If a moderator gives a wrong answer!

[Tom]

Hi

I would like to know if a moderator gives a wrong answer ( wrong answer to the extent where it cannot be covered) and the other moderator sees that, what he/ she would do? (Silly question, ha?) Would he/ she try to stay out [color=red]of the mess simply by not answering or would give his/ her opinions, obviously defying the previous answer? Does it ever happen to you? If you say yes, I will not ask when and with whom!

Tom

P.S. Should it be mess or the mess?

[Spencer]

Hi,
It’d be the mess, but I’d avoid this word in this matter.
Sorry for not staying out of this.
Spencer

[Jamie_K]

I think it’s happened before that moderators have given wrong answers. I think I’ve given some answers that needed correction. If that’s the case, and another moderator sees that the answer is wrong, we correct each other.

Much more often, a moderator will give an answer that is not exactly wrong, but open to disagreement or can be clarified from a different point of view. I’m on one continent, and the other moderators are on another. I have a heavy background in linguistics, and most other moderators have been trained in English the traditional way, and that sometimes leads to varying perspectives on language matters. If you pay close attention, you’ll notice that Alan, Amy, Mister Micawber and I correct each other’s answers, or add another perspective to each other’s answers, with relative frequency. Once in a while we even have to apologize for our own answers.

Some of the funny disagreements happen between Amy and me, because she is from the East and I’m from the Midwest, and sometimes we can’t even agree on what to call some sandwich or soft drink.

[Torsten]

Hi Tom,

I think Jamie has given you a very good answer. You see, you really would have to define what you mean by “wrong answer.” All our moderators know exactly what they are talking about and if there is a controversial question, they simply say what they think. It’s like in “real life”.

I would be interested in learning what triggered your question. Do you have the feeling that somebody gave you a “wrong answer” or is just that you want to take precautions?[YSaerTTEW443543]

TOEIC listening, photographs: Bicycle race[YSaerTTEW443543]

[Yankee]

Hi Tom

One thing you should keep in mind is that even the “biggest” experts in English don’t agree on every single thing. There are also a number of varieties of English and even within one single country there are local and regional differences (as Jamie pointed out).

I’m also curious about what prompted your question. I think sometimes there may be several responses to a question that are simply different ways of explaining the same thing or the second response might add something that the first didn’t mention, etc., etc. If you think that two (or more) answers are giving you fundamentally different information, then just ask about it.

Amy