[Author Prev][Author Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next]
[Author Index (this month)][Thread Index (this month)][Top of Archive]

Re: Can "eitrher" be used if there are three or more selections?

Subject: Re: Can "eitrher" be used if there are three or more selections?
From: Bruce Byfield <bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 04 Oct 2001 12:21:02 -0700

Jo Baer wrote:

Then again, I just looked it up in two dictionaries: one allows "either" for two
or more choices, the other just for two choices. I still agree that "any" is the
better choice here.


Besides the fact that I am a firm believer in descriptive grammar, the reason that I'm not too concerned about whether "either" is used for two or three choices is that I don't find the distinction especially useful. I mean, is the number of choices really relevant in most cases? Why should I make a distinction between two choices and two or more and not between two, three, and three or more?

Sometimes, of course, the distinction is worth keeping,if only for cheap amusement. For example, to be completely proper, you "invoke" something good (like an angel) and "evoke" something evil (like a devil). If you know that, you can slip your opinion in without anyone noticing (I said it was cheap amusement).

But, most of the time, the distinctions of prescriptive grammar seem arbitrary. Often, I'm left wondering whether the distinction is supposed to be useful, or whether it is designed solely to divide the experts from the non-experts. In these cases, the distinction hardly seems worth making.




--
Bruce Byfield 604.421.7177 bbyfield -at- axionet -dot- com

"I work for the pleasure of stopping,
I stop for the pleasure of beer."
-The Mollys, "The Lang Town"



^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Planning to attend IPCC 01, October 24-27 in Santa Fe? Sign up by
October 3 and get a substantial discount! Program information, online registration, and more on http://ieeepcs.org/2001/

Your monthly sponsorship message here reaches more than
5000 technical writers, providing 2,500,000+ monthly impressions.
Contact Eric (ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com) for details and availability.

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.

References:
Can "eitrher" be used if there are three or more selections?: From: John Posada
Re: Can "eitrher" be used if there are three or more selections?: From: Bruce Byfield
Re: Can "eitrher" be used if there are three or more selections?: From: Jo Baer

Previous by Author: Re: RE: Hobbies on a résumé (one blow to the dead horse)
Next by Author: Re: Hobbies on Resumes for New Graduates
Previous by Thread: Re: Can "eitrher" be used if there are three or more selections?
Next by Thread: Re: Can "eitrher" be used if there are three or more selections?

[Top of Archive] | [Author Index (this month)] | [Thread Index (this month)]

What this post helpful? Share it with friends and colleagues:

Sponsored Ads