Re: (Zachary) tayloring (Rant/Long)

[Philomena Hoopes <PHILA -at- MAIL -dot- VIPS -dot- COM>]

Grammar bored the teacher. The class was bored by grammar. Teacher and class
collectively slept through the grammar lessons...

Until one teacher dreamed up a strategy to prod her somnolent students.

Karen  Elizabeth Gordon seduces readers with a delicious romp of improbable
characters in incongruous situations, depicted with outrageous
phrasing...and each escapade presents lessons in grammar, punctuation, or
usage. I use her work to coach my son through his grammar lessons, and I
credit these books with making the process painless. These are the only
grammar books I've found that can be opened for entertainment as well as
education.

Four are now on the market:

- The Deluxe Transitive Vampire: The Ultimate Handbook of Grammar for the
Innocent, the Eager and the Doomed
- The New Well-Tempered Sentence: A Punctuation Handbook for the Innocent,
the Eager and the Doomed
- Torn Wings and Faux Pas: A Flashbook of Style, a Beastly Guide through the
Writer's Labyrinth
- The Disheveled Dictionary: A Curious Caper through our Sumptuous Lexicon

All are available through amazon.com.

Philomena Hoopes
Phila -at- vips -dot- com <mailto:Phila -at- vips -dot- com>
VIPS Healthcare Information Solutions, Inc.
(410) 832-8330 ext 845


                -----Original Message-----
                From:   Chris Hamilton [mailto:caxdj -at- EARTHLINK -dot- NET]
                Sent:   Monday, March 08, 1999 11:09 AM
                To:     TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
                Subject:        Re: (Zachary) tayloring (Rant/Long)

                Scott--

                It seems your complaint is that the errors you see in
postings are a
                symptom of a greater problem within the profession. That may
or may not
                be true, but let's assume it is.

                Rather than rant, what do you suggest we do about it as
professional
                technical writers? How do we solve this problem? Do we need
to teach
                better grammar in the schools? Have a refresher in technical
                communication programs? Should we go out and get ourselves a
grammar
                book from a used book store (I don't mention this option
facetiously; if
                I ever see one I'm going to pick it up.)? Should someone try
to create
                some kind of on-line grammar and usage refresher? (I'm not
volunteering,
                by the way)

                I'll be honest; I hated grammar when we went over it in high
school. I
                think my teacher was bored by it and that showed through.
That doesn't
                reduce my responsibility to learn the language I use as a
tool, but it's
                something to consider in the overall scheme of things.

                Chris

                --
                Chris Hamilton
                Technical Writer
                Tampa, FL
                caxdj -at- earthlink -dot- net



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