EQOTD - English Question of the Day - verbalized transition
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Mark Wallace wrote:
Cute, but (as you'd expect from Chambers) wrong.
Not at all, Chambers is well known as a definitive reference second only to the OED.
Mark Wallace wrote:
Transition is also an intransitive verb.
Not in English it isn't.
Richard MacCutchan wrote:
Chambers is well known as a definitive reference second only to the OED WiKipedia
Fixed that for you.
Richard MacCutchan wrote:
Mark Wallace wrote: Transition is also an intransitive verb. Not in English it isn't.
If you read check a real dictionary (OED, American Heritage, etc.), you'll find that it is. On-line references rarely cut the mustard; a dictionary is just too damned much work to create and keep up to date.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Richard MacCutchan wrote:
Chambers is well known as a definitive reference second only to the OED WiKipedia
Fixed that for you.
Richard MacCutchan wrote:
Mark Wallace wrote: Transition is also an intransitive verb. Not in English it isn't.
If you read check a real dictionary (OED, American Heritage, etc.), you'll find that it is. On-line references rarely cut the mustard; a dictionary is just too damned much work to create and keep up to date.
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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That is correct, but transition is intransitive. So though the Foo may transition, we have no business transitioning the Foo.
'Transitioning the Foo' is only valid when you are using BizSpeak™[^].
Software Zen:
delete this;
Fold With Us![^] -
Too readable. ;)
-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel
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Make up a new word - "vestized". It's derived from the word "transvestite"...
.45 ACP - because shooting twice is just silly
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"Why don't you tie a kerosene-soaked rag around your ankles so the ants won't climb up and eat your candy ass..." - Dale Earnhardt, 1997
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"The staggering layers of obscenity in your statement make it a work of art on so many levels." - J. Jystad, 2001Perfect! I followed your advice almost to the point, but I thought transvestite sounded better, so I used it instead. Checked the doc in. Emailed it to the boss and the customers. Waiting for praise. What does that word mean, anyway? ;)
-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel
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Johann Gerell wrote: So, I'm writing some documentation that's sprinkled of the text "state transition". To get a natural text flow I need say that the Foos and Bars [make verb of transition] to a new state. What the heck is the present tense of the verb-form of transition? Neither *.reference.com nor Google Translate is helpful enough on this. Hi Johann, Suggestions : 1. "the Foos and Bars then change state to ... : " : "transition to" would also be acceptable English, but I think the first example is simpler and clearer. 2. for "some documentation that's sprinkled of the text 'state transition'." try : "documentation that frequently uses the phrase "state transition" best, Bill
"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844
BillWoodruff wrote:
try : "documentation that frequently uses the phrase "state transition"
Ahhh! That tastes much better! :)
-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel
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So, I'm writing some documentation that's sprinkled of the text "state transition". To get a natural text flow I need say that the Foos and Bars [make verb of transition] to a new state. What the heck is the present tense of the verb-form of transition? Neither *.reference.com nor Google Translate is helpful enough on this. :sigh:
-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel
change
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So, I'm writing some documentation that's sprinkled of the text "state transition". To get a natural text flow I need say that the Foos and Bars [make verb of transition] to a new state. What the heck is the present tense of the verb-form of transition? Neither *.reference.com nor Google Translate is helpful enough on this. :sigh:
-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel
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So, I'm writing some documentation that's sprinkled of the text "state transition". To get a natural text flow I need say that the Foos and Bars [make verb of transition] to a new state. What the heck is the present tense of the verb-form of transition? Neither *.reference.com nor Google Translate is helpful enough on this. :sigh:
-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel
It's 'Transition' - in English, you can always verb a noun.
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Steve Westbrook wrote:
Transit. Anyone who says otherwise is a traitor.
I'm a tractor, then. (And tractors can't type)
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
I thought about this for a long time before posting: What?
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change
I agree that change is the right verb for describing a state, err, change. For example: The Foo changes to the Bar state.
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So, I'm writing some documentation that's sprinkled of the text "state transition". To get a natural text flow I need say that the Foos and Bars [make verb of transition] to a new state. What the heck is the present tense of the verb-form of transition? Neither *.reference.com nor Google Translate is helpful enough on this. :sigh:
-- Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time - Bertrand Russel
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But then it sounds like manager-speak: "We're transitioning you to Tiera Del Fuego."
Does that mean that the corporate initials IBM (I've Been Moved) will change to IBT (I've Been Transitioned)?
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It's 'Transition' - in English, you can always verb a noun.
JohannNutter wrote: It's 'Transition' - in English, you can always verb a noun. Hi Johann, Adding the suffix "ion" is a standard way, in English, to make a verb a noun. "Transition" is a noun. You might find this a good resource : [^] best, Bill
"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844
modified on Friday, January 1, 2010 12:22 AM
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anzyne wrote: transit The problem with "transit" : 1. its major contemporary usage is as a noun : as in "Detroit's mass transit system ..." Even the form "in transit" as, for example, applied to airplane travellers, is adverbial. 2. its use as a verb is archaic, outmoded, and not appropriate in modern technical writing except in certain forms like : "now that you understand the fundamentals of lambda syntax, and expression trees, in C# .NET, the next chapter will help you make the transition to understanding and using Linq's powerful extension methods." best, Bill
"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844
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anzyne wrote: transit The problem with "transit" : 1. its major contemporary usage is as a noun : as in "Detroit's mass transit system ..." Even the form "in transit" as, for example, applied to airplane travellers, is adverbial. 2. its use as a verb is archaic, outmoded, and not appropriate in modern technical writing except in certain forms like : "now that you understand the fundamentals of lambda syntax, and expression trees, in C# .NET, the next chapter will help you make the transition to understanding and using Linq's powerful extension methods." best, Bill
"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844
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2. Or... "will help in your transit towards understanding..." Definitely archaic, yes. The transit of Mercury. That's been going on for awhile.
anzyne wrote: will help in your transit towards understanding Hi Anzit, Sorry, that would be extremely poor modern English usage. Even if you were to change the phrase to : "transition towards understanding," that would still be poor English usage. What would be an acceptable usage would be something like : "understanding the differences in Property declaration and usage syntax will help you in your transition from programming in VB.NET to programming in C# .NET." best, Bill
"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844
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Maybe metaphors of motion would help, e.g., objects can enter new states or be carried or moved to them. Or you could refer to states being changed or altered.
kjthorn wrote: Maybe metaphors of motion would help, e.g., objects can enter new states or be carried or moved to them Hi KJThorn, I'm trying to imagine a case where you would ever say something like "the Method 'Bar of Class 'Foo" was carried into ..." or : "the Class Foo entered the state of ..." Applications enter states, user interfaces enter states (like when they are rendered "modal" by showing a modal dialogue), but in these cases the word "mode" is usually equally as useful, if not more descriptive, than "state." "Moved" I can see ... only ... in the context of something like : "she refactored Class Foo, moving the method Bar to another class." kjthorn wrote: Or you could refer to states being changed or altered. Here you have completely switched to another entire set of meanings of the word "state" referring to the "current condition, or configuration, settings, or values, etc." of some object or interface or application. Saying : "Class Foo, at this moment is just a "template," i.e., in an un-instantiated state : because no instance of Foo has yet been created/invoked at run-time." Is perfectly valid. Saying : "the call to Method Bar of an instance of Class Foo failed because one of the required pararmeters for Bar, a delegate, was invalid, so 'Bar was in an unusable state." Is somewhat okay, if a little awkward. Saying : "I used Reflection.Emit to dynamically alter the state of Class Foo." Is a "borderline" usage, barely acceptable, but, imho, legal. best, Bill
"Many : not conversant with mathematical studies, imagine that because it [the Analytical Engine] is to give results in numerical notation, its processes must consequently be arithmetical, numerical, rather than algebraical and analytical. This is an error. The engine can arrange and combine numerical quantities as if they were letters or any other general symbols; and it fact it might bring out its results in algebraical notation, were provisions made accordingly." Ada, Countess Lovelace, 1844
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I thought about this for a long time before posting: What?
Have you ever met a tractor that knew its "c"s from its "i"s?
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!
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Mark Wallace wrote:
If you read check a real dictionary (OED, American Heritage, etc.), you'll find that it is.
American Heritage could hardly be deemed a real dictionary when considering the English language.
Richard MacCutchan wrote:
American Heritage could hardly be deemed a real dictionary when considering the English language.
heh. It's the heritage bit that's English (the US has hardly any heritage of its own). Credit where it's due, though: the AH is a diligently compiled, as-complete-as-they-could-make-it reference (unlike certain Websters and Chambers dictionaries I could mention).
I wanna be a eunuchs developer! Pass me a bread knife!