Re: What do you think are Important grammar rules/ideas?

[Metzger Karen <Metzger_Karen -at- PRC -dot- COM>]

Include in your list the importance of active writing--not passive--and
here's why: besides boring the reader, passive writing often leaves to much
to the imagination when something is being done. It may be that one
component or another does this or that, but because it is "being done,"
well, one really cannot be sure by whom/what.

Use as a jumping off point the very useful information sent out by James
Cort to this list. Here is the meat of his message:

*       Problems with parallel structure
*       Lack of agreement between subject and verb, especially when words
are interposed between them
*       Between adverbs and their antecedents
*       Dangling modifiers
*       Excessive use of the passive voice
*       Sentences bloated with unnecessary words; documents bloated with
unnecessary paragraphs
*       Taking a long time to get to the point
*       Poor planning in documents; disregard of the readers and the
reader's needs
*       Vocabulary and usage problems:
                        - A general lack of knowledge about connotation and
the shades of meaning to be found in synonyms, and unfamiliarity with
variations in tone
                        - The problems everyone has with affect/effect,
continual/continuous and the like
                        - Phonetic misspellings: "site" for "cite", "manor"
for "manner"
*       A general ignorance of the role of formatting in making the
information on the page more accessible.

Best of luck,
Karen M.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: altonm -at- US -dot- IBM -dot- COM [SMTP:altonm -at- US -dot- IBM -dot- COM]
> Sent: Monday, July 26, 1999 10:01 AM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      What do you think are Important grammar rules/ideas?
>
> This other guy and I are creating a document with standards, guidelines
> and
> grammar rules for a department of techies.  I've been assigned the task of
> deciding what grammar things to include in this static paper document.  We
> are
> also gonna have a Web site for the not so important or common stuff
> (whatever
> that is...)
>
> Soooo, now I gotta figure out the most important stuff to include, cause I
> can't
> just hand everyone a grammar book.
>
> So, what do you guys think are the most important things to include?
>
> The people we are writing the book for are mostly people with college
> educations
> who used to work in help centers.  Now they work on an IBM Web site,
> writing
> help tips.  (http://www.pc.ibm.com/support)
>
> Thanks!
>
>
> Melissa Alton
> Professional Information Developer
> IBM
> 919-517-0331 T/L 255-0331
> altonm -at- us -dot- ibm -dot- com
>
> From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=
> =
>
>

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=