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Jeffery Luke's suggestion that we handle grammar problems just by
"re-writ[ing] the sentence so the problem is no longer there" is a
fall-back solution, but not the optimal one.
The difficulty is that writing your way around a grammar problem frequently
leads to awkward sentences -- which of course don't "aid the reader in
better understanding our language."
If our only recourse to a grammar problem is to write our way around it, I
think we may not be in full control of your language. Better to write
*through* grammar problems by using our skills to solve them.
For what it's worth --
Miles
At 08:53 AM 2/12/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Grammar essentially is just a tool to aid the reader in better
>understanding our language.
>
>If I have a grammar question concerning one of the sentences I'm writing,
>chances are the reader will have those same questions.
>
>The easiest way around such issues is to re-write the sentece so the
>problem is no longer there. I think in the end this will better service our
>readers.
>
>Grammar should be invisible to the reader. And especially in Technical
>Writing, all they're concerned about is meaning. Grammar issues should not
>impede meaning.
>
>Rewrite when in doubt.
>
>
>
>
Miles A. Kimball
Asst. Prof. of English
Murray State University
miles -dot- kimball -at- murraystate -dot- edu
