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zedzed comments on Instrumental Rationality Questions Thread - Less Wrong Discussion
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Comments (92)
In that case, "it's" is a contraction equivalent to "it is". For a possessive, use "its".
Examples:
and
(What's the point of paying attention to this stuff if you're communicating clearly? Briefly, signalling. If I notice you've made a grammatical error, on average, I estimate you're less well educated or not invested in making the writing worth my while than in the opposite case, and am less likely to finish reading if I get bored or have to expend mental effort to understand what you're saying or something. Also, there's an aesthetic element: error-free writing is, ceter paribus, more pleasing to read.)
(Also, wondering if this was downvoted because someone thinks I'm incorrect, because they think I'm being an ass, or for some other reason.)
I downvoted because it completely detracts from the purpose of the thread, and it contributes to the negative nitpicking culture of less wrong.
Thank you for the reply. I somewhat disagree that this detracts from the purpose of the thread—I find signalling via grammar (a) nonobvious and (b) useful, making my comment very much in place in a thread about instrumental rationality (albeit less so in a questions thread)—but I do very much appreciate the feedback.
Didn't downvote, but - when I see a mistake like that, by default I assume it was just a typo and that the person knows full well the difference between its and it's. So I find posts explaining it to be annoying.
In general, I would assume that a private message would be more appropriate than a post.
Obligatory cynicism: But then you don't get social status for being right, so there's not incentive to do it.