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Subject:Re: In love with a word From:Al Geist <al -dot- geist -at- geistassociates -dot- com> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 05 Jan 2006 08:44:47 -0500
While I still think "whilst" and "amongst" are archaic (personal
opinion), David Castro's point about the difference between the "perfect
word" and the "most appropriate word" is another way of saying "know
your audience." You would never write material meant for budding
technicians using the same grammar and style that you would writing for
a scientific journal.
That VP of Engineering I spoke of who used "utilized" when he should
have used "use," and sprinkled "amongst" liberally throughout his Help
text was, incidentally, also the head of the local school board.
--
Al Geist, Geist Associates
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