X-Message-Number: 17127
Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 11:45:01 -0700
From: Kennita Watson <>
Subject: Punctuation and grammar
References: <>

> Message #17118
> From: "George Smith" <>
> 
> In message 17101 Elvind Berge rightfully catches me screwing up my
> punctuation.  He is precisely right.  "When an abbreviation or a sentence
> ends with a period, the period is always placed inside the closing quotation
> mark."  (Reference Manual For Office Personnel, 5th Edition).
> 
> Mea culpa!  I will try to remember to do this correctly.  I will probably
> continue to screw up, however.

I ignore this on purpose.  If a quote comes at the end of a sentence, I
complete the quotation, then complete the sentence.  If the quotation is 
a complete sentence, I complete the quotation (with a period), then 
complete the sentence.  This can result in having a period both inside
and outside the quotation marks -- I say "Too bad.".  I think it comes
of having a "programmer's mindset".  While I'm here and have an excuse:
For the Latin scholars, would the proper translation of "Avoid death." 
be "Evit mortem.", "Evite mortem.", or something else?

A friend once said (I don't know if he made it up himself or got it from
somewhere) "I never stand on ceremony unless I can gring it into the
ground with my heel.".  I stand (and grind) with him.  :-) .  "Incorrect"
punctuation can sometimes be forgiven as long as it makes sense.

--------------------
> 
> Message #17121
> Date: Fri, 27 Jul 2001 01:05:29 -0400
> From: James Swayze <>
> Subject: Thanks, grammer mistake--reason for, shared memories a question
> References: <>
> 

> Thanks to those that expressed appreciation of my debunking NDE's efforts. 
It's nice to
> know my posts are read.
> 

> Thanks to Kennita for pointing out my grammar mistake. I have analyzed this 
and come to

> the following conclusion. Because I know better what happened? Well I, owing 
to my

> paralyzed hands, type using two sticks with rubber tips and hence not able to 
feel the

> keys my eyes are on the keyboard. The composition is going on solely in my 
head without

> feedback from the screen. Since I was thinking in one part of my mind "my 
body's worth"

> etc. having a *posessive* apostrophe, and so in substituting it for body the 
whole mess

> got squirted out as *it's* having the same apostrophe but not possessive in 
this use.
> I'll try to do better next time.


Now I at least see what was going on in your head.  I wouldn't have mentioned it

if it hadn't come up three times in one message.  Just be grateful that "her's",

"your's" and "their's" aren't in the language to add further confusion (although
I've seen them used and bit my tongue) :-) .
> 

> P.S. I use Netscape Messenger for email and so far find no way to find the 
size of the

> current message before sendng it. It does tell you while sending it but that's
too late.

> I might try something else but it won't be Outlook--too many viruses aimed at 
Outlook.


I use Messenger too, but try to keep messages short enough that I don't care 
what

size they are.  The best solution I've seen is to compose in Microsoft Word 
(which 
has spell checking as well as size measurement) and to cut and paste the final 
product into an email message.

Gad -- Kennita's on a "form" kick today!
-- 
May you live long and prosper,
Kennita
--
Kennita Watson          | Way Cool Internet Radio: http://www.live365.com
     |      
http://www.kennita.com  |    I eschew arthropods -- so don't bug me!

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