Re: [PATCH] Edit user manual for grammar

From: Andy Parkins <andyparkins@gmail.com>
Date: Jun 12, 2007, 19:27 UTC
Message-ID: <200706122028.01310.andyparkins@gmail.com>
In-Reply-To: <20070612175421.GA26767@fieldses.org>

On Tuesday 2007, June 12, J. Bruce Fields wrote:

Show 7 quoted lines

> On Tue, Jun 12, 2007 at 04:43:19PM +0100, Andy Parkins wrote:
> >  - "last-resort" is two words, not a conjoined word, it doesn't
> > require the hyphen
>
> Right, but when you've got a couple words functioning together to
> modify a following noun, the hyphen's pretty standard: "rosy-fingered
> dawn". Is this case an exception?  I suspect it's fine either way....

It's certainly common, I don't think that it's correct though. The hyphen's is to form a new word from multiple other words; but often these days it's just used to join two words that the author wanted saying faster in his head. The test I always use is if the meaning remains the same without the hyphen, it wasn't necessary.

Examples:
  merry-go-round    versus    merry go round
  editor-in-chief   versus    editor in chief

Both of the above loose their meaning when they don't have the hyphens.

"last-resort" doesn't need to be compound because separated it still means "the resort that is last".

I don't say that it is a definitive _wrong_ as the meaning is not lost nor modified; but I've always viewed English like programming - don't add unnecessary complication.

> >  - "method of" is vulgar, "method for" is nicer
>
> Reference?

Please don't take "vulgar" to mean disgusting, I meant "common". Sorry if that was offensive.

Preposition selection and use is highly localised. I will happily accept if you don't agree. Here is the only reference I can find, but it is certainly not definitive, not entirely about this subject...

http://mb.sparknotes.com/mb.epl?b=2437&m=1259471&t=355765&w=1

However, it does make the case that "of" is possessive, so a "method of ..." means "a method that belongs to ...", so to my ears "a method for" seems the better choice.

> What we really need is a complete recovery tutorial to stick in here
> someplace.  (One day git complains about a corrupt pack file.  What
> do you do?)  What's been stopping me from doing it, besides time, is
> no idea how to come up with a good example to work with.

A big magnet on your hard disk? ;-)

Andy

-- 
Dr Andy Parkins, M Eng (hons), MIET
andyparkins@gmail.com