m sure there are plenty dopers that do. Have fun ripping my post to shreds. ---
**Author:** ![fortytwo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f9ae1b/32.png) [@fortytwo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fortytwo)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/2 "2005-08-16T21:46:40Z")
I must pick you up on your spelling of privileges. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ace309](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ace309/32/1050_2.png) [@Ace309](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace309)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/3 "2005-08-16T22:31:36Z")
I don’t understand the need for mod-sanctioned corrections of grammar and spelling - this is at least the second post in the past few weeks to make a suggestion on the topic. Has there been a call for this that I missed? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/4 "2005-08-16T22:48:26Z")
If this place implements a Grammar N Spelling Nazi, I for one am going home. Life is ugly enough without having total strangers correct one’s grammar and spelling; why add to it? ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/5 "2005-08-16T22:58:24Z")
I don’t know. I’ll have to think about my answer. It IS fighiting ignorance, but in a personal way. Maybe by email, individual preference? ---
**Author:** ![monospectacular](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@monospectacular](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monospectacular)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/6 "2005-08-16T23:00:01Z")
Agreed. Besides, who’d actually want such a task? I can’t imagine a quicker way of getting people seriously annoyed with you. Feel free to correct my spelling and grammar if you must, just do it to yourself and make a mental note that I’m a spelling/grammar loser and should be shunned. Just keep it to yourself and pity me from afar… ---
**Author:** ![monospectacular](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@monospectacular](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monospectacular)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/7 "2005-08-16T23:01:38Z")
Sorry, meant to respond to Mr. Goose. Hey, you can only post every 60 seconds! Didn’t know that! ---
**Author:** ![RyJae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@RyJae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RyJae)\ **Post date:** [August 16, 2005, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/8 "2005-08-16T23:30:41Z")
I have asked for help, and I will continue to make mistakes. But I have seen people with more knowledge then many people in here, have horrible grammar/spelling skills. In Great Debates does your opinion not count because your not a perfect speller? In GQ if you answer the question, while not making a perfect sentence, does it make that answer wrong? If something such as this was implemented I could see an exodus of people not in the grammar clique, narrowing the fight against ignorance to just grammar and spelling. You could know how to spell supercalifragilisticexpaladoscious\* but not know the correct air pressure setting for my air nailer, and if thats the question I need an answer for, your knowledge would do nothing too help me. Point is, when I have a question about my grammar I have asked, and “tried” to improve. And will continue to do so, but if you point it out to people, some people will take offense no matter how lightly you put it. \*I have no clue ---
**Author:** ![rfgdxm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@rfgdxm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rfgdxm)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/9 "2005-08-17T00:48:44Z")
> [@Jake](#): > > I don’t know. I’ll have to think about my answer. > It IS fighiting ignorance, but in a personal way. > Maybe by email, individual preference? That’s **fighting** ignorance! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/10 "2005-08-17T01:21:05Z")
Badges? Spelling & Grammar police don’t need any badges. They don’t need to show any stinkin’ badges. ---
**Author:** ![TubaDiva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tubadiva/32/507_2.png) [@TubaDiva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TubaDiva)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/11 "2005-08-17T02:33:51Z")
You are kidding, right? your humble TubaDiva ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/12 "2005-08-17T04:21:48Z")
> [@AdmiralCrunch](#): > > If anonymity is preferred, we could create a username specifically to correct grammar. I would suggest **Oberstgruppenführer Gaudere.** 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![elmwood](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmwood/32/3060_2.png) [@elmwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elmwood)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/13 "2005-08-17T05:45:24Z")
> [@AdmiralCrunch](#): > > I don’t have the grammar chops to do this, but I’m sure there are **plenty dopers that do**. Have fun ripping my post to shreds. You mean “plenty _of_ _D_opers that do”, right? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/14 "2005-08-17T06:11:32Z")
We can’t have a Grammar Nazi here. Gaudere’s Law proves that the Grammar Nazi would make a grammar mistake in every post, thereby making whichever poster has the title the _least_ qualified person to hold it. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 6:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/15 "2005-08-17T06:41:12Z")
> [@elmwood](#): > > You mean “plenty _of_ _D_opers that do”, right? 😃 And you meant “plenty _of_ Dopers that do”, right 🙂 Oh hang on, that was a formatting error. Disregard. ---
**Author:** ![aldiboronti](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@aldiboronti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aldiboronti)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/16 "2005-08-17T08:56:54Z")
Mods correcting grammar? This is from **Tuba Diva** ’s post in the [Sock thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=330274) “Also, not every time someone makes the same sort of assumption you did, it’s not always the correct one.” I’m still trying to fathom the meaning of that! 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 9:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/17 "2005-08-17T09:58:48Z")
As I said in the [recent previous thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=327226); I’ll go along with this, just as long as we also appoint people who are allowed to correct factual errors. This will give these people the ability to tell a poster they are talking empty-headed pig-swill… without sounding snarky about it. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/18 "2005-08-17T14:09:46Z")
> [@Futile Gesture](#): > > This will give these people the ability to tell a poster they are talking empty-headed pig-swill… 1. Pig-swill does not come with heads, empty or otherwise. 2. You’ve put too many dots in your ellipsis. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/19 "2005-08-17T14:38:50Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > We can’t have a Grammar Nazi here. Gaudere’s Law proves that the Grammar Nazi would make a grammar mistake in every post, thereby making whichever poster has the title the _least_ qualified person to hold it. Good point! I want the job. If for no other reason than Gaudere’s Law would kick in and reduce the number of grammar and spelling mistakes in a FordPrefect post to one. The logical and just plain mistakes would still be there, but at least without the jarring grammatical issues… I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [August 17, 2005, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329/20 "2005-08-17T14:58:04Z")
Just to weigh my two cents in, I do not want a Grammar Nazi (or Grammar Czar or whatever), nor do I think one is necessary. Further, even if it was a good idea, the work load involved would be horrendous, even if the Chief Grammarian could be counted on to be perfect (which, of course, you couldn’t). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/official-grammar-nazi/317329.md?page=2)