TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
The English language seems to be evolving as always. However, using a
possessive with a gerund seems second nature to me. I have had to explain
that usage to a zillion engineers and scientists over the years, but not
using it looks so odd to me. Think that I am just a leftover from the stone
age perhaps, but that and split infinitives stick right out from the page
for me. Our using those possessives just seems right; however, I think
that perhaps if we get into some big debate over it we tend to veer outside
of Eric's guidelines. Also, this is usually a quick message for most of us,
so there is not time to edit and polish before sending. Since all of us write
for a living we might give each other a break before editing others'
messages and assume it was probably done in haste.
Karen Wiley
The Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory
karen -dot- wiley -at- jhuapl -dot- edu
TECHWR-L List Information
To send a message about technical communication to 2500+ list readers,
E-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send administrative commands
ALL other questions or problems concerning the list
should go to the listowner, Eric Ray, at ejray -at- ionet -dot- net -dot-
