First paragraph says "robbed" while the 2nd and 3rd both refer to burglary, which is more accurate. Technically they are 2 different crimes. Robbery usually requires theft by force, while burglary requires entering a place with the intent to commit a theft.

I guess robbery is a more interesting lead-in to a story about a commercial burglary...

Robbery is against a person w/ force. You can't rob an empty building

NW Resident wrote, "First paragraph says "robbed" while the 2nd and 3rd both refer to burglary, which is more accurate."

This is poor English. NW Resident should have written, "THE first paragraph.."

Sparty wrote, "You can't rob an empty building"

Perhaps Sparty is not a native English writer or dropped out of school before graduating, but he should know that every sentence must conclude with a punctuation mark. In this case, a period (".") would work just fine.

Perhaps our wonderfully intelligent Mountain View citizens could spend more time in school learning the basic writing skills and less time criticizing a complimentary, local news service.

It's more important that readers point out lapses in correct legal vocabulary or factual information versus grammatical or punctuation issues.

True, neither commenter replied with perfectly formed comments, but that's not terribly important regarding the big picture. This isn't an SAT exam.

What are you talking about Park? How is it important AT ALL to point out lapses in “correct legal vocabulary” in this case?

What is this so-called BIG PICTURE you are referring to?

And how is this related to an SAT exam? Isn’t an SAT exam multiple choice? How is that related to a local, community news service?

I think before you and the other nutters point out insignificant issues, you might want to address the flaws in your own writing. If you had difficulty graduating from high school, I understand there are some good GED programs that will allow you to catch up. Remember, our society is only strong as our weakest links, which appears to be you three.

I'm just saying that in the interest of keeping healthy, helpful conversation alive on this website, it might be more helpful to ignore minor lapses of grammar or punctuation issues.

If you want this site to act as some sort of English writing qualification exam, well, that's really up to Embarcadero Media to enforce such matters.

From a practical standpoint, I don't see it happening.

And yes, that's part of the Big Picture, at least in how this site interacts with the community and its readership.

But by all means, go ballistic when someone forgets a comma or period.

It's what you do best, isn't it?

you don't need a comma here:

>This is poor English. NW Resident should have written, "THE first paragraph.."

and you're missing one period on your ellipsis

and a period here:

> Sparty wrote, "You can't rob an empty building"

Jay Park...SHHHH! Quietly mocking those who assign themselves in the role of grammar police is the hobby of many here. Let them continue, believing they are appearing intelligent.
Same for "Stop the Trolls"...the village will be boring without its funny characters. The rest of us are free to discuss the actual story.

When you're commenting on the story it's okay to be a little informal. It's a lot more important that the reporter, who's supposed to be a professional, writes the article properly. Otherwise they aren't doing their job.

This clip from The Wire makes the point better than I can. It's all about the details: Web Link

Totally Agree Jay, sometimes misses in grammar happen, even if one has read it 3 times. Whopp de do!!! Sometimes the prints are just to small to see a little comma or period. Like Jay said, it's the meaning that really counts.

But i for one don't mind being corrected, since sometimes one forgets the minor details to the art of writing. A good refresher is always a welcome. Soon they may have software that corrects grammar like it corrects spelling.

Idiots like Park and NW Resident have forgotten that whether it is robbery or burglary, the point is that some tools were stolen from a construction site.

Anyone who had actually read the article and has a good comprehension of English would never believe that people showed up with guns to force tools away from people.

So, the "robbery vs burglary" criticism is equivalent to quibbling over spelling.

You can read more of Mr. Park's insanity in the comments of this blog:
Web Link

When Park writes, "I realize you do not like to be called out for what you are: a censor and a coward." it is clear that he is mentally unbalanced.

I am a rep for a company called Tattletale Portable Alarm Systems. We have been protecting construction job sites like this one from copper, tools, storage container theft and much more for over 18 years.

Our alarm has a built in cellular radio, siren/strobe and motion detector on the base unit, & can have up to 48 wireless indoor or outdoor sensors talking back to the base from as far away as a ½ mile.

When the alarm goes off, you can have up to 6 people receive a text message, e-mail, live call or have the police dispatched. You can also arm and disarm the system from the main unit keypad, key FOB, remotely, or from your Smartphone. Also, there are no monitoring contracts to sign and you can take it from job to job.

Email me at allportpro@gmail.com for more info

Do you just cruise Google for stories on tool theft and then reply with an ad?
Just think if companies did that with every reported residential burglary.
Good luck on your commission.