Usage of english grammar. [modified]
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Andy Brummer wrote:
Yeah, I think you do need some :java:
:doh: Kinda point out what the priority of my addictions is though...
every night, i kneel at the foot of my bed and thank the Great Overseeing Politicians for protecting my freedoms by reducing their number, as if they were deer in a state park. -- Chris Losinger, Online Poker Players?
I've spent the past few months kicking the habit, and now I'm on my second day of 0 caffene intake. The biggest change has been that I've noticed my body reacts differently to drinking a cup of coffee vs. a cup of water. Before the only difference was that coffee kept me from getting a nasty headache and feeling like crap. Now, I actually know what those people were talking about when they said caffene rush. I didn't need to quit, but cutting back my intake to 1 cup a day has never worked for me. It's just too easy to move back up to a couple of pots a day.
Using the GridView is like trying to explain to someone else how to move a third person's hands in order to tie your shoelaces for you. -Chris Maunder
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Technical people, often known to be poor in english grammar. Proper usage of verb, adverb, adjectives, semicolon, comma separation etc., Even, I dont remember english rules while writing a document. I write what is appropriate and easy to understand. Can anybody out here highlight how important it is ? Thanks, Sreenath -- modified at 11:09 Tuesday 17th October, 2006
There are some very entertaining books out there about the "rules" of English. One of my favourite books is Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson. Another excellent example is Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. The best advice I was ever given for writing was to write it out once, leave it for a while and then remove the crap. That's why I'm no good at writing the corporate bull that I end up having to write:^)
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There are some very entertaining books out there about the "rules" of English. One of my favourite books is Troublesome Words by Bill Bryson. Another excellent example is Eats Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss. The best advice I was ever given for writing was to write it out once, leave it for a while and then remove the crap. That's why I'm no good at writing the corporate bull that I end up having to write:^)
Thanks Pete. I will check this.
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Richard A. Abbott wrote:
And how often do you disagree with the grammar suggestions that, for instance, MS Word outputs.
While I don't disagree with it, I have a hard time correcting Word's "Passive Voice" sentences.
"Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed" - 2 Timothy 2:15
"Judge not by the eye but by the heart." - Native American Proverb
Passive voice is a perfectly valid construct. In many cases, it conveys a subtlety that the author is intentionally trying to convey. "While she was not the prettiest one there, she sure got my attention." ...has a slightly different feel than... "She sure got my attention even though she was not the prettiest one there." Word will complain about the first version, but it is not wrong.
"Quality Software since 1983!" http://www.smoothjazzy.com/
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Passive voice is a perfectly valid construct. In many cases, it conveys a subtlety that the author is intentionally trying to convey. "While she was not the prettiest one there, she sure got my attention." ...has a slightly different feel than... "She sure got my attention even though she was not the prettiest one there." Word will complain about the first version, but it is not wrong.
"Quality Software since 1983!" http://www.smoothjazzy.com/
Well, I don't know about you but most of the time I can rewrite my "Passive Voice" sentences into better "Active Voice" sentences (especially when writing instructions/manuals).
"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." - Thomas Jefferson "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin Edbert Sydney, Australia
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Sreenath Madyastha wrote:
Technical people, often known to be poor in english grammar. Proper usage of verb, adverb, adjectives, semicolon, comma separation etc.,
Technically-minded people (or, perhaps more precisely, computer programmers) are known to often use poor grammar: improper usage of words (casting a noun as a verb, etc.), misuse of punctuation (overuse or incorrect usage of semicolons, improper placement of commas, etc.) and poor sentence structure. ok... now i'm off to get my first cup of coffee for the day. If those dern masons mess with my head and make this all look like gibberish again.... :mad:
every night, i kneel at the foot of my bed and thank the Great Overseeing Politicians for protecting my freedoms by reducing their number, as if they were deer in a state park. -- Chris Losinger, Online Poker Players?
Most of the time I get e-mails from management (CEO, CFO, VP, managers) that I can barely understand and I have to call them back for explanation. This, however, is not the case with the technical people I encounter. It may have something to do with people not wanting to spend an extra 2 minutes explaining their problems when writing e-mails though, those lazy bastards :laugh:
"A democracy is nothing more than mob rule, where fifty-one percent of the people may take away the rights of the other forty-nine." - Thomas Jefferson "Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote." - Benjamin Franklin Edbert Sydney, Australia
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Sreenath Madyastha wrote:
Can any "gurus" out here highlight how important it is ?
Not that I'm a guru, but I think basic sentence structure (ever try reading a translation of a Chinese instruction manual?) and proper spelling is important (and no, I think "colour" or "gray" is just fine--or is the less used one "grey"?). It definitely should be appropriate and easy to understand. Why for the life of me people don't put their documentation into MS Word and have it grammar and spell check the text, well, it's beyond me. Of course, I wrote some pretty butchered sentences above. Marc
People are just notoriously impossible. --DavidCrow
There's NO excuse for not commenting your code. -- John Simmons / outlaw programmer
People who say that they will refactor their code later to make it "good" don't understand refactoring, nor the art and craft of programming. -- Josh SmithMarc Clifton wrote:
Not that I'm a guru, but I think basic sentence structure (ever try reading a translation of a Chinese instruction manual?) and proper spelling is important (and no, I think "colour" or "gray" is just fine--or is the less used one "grey"?).
Huh? If everybody does that, where do you think we will get gems such as "All your bases are belong to us"?;P
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u shood use good grammer cause it makes u look smart
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Sreenath Madyastha wrote:
Can anybody out here highlight how important it is ?
Depends on what you are writing or speaking about. If you are writing English technical documentation, or English comments in source code, or English used in the prompts and/or static text in an application, or speaking at a conference, it is pretty damn important. Just as people use appearance as an initial indicator, they tend to do the same with how someone speaks and/or writes. That whole "first impression" thing, 'ya know. I think that punctuation is less important than the wording of the content, but that is just my opinion. Not too much difference between:
The selected file is locked, possibly by another desktop application.
Please close any applications that may be using the file and try again.And:
The selected file is locked possibly by another desktop application
please close any applications that may be using the file and try again.Not exactly correct, but it gets the point across. But there is one between:
Please select the order showing the alert and click [Resolve] to clear it.
And:
Please to click resolve on alerting order
Or:
Resolve your order indicated alert
Peace!
-=- James
If you think it costs a lot to do it right, just wait until you find out how much it costs to do it wrong!
Avoid driving a vehicle taller than you and remember that Professional Driver on Closed Course does not mean your Dumb Ass on a Public Road!
DeleteFXPFiles & CheckFavorites (Please rate this post!)James R. Twine wrote:
you are writing English technical documentation, or English comments in source code, or English used in the prompts and/or static text in an application, or speaking at a conference, it is pretty damn important.
Engish usage as a first impression can peg socio-economic class, educational level, etc. And as they say, you only get one chance to make a first impression.
The evolution of the human genome is too important to be left to chance.
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Technical people, often known to be poor in english grammar. Proper usage of verb, adverb, adjectives, semicolon, comma separation etc., Even, I dont remember english rules while writing a document. I write what is appropriate and easy to understand. Can anybody out here highlight how important it is ? Thanks, Sreenath -- modified at 11:09 Tuesday 17th October, 2006
Dont worry too much about the grammer and accuracy when writing technical documentation in english for 2 reasons. 1) The main thing is to get it technically correct. That is the point of the document. 2) English is a joke. Its is a botched up language. For example, 'Develop' has no 'e' at the end. 'Developement' has the 'e'. So why not spell it 'Develope'? The French do, and we got it from French.
Truth is the subjection of reality to an individuals perception