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Subject:Re: Proper noun use From:"Susan W. Gallagher" <sgallagher -at- STARBASECORP -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 23 Mar 1995 18:20:26 -0800
Sonja writes...
[snip]>
> The situation where we work is that a new product is being released, for which
> we are writing online and paper documentation. Our problem relates to the way
> we should refer to the product when we use its full name (the proper noun).
The
> name is three words long. For example, do we say
> "X Y Z can do some amazing stuff."
> "The X Y Z can do some amazing stuff."
> It really gets down to if there should be a *the* before a proper noun. At
first
> it may seem a simple question, but trying it with lots of proper nouns we are
no
> longer sure what to write.
I'd lose the 'the', Sonja. You wouldn't, after all,
say "the Mary is smart", although you'd say "the girl
is smart". Same thing. The only time you'd leave 'the'
in is when you say, "the XYZ program is a whizbang tool".
Sue Gallagher
StarBase Corp, Irvine CA
sgallagher -at- starbasecorp -dot- com
