RE: Don't say what you CANNOT do in documents

["Jones, Donna" <DJones -at- zebra -dot- com>]

I won't go too much into what sounds right and wrong, but I have to say that
the singular word jumps out at me. Before I am able to think about what the
sentence says, I have to mentally correct the word. If I find myself doing
this too often in the same piece of documentation, I tend to discount the
entire document. I'm sure I'm not the only person who does this. That's
where the question of credibility comes in. One instance of a
non-standard/changing/perceived incorrect word probably isn't going to make
a difference in the overall credibility of a document, but more might. Where
do you draw the line? One instance? Two? Ten? At which point will the
majority of your readers decide that the document isn't worth reading?
English is evolving, but standard English is still what's accepted
worldwide.

John, how about using "parameter" instead of criteria/criterion? With that
word, it's clear whether you're using singular or plural. You also won't run
into problems in other countries by using a word in a way that they deem
incorrect, as Andrew Cheyne pointed out.

"Note: Standard queries use one parameter. To create a query using multiple
parameters, you must first create an activity (see page 23)."

Donna


-----Original Message-----
From: John Posada [mailto:JPosada -at- isogon -dot- com]

Regarding this criterion/criteria issue. I'm going to get lots of flack
on this, but even though I know the difference, I'll probably stay with
criteria because criterion, in today's environment, "sounds" wrong. I
think the majority of typical readers (those on this list are not
typical) don't know the difference and using criterion is distracting.

http://dictionary.reference.com/search?r=2&q=criteria
"Usage Note: Like the analogous etymological plurals agenda and data,
criteria is widely used as a singular form. Unlike them, however, it is
not yet acceptable in that use."

I believe it is gaining acceptance. I've put on my Nomex, so flame away
:-)



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