Re: Not Entirely OT: Grammar

In article michelle-289AF9.06515528092008@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Michelle
Steiner at michelle@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote on 9/28/08 9:51 AM:

In article <C504E946.102F7%nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com>,
Nick Naym <nicknaym@[remove_this].gmail.com> wrote:

You run that risk only from pedants and the anal-compulsive.

If you are write a final report for a client who paid $100,000 for
the study you just performed, and the report is peppered with
"incorrect" usage, "sloppy" punctuation, and "poor" sentence
structure -- and I'm using those terms in the sense that you can't
defend your (ahem) "writing style" by citing authoritative references
-- I dare say that being "anal-retentive" is highly advisable.

If I am writing a report for that client, I will refrain from sloppy
writing, whilst still using appropriate punctuation and sentence
structure.


Good idea.



If the client paid me a hundred grand, he's not going to be
bothered by whether I put a comma inside or outside a quotation; he's
going to be interested in my facts, methodologies, and conclusions.


That's a mistaken assumption. If a report appears less-than-professional --
which is the signal you risk sending when you choose to use non-standard
and/or incorrect usage -- you undermine your credibility. Regardless of how
accurate your facts and how good your analyses, a report that has the
"flavor" of a high school term paper appears unprofessional, creates a
negative impression, and communicates a subliminal message that suggests its
content may be sub par.



Contrary to your fervent belief, not following archaic and obsolete
rules of usage is not the same as sloppy or poor writing.


Contrary to your assertions, deviating from standard convention can call
unnecessary attention and create serious doubts about your professionalism
and the quality of your deliverable.


If I want to boldly split an infinitive I will do so if it makes the
sentence more understandable. And if ending a sentence with a
preposition makes it more readable, I'll do so because that's where I
come from.


Splitting infinitives and ending sentences in prepositions -- if done so to
achieve clarity -- are considered acceptable.


And if a rare instance of using the passive voice is appropriate ?
unlike in this sentence ? the passive voice shall be used.


Absolutely. Specifically, it's appropriate when you want to avoid calling
attention to who is responsible for the action an active voice would
otherwise identify.


--
iMac (24", 2.8 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 2GB RAM, 320 GB HDD) ? OS X (10.5.4)

.

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