On Sun, 06 Nov 2005 15:48:32 -0500, Robatoy
wrote:

In article ,
Mr. Moose wrote:

Now I will go play with my son and figure out what type of lathe to
replace my dead one with.

Strunk & White are rolling over in their graves.
Their booklet, The Elements Of Style, is an invaluable companion to
anybody trying to communicate in English.

Now I will go play with my son. Then I am going to try to figure out
with which type of lathe I am going to replace my dead one.

-----------------------

From now on, ending a sentence with a preposition is something up with
which I will not put.

(Sir Winston Churchill)


I think that Strunk was already turning in his grave because of what
White did to his book.

Still, the use of language is a moving target and we have to be a
little careful about adopting a too rigid view of acceptable current
usage.

I'm a Strunk and White fan but also have a Chicago Manual Of Style, an
AP Style Sheet, a NY Times Style Sheet, my eighth grade grammar book,
and the keening voice of Mrs. Sweet - my English Composition teacher,
nattering in my ears when I try to write a lucid sentence.

They all vary in their expressions of correct usage, but usually on
fairly minor, some would say, obscure, points.

I like what Hemingway said:

"Write it so it sounds nice and let the goddamned editor clean it up
if you can trust him not to make a balls out of it."

He also said:

"Write drunk - edit sober".

I don't think he meant that in a literal sense - but then...




Tom Watson - WoodDorker
tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (email)
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/ (website)