Xref: utzoo comp.org.usenix:938 news.misc:3099 news.software.b:2270
Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!me!radio.astro!helios!utpsych!raymond
From: raymond@utpsych.toronto.edu (Raymond Shaw)
Newsgroups: comp.org.usenix,news.misc,news.software.b
Subject: Re: BOF Announcement - Netnews User Interfaces (yet again)
Summary: A detailed spelling/grammar flame on a bad s/g flame (sorry)
Message-ID: <1989Jun7.213924.22994@utpsych.toronto.edu>
Date: 7 Jun 89 21:39:24 GMT
References: <8906032109.AA13764@net.bio.net> <695@galaxia.Newport.RI.US>
Reply-To: raymond@psych.toronto.edu (Raymond Shaw)
Organization: Psychology, U. of Toronto
Lines: 60

In article <695@galaxia.Newport.RI.US> dave@galaxia.Newport.RI.US (David H. Brierley) writes:
>
>Pardon me for being overly picky today, this just struck me as a humorous
>tip of a frightening iceberg.  Don't they teach English in our schools

but mixed metaphors are ok?

>anymore?  With the use of computers becoming more prevalent in todays

Isn't it "today's?"

>society the proper use of English, or lack thereof, by computer

"society," not just "society"

>programmers is going to play an increasingly important role in the
>education of our young people.  We are sending out a message that proper
>use of English is not something to strive towards.  I'm not saying that I

"toward which to strive"

>am perfect

God, I hope not!

>           or that everyone should be perfect and I don't mean to imply
>that Erik or Elliot are particularly bad.  I just think that the proper
>use of English, including proper spelling and making sure you are using
                                                           ^^^
>the correct word, is something that we all need to pay more attention to.
                                     ^^
1.  And I guess that consistency is completely irrelevant.
To whom are you addressing this sentence.  Don't you really mean to say:
" ... making sure that one uses ... that one needs to"  
or " ... making sure that we are ... " and so on?

2.  " ... is something to which we all need to pay more attention."
    (this is at least your second violation of ending sentences with
     a preposition).

>Would you want your children learning English grammar and spelling by
>reading netnews? 

Certainly not by reading your articles.  Give me a break.

>                  How about by reading some of the technical manuals that
>I have had the pleasure to read or the output of some of the programs I
>have seen?  I think knot!  :-)
             ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
I, for one, am not amused.

-Ray Shaw
raymond@psych.toronto.edu

p.s. For those interested in contacting the first in this series to
     flame on spelling/grammar, I have included this person's signature
     below:
>David H. Brierley
>Home: dave@galaxia.Newport.RI.US   {rayssd,xanth,lazlo,mirror}!galaxia!dave
>Work: dhb@rayssd.ray.com           {sun,decuac,gatech,necntc,ukma}!rayssd!dhb