TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> A reviewer is disputing my use of a comma in this sentence that describes a
> clustering algorithm: "Assigns numbers to actors and events, based on natural
> groups called clusters."
I side with the reviewer. But I don't think either way is grammatically incorrect. Comma use is analogous to food seasoning. Some people apply the salt and pepper sparingly; others sprinkle it on with a heavy hand. At some point, too much becomes too much for the vast majority of us, and we'd all agree that the dish has been ruined. But minor variations are simply matters of taste and can be shrugged off.
You might want to decide based on your relationship with the reviewer and what you want it to be going forward. On the one hand, taking the comma out is an easy way to earn some good will. On the other hand, you might want to draw a line in the sand and insist that the reviewer should focus on content accuracy and that you have the final say on grammar and style issues
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-903-6372
------
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
New! Doc-to-Help 2013 features the industry's first HTML5 editor for authoring.
