an harmless adornment

Subject: an harmless adornment
From: Tom Little <LITTLE_TOM_H -at- OFVAX -dot- LANL -dot- GOV>
Date: Fri, 13 Jan 1995 09:39:00 MDT

> "Yet many speakers and writers today prefer the sound of *an*
> before historic, which a usage note in 'The American Heritage
> Dictionary,' third edition, calls 'a harmless adornment in
> formal writing.'"

> So there you have it: a harmless adornment. Let personal
> preference rule.

Harmless, that is, unless it makes your readers see you as a pompous, ignorant
snob with pretensions of aristocracy. Which is a possibility.

Tom Tadfor Little | "They called me
Technical Writer/Editor | 'the quiet one' because
Los Alamos National Laboratory | I just didn't have anything
little_tom_h -at- ofvax -dot- lanl -dot- gov | to say" -- George Harrison, 1987.


Previous by Author: populate
Next by Author: Levenger catalog
Previous by Thread: Re: populate
Next by Thread: Re: an harmless adornment


What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:


Sponsored Ads