On Tue, 15 Aug 2000 05:26:31 -0400, Gloria Burd wrote:
> Terri,
> I've been called the same or similar thing! I hve a degree in English and
> am an amateur writer and editor. As soon as co-workers see the red pencil
> in my hand (one of my many tasks is to proofread), they become terrified.
> ;-)
> The phrase "to fully-preserve" is wrong for two reasons. The first is one
> does not use a hyphen for a verb plus an object; the hyphen is used for
> compound modifiers, compound nouns, etc. The second is that there is a
> split infinitive--definitely a grammatical faux pas. A better way to
> phrase "to fully-preserve" would be "to preserve (object of the verb)
> completely".
> Just thought I'd throw in my two cents' worth.
> Glo:-)
4:25 PM
Hi Gloria,
I'm afraid my usage of grammer has slipped quite a bit since school ;-)
I find that for informal chatting, creative composition can be much more
expressive, but when clarity and succinctness are required, as is so
often the case during technical discussions, careful use of grammer can
make all the difference <g>
During the winter I stumbled across a page written by someone who has
spent some two decades communicating online. He detailed the sources for
and evolution of various things like using underscores, asterisks, &c.,
for emphisis, and the inclusion of programming terms into the flow of
conversation. He explained how, in some circles, the creative use of
this medium to communicate multiple layers of meaning was highly prized;
the decadent end product being what one usually finds inside a
registration crack.
As to your afore mentioned example: I never would have noticed it ;-)
(Ummm... Just what *is* a "split infinative"??)
- Pete Randolph -
- Morristown Corners, Vermont -
