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I'm curious … what are people's credentials here? I'm sure it varies, but overall? How do you get qualified to give grammar advice on here? And should I take the advice given as gospel? And how come after an initial question is answered and then I respond back (either because I'm unsatisfied with the answer or I have further questions), that response will a lot of times go unanswered? I know all people here are volunteers and I should be grateful … and I am … but one wonders. Thank you.

Blue Jay · Accepted Answer

Some are professional English teachers. Some are native speakers, but not teachers. A few are non-natives who are fluent in English. There are no specific requirements, but we do not allow people to continue to post replies if their answers prove too unreliable.
The answers here are generally good, but we are not infallible. We correct mistakes if we see them, but they do happen sometimes, and we may miss some altogether.
We try to answer follow-up questions, but once a question has been answered it tends to attract less attention from others, especially after it has been around for a couple of days. The only people who then notice follow-up questions are those who have posted to the thread, and they may miss a follow-up question in a stack of notifications, or forget to answer one as they deal with others.

CalifJim · Answer

ByoungSuhAnd should I take the advice given as gospel?

After you've had quite a few answers from quite a few people, you'll automatically start to see personalities emerge, and something as ephemeral as that can often be your guide. Always keep in mind, however, that many questions in English grammar do not have exact answers. Occasionally, for example, we find an example that sounds perfectly grammatical to a speaker of British English that does not sound quite right to a speaker of American English, and vice versa. And when it comes to punctuation and certain stylistic matters like the usage of a particular turn of phrase, opinions can be all over the map.

ByoungSuhwhat are people's credentials here?

Some of us are graduates of academic English programs; others of us are self-taught, but quite knowledgeable. If anyone's answers are consistently way off, they will be informed of it, so you are unlikely to receive many answers that are completely crazy.

ByoungSuhAnd how come after an initial question is answered and then I respond back (either because I'm unsatisfied with the answer or I have further questions), that response will a lot of times go unanswered?

If you have further questions, you may be able to get attention by asking in a new thread, especially if your additional questions are not directly related to your original question. In cases where a student asks one unrelated question after another, it seems they simply want a private tutor to answer every question they have. That's contrary to the spirit of a forum and is seldom encouraged.

Also, be sure to read everything in a thread several times if you think the question has remained unanswered to your satisfaction. There may be something you missed that answers the question. If that's so, then the person who answered originally may be reluctant to continue to explain what he believes he has already explained, or what can be deduced easily from what was already written.

CJ

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