4 ms·

Downvoting for bad grammar? What if this person is a non-native english speaker? I know plenty of smart people who grew up with a different primary language, an

Downvoting for bad grammar? What if this person is a non-native english speaker? I know plenty of smart people who grew up with a different primary language, and can make bad mistakes in english while writing.

wmeredith 13y ago
Then that's just too bad, I guess. HN is an English speaking site. The ability to articulate your thoughts in the medium chosen for the discourse is cost of entry. Poor grammar is a quick indicator of content quality to me. In fact, it's just about the only thing I will downvote. Maybe it's because I was raised by an English professor. Edited: Typo (of course)
- SheepSlapper 13y ago
  "en English professor" Sorry buddy, gotta downvote you now. Based on that typo I can tell that this comment lacks quality and doesn't add to the discourse.
  - wmeredith 13y ago
    What's good for the goose is good for the gander. Do as you will :) (I was wondering how long it would take before I let one slip. It never fails when discussing grammar online.)
    - acheron 13y ago
      a.k.a. "Muphry's Law".
dllthomas 13y ago
Poor grammar and spelling lowers the signal-to-noise ratio. Upvotes and downvotes are quite specifically designed to raise the signal-to-noise ratio on the site. It doesn't have to reflect on the person as an individual. Having said that, I don't downvote on grammar/spelling alone (as I mentioned elsewhere), and I do cut a little more slack when a person is not a native speaker (but not 100% slack - better grammar and spelling are always preferred, other things being equal).