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.
Subject:Re: Basic rules of technical writing From:hsweeney <hsweeney -at- PAVILION -dot- CO -dot- UK> Date:Fri, 23 Dec 1994 00:41:34 GMT
In article <3dcs14$1i8 -at- newsbf02 -dot- news -dot- aol -dot- com>, cjbenz -at- aol -dot- com (CJBenz) says:
>On Wed, 21 Dec 1994, Beverly Parks wrote:
>>Hi, Chris. I liked your Golden Rules until I got to rule 3. This
>>seems to allow the writing to be consistently, grammatically
>>INCORRECT. Why not make it grammatically correct, then
>>consistent?
>Hmm, I think you're the first person who didn't like on e of the
>first three rules. Everyone seems to hang on #4.
>Anyway: Because grammatical correctness can get in the way of
>understandability. Consistency rarely does. This reminds me of
>Winston Churchill's response to being reprimanded for not
>following the "Don't end a sentence with a preposition" rule:
>"That is the most ridiculous thing of which I have ever heard."
The way I heard it (more circumlocutionally) was
'That is a convention up with which I will not put.'
