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.
A little bit of grammar knowledge never hurt anyone. Having said that,
numerous studies have concluded that there is no correlation at all between
grammar knowledge and effective technical communications. In fact, too much
grammar knowledge can actually hinder communication.
Jeroen Hendrix responds:
..... Grammar is vital, if you don't follow the grammar, your message
becomes incomprehensible. If you don't follow spelling conventions, readers
can get confused. If you want to avoid confusion, try to adhere to the
rules. As communicators we should always try to avoid confusion, shouldn't
we?
Tony Markatos responds:
Some knowledge of grammar is required. But of (lets say) a 300 page book on
grammar, how much does one need to know to write procedures? About 75 pages
worth. Procedures writing only requires knowledge of a small sub-set of
available grammar rules.
Tony Markatos
(tonymar -at- hotmail -dot- com)
_______________________________________________________________
Get Free Email and Do More On The Web. Visit http://www.msn.com
