Ayale-com.487
net.general
utzoo!decvax!yale-com!glaser
Fri May 7 04:32:37 1982
re:The English Language
I'm as much in favor of properly used English as the next guy. However,
I wish the author of "The English Language" would listen to his own words.
Consider the following:
"It really does not take much effort to write good English. Any
of you capable of remembering half the syntax of 'C' are quite
capable of remembering the basic rules of English grammar. . ."
"Any . . . are?" In my copy of Strunk and White, any is a singular noun.
It should be "Any . . . is." [not to mention the construction "half the
syntax," which *really* ought to be "half of the syntax," if one is
keeping score.]
It is true that many technical people use the English language sloppily.
In an informal setting such as USENET, however, content ought to be valued
over form, timeliness over lengthy deliberation. I'd rather see a timely
article with a few grammatical mistakes (as long as it is basically coherent)
than the same piece, impeccably written but appearing days later.
Another factor to keep in mind is that, judging from some of the submissions
we receive over the net, the inews submission interface is not always conducive
to perfection (not a slap at the news designers, just the incompetents,
myself included, who make dumb mistakes). For instance, I messed up
two earlier versions of this flame (one of which may have been sent, my
apologies if it was) before (*pray*) finally getting things right.
To the author of "The English Language": although your point, in moderation,
is well taken, you might want to hold off on the stone throwing until
you've refurbished your own glass house.
Rob Glaser
Yale University
(decvax!yale-comix!glaser)
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