The discussion under this question caused me to consider the policy at ELL on unsolicited advice. Consider a situation where there are errors in the examples presented in the original question, which are not related to the question per se. As a general rule, should we try to correct these errors in addition to responding to the question, or should we stick to only answering the question?
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2Discussed here, though the question has a different focus: "Fixing the grammar should be done in answers not the question"– Laurel ModCommented Nov 29, 2023 at 14:59
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1Related discussion Submitting answers that merely answer the question - this discusses answering the question directly, but without much explanation or supporting sources, so it's not exactly what you're talking about, but I think some of the answers made some points that are tangentially related.– ColleenVCommented Nov 29, 2023 at 16:06
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4Users and visitors come here to ask and find answers to their questions of English. If there are multiple errors in their question and they're only asking about one specific point the question should be closed because it is thinly disguised request for proofreading. Nobody should be ignoring a glaring error of grammar or vocabulary while answering a question but we shouldn't be going through each and every single phrase or clause with a flea comb.– Mari-Lou ACommented Nov 29, 2023 at 22:32
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@Mari-LouA I agree completely. How can you provide help if the sample text is full of mistakes or even one glaring mistake? Even if advice is unsolicited, OPs should be happy to be getting it. If I am learning a language, I'm delighted to be corrected.– LambieCommented Dec 1, 2023 at 15:01
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2 Answers
Generally speaking, here on ELL we purposely avoid fixing errors in questions because they provide useful clues to the level of English the OP has, which are important factors in choosing both the content and language style used in an answer.
The general exception to this practice of leaving errors in questions is when the errors reduce the quality or quantity of answers. There's always going to be a trade-off between getting more and better answers versus the answers matching the OP's level.
Myself, I prioritize attracting more and better answers, so if I think a mistake is so bad that it will deter people from trying to answer it (quantity) or that it will attract more attention to the error than the actual question (quality), then I fix the error.
As for this particular question, in my own very humble opinion, the errors are so bad that the benefits from fixing them outweigh the benefits of leaving them, so the bad grammar should be fixed, ideally by asking the OP questions in the comments to help them fix it themselves, or make sure other users' edits don't conflict with the OP's intent.
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2Very often the errors are not only in the question but in the accompanying text. Personally, I take those errors and fix them in a comment or comments in square brackets.– LambieCommented Dec 1, 2023 at 15:04
If by try to correct these errors you mean to post an answer that explains there are other errors in the given examples and how to correct them, that can be done too, as long as the asked question is answered.
IMO, that is not different from saying a more idiomatic phrase a native speaker would use.
