On Fri, 14 Mar 1997, Timothy Mason wrote:
> -- [ From: Timothy Mason * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
>
> Have all those bloody Cretans gone? Thank God for that - never could stand
> the beggars. Now, it is true that the verb 'to rely' is spelt 'relies' when
> in the third person singular. What might be the strategic value of such a
> reminder here and in this place?
to challenge the disciplinary overemphasis on the correct spelling of
words?
>
> Must say, pint of Marx, followed by a double Wittgenstein, makes an
> excellent chaser. Set 'em up again, barman. Oh, and while your at it, hand
> over the Gower and a set of arrows. Good man.
>
> Timothy Mason
>
Indeed, Sir Ernest Gowers was a good man. For those who do not know of
him, he was asked by the British Treasury--concerned by the obscure and
incomprehensible prose of its bureaucrats--to write a book on writing. The
result was _Plain Words: A Guide to the Use of English_ in 1948, followed
by _The ABC of Plain Words_ (1951), both of which culminated in the
career-capping _The Complete Plain Words_ (1954). His books insisted on
clarity, precision, and directness as essential for expository writing.
Now, what could be the ironic value of such a reference here and in this
post?
--John Ransom
> -- [ From: Timothy Mason * EMC.Ver #2.5.02 ] --
>
> Have all those bloody Cretans gone? Thank God for that - never could stand
> the beggars. Now, it is true that the verb 'to rely' is spelt 'relies' when
> in the third person singular. What might be the strategic value of such a
> reminder here and in this place?
to challenge the disciplinary overemphasis on the correct spelling of
words?
>
> Must say, pint of Marx, followed by a double Wittgenstein, makes an
> excellent chaser. Set 'em up again, barman. Oh, and while your at it, hand
> over the Gower and a set of arrows. Good man.
>
> Timothy Mason
>
Indeed, Sir Ernest Gowers was a good man. For those who do not know of
him, he was asked by the British Treasury--concerned by the obscure and
incomprehensible prose of its bureaucrats--to write a book on writing. The
result was _Plain Words: A Guide to the Use of English_ in 1948, followed
by _The ABC of Plain Words_ (1951), both of which culminated in the
career-capping _The Complete Plain Words_ (1954). His books insisted on
clarity, precision, and directness as essential for expository writing.
Now, what could be the ironic value of such a reference here and in this
post?
--John Ransom