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Texts and Courses on Grammar for Technical Communicators
Subject:Texts and Courses on Grammar for Technical Communicators From:"George F. Hayhoe" <george -at- GHAYHOE -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 26 Aug 1998 11:41:41 -0400
When I was in school back in the Dark Ages, I learned more
grammar in fifth-grade English (diagramming sentences) and
in second year Latin in highschool (translating Caesar and
Livy) than in any of my BA, MA, or PhD courses in English.
Teaching those skills fell out of fashion in the late 50s
and early 60s, so there are lots of technical communicators
who haven't had a formal course in grammar, even if they
came into the profession through degree programs in tech
comm.
For more detail on the mysteries of English grammar than the
typical college composition handbook like Harbrace provides,
I'd recommend Fowler's _Dictionary of Modern English Usage_
(Oxford Univ. Press). I have the 1st (1926) and 2nd (1965)
editions, but I'm fairly certain there's a 3rd edition out
by now. It's an excellent source on "correct" (whatever that
means!) grammar and vocabulary.
Is there much interest out there in a formal course on
grammar and usage specifically geared to technical
communication?
