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Subject:Re: How to deal with incorrect editing From:David Neeley <dbneeley -at- oddpost -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 29 Dec 2003 12:11:55 -0800 (PST)
Rachel,
No one should say you are "not a writer" based upon such a clear bit of writing as your post. If any should do so, then I can tell you with considerable experience that *they* are not sufficiently an editor to judge!
If it comes down to "These emails are frauds" or "These are fraud emails"--you can certainly be secure in the knowledge that "fraud emails" is ungrammatical. On the other hand, I'd use the same form--*fraudulent*--in either position. The distinction between the person or persons who are "frauds" and the acts they perpetrate (e.g. "wire fraud") is simply unclear, which may have led to the confusion on the part of your manager.
On the other hand, when I'm writing informal copy for newsletters to a wide audience, there are times when you can communicate better by using newly-common usages which may yet be considered ungrammatical. Using sentence fragments at appropriate times, for example, has become much more common because of advertising writing.
It's very good to be sensitive to language, and a good sign that you are by nature "a writer!"
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