On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 7:08 PM, Chris Staub <ch...@beaker67.com> wrote: > On 03/11/2010 04:52 PM, stosss wrote: >> On Thu, Mar 11, 2010 at 7:12 AM, Mike Lynch<mjly...@mchsi.com> wrote: >>> But "apple" is word and "su" is an initialism. Paul Brians' guide >>> states specific rules when it comes to initialisms. Those rules are >>> related to the "sound" of the first letter of the initialism >>> not the context in which it is used. >> >> >> su may have been created as an initialism, but technically it is not, >> su is a command. It does not matter if one is using initials or words >> the same rules still apply. >> >> As already stated "a" and "an" are general "the" is specific. > > And the fact that "a" and "an" are general is exactly why they would > work when describing su, at least in the original context - as I've said > earlier, there is more than one way to write a command line using "su", > so "an su command" does in fact make perfect sense. "the" could be used, > but then that would probably need to be something like "using the su > program".
You are still wrong. Although there are multiple ways to use the su command, it is still unique. It is still the su command. Just because it can be used in various ways does not make it proper, according to the rules of grammar of the English language, to use the article "an". The only article that can properly be used with it or any other unique noun is "the". http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/540/01/ If those of you who are writing the books would be willing to let someone, who knows how to write using proper grammar, help with writing the books then maybe these kinds of mistakes would not be in the book. When mistakes are found and brought to your attention just accept the fact that it is a mistake and fix it rather than defend it. Defending garbage like this shows ignorance and contempt for the English language. If you were defending this nonsense in an English class, you would be laughed at by the rest of the class and you would get an F by the instructor. Now the whole world is your audience. -- http://linuxfromscratch.org/mailman/listinfo/lfs-dev FAQ: http://www.linuxfromscratch.org/faq/ Unsubscribe: See the above information page
