Style notes: Difference between revisions
Line 24: | Line 24: | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">are always controversial. But all writers need these things to cling to.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">are always controversial. But all writers need these things to cling to.</font></div> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">The following rules make a good litmus test. In general, if you can understand how these sentences break the very rules they promote, you can consider yourself to have mastered English.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">The following rules make a good litmus test. In general, if you can understand how these sentences break the very rules they promote, you can consider yourself to have mastered English.</font></div> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">The point of many of these sentences is very hard to understand for those who use English as their second language, but mostly obvious to educated natives.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">The point of many of these sentences is very hard to understand for those who use English as their second language, but mostly obvious to educated natives. | ||
</font></div><br> | |||
<div><table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=4 bordercolor="#000000" cellspacing=0> | <div><table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=4 bordercolor="#000000" cellspacing=0> | ||
<tr valign=top> | <tr valign=top> | ||
Line 34: | Line 35: | ||
</table> | </table> | ||
</div> | </div> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">These rules are normally attributed to William Safire, "the most widely read writer on the English language". In reality, these "Fumble Rules" have a long history and there are many, many variants of these lists. Some may have descended from the "xeroxlore" that circulated throughout campuses and offices in the 1970s. </font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">These rules are normally attributed to William Safire, "the most widely read writer on the English language". In reality, these "Fumble Rules" have a long history and there are many, many variants of these lists. Some may have descended from the "xeroxlore" that circulated throughout campuses and offices in the 1970s. </font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">01. Remember to never split an infinitive.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">01. Remember to never split an infinitive.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">02. The passive voice should never be used.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">02. The passive voice should never be used.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">03. Do not put statements in the negative form. </font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">03. Do not put statements in the negative form. </font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">04. Verbs have to agree with their subjects. </font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">04. Verbs have to agree with their subjects. </font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">05. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">05. Proofread carefully to see if you words out.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">06. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">06. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">07. A writer must not shift your point of view.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">07. A writer must not shift your point of view.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">08. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. </font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">08. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. </font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">09. Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">09. Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.)</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">10. Don't overuse exclamation marks !!</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">10. Don't overuse exclamation marks !!</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">11. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">11. Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">12. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">12. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">13. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">13. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">14. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. </font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">14. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. </font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">15. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">15. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">16. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">16. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">17. Always pick on the correct idiom.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">17. Always pick on the correct idiom.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">18.The adverb always follows the verb.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">18.The adverb always follows the verb.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">19. Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague; seek viable alternatives.</font></div> | <div><font color="#010100" face="Verdana">19. Last but not least, avoid clichés like the plague; seek viable alternatives.</font></div><br> | ||
<div><table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=4 bordercolor="#000000" cellspacing=0> | <div><table width="100%" border=0 cellpadding=4 bordercolor="#000000" cellspacing=0> | ||
<tr valign=top> | <tr valign=top> |
Revision as of 11:13, 27 October 2006
In general terms, we follow Microsoft guidelines for terminology, as detailed in:
Microsoft® Computer Dictionary, Fifth Edition (Microsoft Press, 05/01/2002).
This establishes basic meanings, spellings and wordforms.
Unfortunately, this has not been updated for more than five years although MicroSoft (MS) terminology changes almost as often as they issue software patches.
More recent glossaries can be accessed through http://www.microsoft.com/resources/glossary/default.mspx.
Some exceptions are noted below:
We use ie. (NOT i.e.) for "that is", and eg. (NOT e.g.) "for example". This violates Microsoft documentation standards, but we like to live dangerously.
We also use etc. as an abbreviation for "et cetera" (it means "and so on"). Curiously, this also violates MS standards, but you'll find many examples of this in their software and documentation.
Like MS, we use both "System tray" and "Notification area" as the name of the right-hand section of the Taskbar that normally includes the clock. (If anyone's actually interested, there's a whole debate about it [here].)
For Your Amusement
Writer's Rules, OK ?
|
Life
|
George Orwell
|
Mark Twain
|