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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!harpo!decvax!ittvax!dcdwest!sdcsvax!sdccsu3!loral!simard
From: simard@loral.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.jokes
Subject: On writing, etc.
Message-ID: <134@loral.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 16-May-84 12:57:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: loral.134
Posted: Wed May 16 12:57:30 1984
Date-Received: Thu, 17-May-84 06:59:06 EDT
Organization: Loral Instruments, San Diego
Lines: 49


The following was written by someone involved with a military newsletter:

"...it occured to me that much of our style of writing evolves from the
sorts of questions posed by the chop chain.
I submit an example.  Notice how the style continues to evolve as the
writer tries desperately to answer the question: How many feet do mice have?"

	(In the following, the comments in parentheses are to
	 be interpreted as the red-line comments of the reveiwers.)

Mice have four feet.
		(Incomplete. Elaborate! mtg)  

Mice have five appendages, and four of them are feet.
		(No discussion of 5th appendage! gr)

Mice have five appendages; four of them are feet, and one is a tail.
		(What?? Feet and no legs?  xb)

Mice have four legs, four feet and one tail per unit-mouse.
		(Confusing - is that a total of 9 appendages?? cmn)

Mice have four leg-foot assemblies and one tail assembly per body.
		(Does not fully discuss the issue!! pg)

Each mouse comes equipped with four legs and a tail.  Each leg is
equipped with a foot at the end opposite the body; the tail is not
equipped with a foot.
		(Descriptive, yes. Forceful, NO!  spr)

Allotment of appendages for mice will be; four foot-leg assemblies,    
one tail.  Deviation from this policy is not permitted as it would
constitute misapportionment of scarce appendage assets.
		(Too authoritarian, stifles creativity! gbh)

Mice have four feet; each foot is attached to a small leg joined integrally
with the overall mouse sus-system.  Also attached to the mouse
structural sub-system is a thin tail, non-functional and primarily
ornamental in nature.
		(Too verbose/scientific.  Answer the question!! af)

Mice have four feet.


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Submitted by Ray Simard, Loral Instrumentation, San Diego, CA