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[quote]
I understand that the word "baseline" cannot be used as a verb;
you can say ... "set a baseline" for a project
but not ... "baseline" a project.
[end quote]
Honestly, I don't see that verbing [SIC] "baseline" is such an egregious
grammatical crime. The dictionary at my desk has "line" as a verb,
meaning, among others, "to mark or incise with a line or lines"
(Webster's II New Collegiate, Houghton Mifflin, 1999). So "baseline"
would mean "to mark with a line serving as a base, as for measurement"
or by extension, "to mark relative to some known, fixed starting point
or conditions." If your writing for business people, they would probably
be quite comfortable with that not-unheard-of usage. If it works for
your audience, forget the English profs. Incurring the censure of a few
grammar snobs is a small price to pay for clarity and economy.
Tim Trese
Documentation Specialist
SAIC-SEALS
321-779-7914
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