Re: Wrong? Poor style? OK?

Subject: Re: Wrong? Poor style? OK?
From: Janice Gelb <Janice -dot- Gelb -at- Sun -dot- COM>
To: techwr-l mailinglist <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com>
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 2009 12:26:50 +1100

David Hailey wrote:
>
> In the end, in my post I was repeating a point I have made a number of times in the past -- there is not a correct way to write; there are a number of different options that are more or less appropriate for different situations. The forum was recently discussing plural possessives. I heard all of these prescriptions on how it should be done, as if there were some kind of inflexible law. I pointed out that all of the style guides disagree with each other on this topic. One of them doesn't even bring it up.
>
> Thinking about what you are doing and being flexible is much more useful than following old opinions or prescriptions. It applies to plural possessives and it applies to passive voice.
>
> Thanks for giving me the opportunity to clarify.
>

I certainly agree that you should think about what
you're doing. I'm afraid I disagree that "being
flexible is much more useful than following old
opinions or prescriptions" because I often hear
this argument being used as license to ignore
grammar rules that are promulgated for a reason.

For example, should you absolutely, positively,
never ever end a phrase with a preposition? No,
sometimes moving the preposition makes the phrase
more awkward. However, I don't think that this
means that one should then just cheerfully say "Oh,
that's an old rule from when everyone spoke Latin
so don't worry about it." Most of the time, moving
the preposition makes the sentence stronger. Similar
arguments hold for not splitting prepositions and
not using passive voice -- perhaps those rules
shouldn't be followed 100% of the time but most of
the time they will improve one's writing and the
people who promote their usage are not just being
old-fashioned and rigid.

Perhaps this is what you mean by being flexible,
but most people who use phrasing like "old opinions
or prescriptions" are arguing for their demise, not
their usage.

-- Janice

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Follow-Ups:

References:
Re: Wrong? Poor style? OK?: From: Nancy Allison
RE: Wrong? Poor style? OK?: From: Combs, Richard
RE: Wrong? Poor style? OK?: From: David Hailey
Re: Wrong? Poor style? OK?: From: Janice Gelb
RE: Wrong? Poor style? OK?: From: David Hailey

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