As an English teacher, I certainly understand (and appreciate in many circumstances) the forum's requirements regarding proper usage. I did not comment on the discussions earlier about it because in general agreed with it. I also believed that considering the written grammar of many of the moderators was far from perfect, that the stricter rules would not be much of an issue. I also believed that considering the emotional nature of the forum, excellent diction and syntax would not be required.
That being said, I can also understand Jocasta's reaction and frustration. It is unnerving and frustrating to be corrected and PM'd about a grammar violation, that in actuality is not an error. For example, I was corrected and PM'd for not capitalizing all the words in a thread title. I had read the rules, but had assumed (bad idea, I know) that standard English usage applied to titles as well, and that prepositions or articles in titles, except for the first word, are not capitalized. The forum does not follow that rule of standard usage. It is also frustrating to see a spelling/usage error in the PM and/or explanatory message informing the poster that he/she had used improper grammar. For example, a moderator explained to Jocasta that "everyone is excepted (the word should be accepted) on the forum.“ Ironically, “excepted” means to exclude. A grammar and spelling checker would not have corrected excepted/accepted, and it would have removed the capitalized article/preposition.
I do not mean to criticize or offend the moderators or Anthony as they dedicate a lot of time and energy to creating and maintaining the site and helping the rest of us. I also do not know how the posts were written prior to being corrected by the moderators. I do think, however, that enforcement of correct usage should be consistent and appropriate for the conversational nature of the forum.
Again, I am sorry if I have offended anyone.
