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> I am afraid I would have to vote for the correct usage. And, I don't
> think the argument that "it's not the way people talk", can be used.
I think Ellen is right. There's a time and place for casual usage:
fiction writing, letter writing, and actual conversation. But I think
technical writing, like essay writing, is supposed to be formal and
professional, and as nearly transparent to all speakers of English as
possible. If we relax the standard, local idiom and colloquialisms will
creep in and potentially confuse some readers. I don't think it's a bad
idea to give the reader enough credit to be able to negotiate a properly
forged English sentence. Our sentences should be short, clear, precise and
well grammared.
Todd G. Sutherland
Firetail Documentation
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