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Re: Avoid the Semicolon in Tech Writing?

Subject: Re: Avoid the Semicolon in Tech Writing?
From: dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com
To: TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 18 Aug 2003 11:12:16 -0700

Bruce Byfield wrote:

Quoting eric -dot- dunn -at- ca -dot- transport -dot- bombardier -dot- com:

Shouldn't the discussion be about the reading/language skills of the USERS
and not the writers? Our job is not to defend the language or show our
grammar/punctuation skills. Our job is to clearly communicate
information/instructions to end users so they can perform task with
little/no error.

Thank you, Eric. I was going to say much the same thing, but you've save me the trouble.

The argument is specious. No one suggests creating ambiguity for the sheer love of semicolons; we simply believe that semicolons do not inherently prevent clarity.

A writer who introduces ambiguity--through use of a semicolon or any other failure of communication--is precisely the issue.

--David

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References:
Re: Avoid the Semicolon in Tech Writing?: From: eric . dunn
Re: Avoid the Semicolon in Tech Writing?: From: Bruce Byfield

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