Sunday, May 2, 2010

Writing 4 engineers

Clive Maxfield is starting a mini-series on proper grammar and punctuation in technical writing over at TechBites: Writing 4 Engineers: Introduction and Index.

People that have to write technical papers, or people that write blogs [Oh, you mean Me?], as part of their job, or to get a job should check it out. I know of one person that lost out on a job opportunity because they used the word "there" rather than "their" in their resume cover-letter.

Max even devotes an entry to Unit Qualifiers, something that I've blogged about previously.

Max touches on Eats, Shoots & Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation by Lynne Truss, which I'd put on your Required Reading list. Spending a few minutes at The Apostrophe Protection Society is also worth your time.

I'm sure that you agree with Mark Twain who said: The English alphabet is pure insanity.. Spelling doubly so.

Eye stold dis frum anodder net. Candidate for a Pullet Surprise Often called "An Owed to the Spelling Checker" by Jerrold H. Zar:

I have a spelling checker - It came with my PC. It plane lee marks four my revue Miss steaks aye can knot sea.

Eye ran this poem threw it, Your sure reel glad two no. Its vary polished in it's weigh, My checker tolled me sew.

A checker is a bless sing, It freeze yew lodes of thyme. It helps me right awl stiles two reed, And aides me when aye rime.

To rite with care is quite a feet Of witch won should be proud. And wee mussed dew the best wee can, Sew flaws are knot aloud.

And now bee cause my spelling Is checked with such grate flare, Their are know faults with in my cite, Of nun eye am a wear.

Each frays come posed up on my screen Eye trussed to bee a joule The checker poured o'er every word To cheque sum spelling rule.

That's why aye brake in two averse By righting wants too pleas. Sow now ewe sea why aye dew prays Such soft wear for pea seas!

There is a solution to this whole mess, and it is the Unifon Alfubet. How do we change the world to system based on logic?

Always remember that a Thesaurus is a dinosaur with a really good vocabulary...

1 comment:

  1. Your Point of view is correct.There are cases where vocabulary as well as spellin effect our life alot.Thanx for sharing.

    ReplyDelete