Avoid redundancies and wordy phrases when writing because they distract, confuse, and bore readers. Make your writing less time-consuming and more concise for the reader by getting to the point in as few words as possible.

Jackie Solano | Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.542.6711 | Extension: 766711

Yesterday at the coffee cart, I was asked a question about questions. With a little research, I found this article which talks about some anomalies when it comes to questions. The article was written by Mignon Fogarty’s guest, Bonnie Trenga Mills. For Ms. Mills’ complete article and citations, please see the original article here: Grammar Girl.

Rhetorical Questions

You’ve probably heard rhetorical questions more often than you realize. You start a sentence with a negative word when you mean something positive. So “Wasn’t that movie great?” means that you think the movie was great. It seems counterintuitive, but that’s the way English works. It’s called a rhetorical question, and it can end in either a question mark or an exclamation point, and in dialogue you can sometimes even have a speaker’s rhetorical question end in a period.

Another example of a rhetorical question is “Isn’t she leaving?” That question means you think the woman is leaving, but you want to confirm. Rhetorical questions like this take a negative form. If you make the “Isn’t she leaving?” question positive, it becomes just a regular question: “Is she leaving?” If you ask "Is she leaving?" you don’t know the answer; whereas with the rhetorical question “Isn’t she leaving?” you are assuming she is leaving.

Rhetorical questions have popped up in pop music. Stevie Wonder, for example, wrote a famous song called “Isn’t She Lovely,” whose lyrics begin:

“Isn’t she lovely,

Isn’t she wonderful,

Isn’t she precious,”

Mr. Wonder definitely thinks the girl is lovely, wonderful, and precious. No question about that.

These kinds of rhetorical questions seem to be quite conversational. You wouldn’t want to write, “Aren’t I the perfect person for this job?” in a job cover letter, nor would you want to say, “Isn’t it obvious that you should hire me?” in an interview. There are better ways to sound more qualified and more professional.

Tag Questions

The second kind of question we’re talking about today is called a tag question. “Tag questions, a peculiarity of English, are usually spoken rather than written,” states the website English Online. The rhetorical question “Isn’t she leaving?” means about the same thing as “She is leaving, isn’t she?” Students who are learning English often find this kind of construction puzzling because the speaker uses a negative form to mean something positive. As the Interesting Thing of the Daywebsite wisely explains, “The simplest way to make a tag question in English is to repeat the verb, negate it, and then repeat the subject. For example, ‘He is smart’ becomes ‘He is smart, isn’t he?" Note how the word "isn’t" is negating the verb "is" from the first part of the sentence: "He IS smart, ISN’T he?"

"If the verb is already negative, you just make it positive. ‘It won’t rain’ becomes ‘It won’t rain, will it?’" So, if we wanted to change Aaron’s rhetorical question “Isn’t it funny?” into a tag question, we would say, “It’s funny, isn’t it?” Both sentences mean “I think it’s funny.”

One clue that tag questions are best left to informal situations is that you often hear them used with contractions, which themselves are a bit informal. It would sound weird to ask "It will not rain, will it?" It sounds much more normal with a contraction: "It won’t rain, will it?"

Summary

In summary, rhetorical questions and tag questions are normal parts of everyday speech, but they are informal. It’s therefore best to avoid them in formal situations.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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As I mentioned yesterday, today is National Punctuation Day. I have a special treat for you from the quintessential grammarian and verbivore, Richard Lederer. This article is from his blog and was also published in the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Now is the time to stamp out apostrophe catastrophes

Believe it or not, each year Sept. 24 is National Punctuation Day. Now you might think that celebrating those little and lowly dots, lines and curves is about as significant as celebrating a leaky faucet or scoring a perfect 100 on an IQ test. But correct punctuation is perhaps the most useful aid to making your writing reader-friendly. [KC – Since this is from the newspaper where they use the
AP Style Guide, there is no serial comma in the first sentence. I think it is much clearer with it, however: “…celebrating those little and lowly dots, lines, and curves is…”]

Of all the marks of punctuation, the most off-putting is the apostrophe. In fact, this little squiggle is so off-putting that people put apostrophes off when they should be putting them on paper and often put them on when they should put them off.

A famous “New Yorker” cartoon depicts a policeman pulling over to the side of the road a truck labeled, “Me and Wallys Produce.” The cop says to the driver, “Sorry, but I’m going to have to issue you a summons for reckless grammar and driving without an apostrophe.”

Turns out that many of us are guilty of driving without an apostrophe or carrying too many of them in our sentences:

· The Midas Muffler Company once advertised, “It Pay’s to Midasize.”

· The erudite Harvard Club of Boston was crimson-faced to discover that one of its restrooms was labeled “Mens’ Room.”

· Many a marketplace displays labels that read, “Potato’s,” “Pear’s” and (gasp!) “Peach’es.” I call these gratuitous squiggles Prepostrophes.

· In a weekly swap-shop guide appeared this grisly (not grizzly or gristly) ad: “Wanted: Piano to replace daughters lost in fire.”

· An investment firm boasts, “We get our customer’s top dollar.”

One of the most daunting challenges of punctuation is to employ the apostrophe to make a noun possessive. To convert a singular noun to a possessive, simply add an apostrophe and an s: Wally’s Produce, the policeman’s badge.

Grammarians and publications differ on forming the possessive of singular words ending in sibilants — s, z, c, x. I recommend that you add the s after an apostrophe if you would pronounce that s: the boss’s daughter, Dickens’s novels, (Dickens’ novels is also acceptable) Aristophanes’ plays. [KC: The
Chicago Manual of Style differs in its rules for the apostrophe “s” after names ending in “s.” It recommends using the apostrophe “s,” even if it is not pronounced.]

Possessive forms of personal pronouns, such as yours, hers, his and ours, do not take apostrophes. It’s used as a possessive pronoun is so ubiquitous that it has become the most common spelling/punctuation atrocity in our language. Please, please, please remember that it’s is a contraction of “it is” or “it has.” It’s is not a possessive.

Which dog has the upper paw?:

a) A clever dog knows its master.

b) A clever dog knows it’s master.

It’s the second dog, of course. It knows that it is master.

For a plural word that ends with a letter other than s, form the possessive as if the word were singular: the people’s choice, the men’s room.

Now, what about words and names that are pluralized by adding s or es? Simply add an apostrophe only: the readers’ opinions, the Smiths’ dog, the foxes’ teeth.

This brings us to those names we see in front of houses and on mailboxes everywhere — “The Smith’s,” “The Gump’s,” and even (sigh) “The Jone’s.” These are distressing signs of our times. Which Smith, we ask, and who, pray tell, is Jone? Here we have an atrocity of both case and number in one felonious swoop.

Who lives in the house? The Smiths. The Gumps. The Joneses. That’s what the signs should say. It’s really nobody else’s business whether the Smiths, the Gumps and the Joneses own their domiciles. All we need know is that the Smiths, the Gumps and the Joneses live there.

If you must announce possession of your domicile, place the apostrophe after, not before, the plural names: “The Smiths’,” “The Gumps’,” “The Joneses’.” Your attention to this matter will help stanch the creep of apostrophe catastrophes across our land.

Maybe great taste deserves a reward, but bad punctuation doesn’t!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Tomorrow, September 24, is National Punctuation Day in the United States. It is a day to love, honor, and cherish your favorite punctuation mark. My favorite way to celebrate is by sharing a few unfortunate photos with you. While many of these are spelling-related, I still think today is as good a day as any to share them with you.

· Nothing says forever like a tattoo. I hope it gets better than this unnecessary apostrophe and bad grammar.

· While you are waiting for it to get better, how about another tattoo letting people know there is “nohing” to regret? And if you’re going to say it wrong, say it bold and say it strong!

· Eww. A good, old-fashioned comma and putting the modifier in the right place would improve this gossip tidbit.

· A surefire way to upset your parents is by ordering a cake with quotation marks used inappropriately. If there is some question about your paternity, you might not want to broach the discussion at a party.

· Is it the spelling error that makes this bad? Or is it the school bus that looks like a converted bread delivery van? Perhaps it the artistry of a second-grader using a dull needle and bottle of India ink to do their own tattoo that makes me cringe a little? All I know is that this tattoo is listed as a failure, but it succeeded at bringing tears of amusement to my eyes.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Where were we? Ah yes, the final bits and piece of modal verbs. This list and advice is continued from Thursday.

· You can use modals to indicate suggestions and advice.

o You should stop eating haggis; it could save your life.

o You should consider purging the following records each quarter.

Consider your audience and the message you want to deliver. In technical documentation we want to sound certain; however, in a consulting or advisory document, the modal term might be better.

o Purge the following documents each quarter. (Technical documentation)

o Consider purging the following documents each quarter (The implied subject is “you,” but this is an incomplete sentence or bulleted item for consulting or advisory documentation.)

o You should consider purging the following documents each quarter. (This is a complete sentence with the modal verb, which may be acceptable in a less technical document.)

· You can use modals to indicate permission.

o May I leave? I am not feeling well.

o You may want to use this function to process checks.

o Employees with the View All permissions may see confidential personnel information.

Again, in technical documentation we want to sound certain. Matters of permission and policy are generally left to our customers and clients, so it is better to tell them what a product does or what they can do with a certain function and let them decide if they want to use it or who among them has the permissions.

o Use this function to process checks. (This tells you what the function does, not who should have it.)

o Confidential personnel information is visible to all employees with the View All permissions. (This tells you what is visible when you have the permissions, not who should have the permissions.)

As I mentioned before, it depends what you are writing, but in technical writing we generally prefer text without modal verbs. Here are a few more examples demonstrating how much more direct the text is without them.

With modal verbs:

· You could use this option to calculate teller totals.

· You must delete the X file before you install the Y file.

· Employees should wash their hands before returning to work.

· This product will increase your productivity.

Without modal verbs:

· Use this option to calculate teller totals.

· Delete the X file before you install the Y file.

· Washyour hands before returning to work.

· This product increases productivity.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

Here are the guidelines for using slashes from the JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training.

Speaking of slashes, your friendly editor may have asked you not use the term “and/or,” and to choose “and” or “or” instead.

Per the Chicago Manual of Style, “Avoid this Janus-faced term. It can often be replaced by and or or with no loss in meaning. Where it seems needed {take a sleeping pill and/or a warm drink}, try or . . . or both {take a sleeping pill or a warm drink or both}. But think of other possibilities {take a sleeping pill with a warm drink}.”

One reason not to use and/or statements is that it creates uncertainty. Here is an example, “I and/or Kara will edit your document tomorrow.” The and/or statement in this sentence can mean that I will edit your document, Kara will edit your document, or both Kara and I will edit your document.

There is also the issue of whether using and/or in a subject makes the verb singular or plural.

For example:

This message and/or attachments [is? are?] confidential.

Before you use and/or in your writing, try to determine whether the term is necessary or if there is a clearer way to express what you are trying to say.

Jackie Solano | Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.542.6711 | Extension: 766711

For those of you fairly new to the Editor’s Corner, we have a fan favorite for you today: mondegreens. Mondegreens are misheard song lyrics. The latest purchase I’ve made is called Hit Me with Your Pet Shark: Misheard Lyrics of the 1980s, by Charles Grosvenor Jr. Here are the top nine reasons Mr. Grosvenor gives for people mishearing songs:

1) Secret belief that all songs are dirty

2) Singer has a thick accent

3) Listener made up a word or phrase to fit the rhyme

4) Words are slurred together to form a new word

5) Dropped a leading or trailing consonant

6) Use of an unusual proper name

7) Lyrics are not in a listener’s native tongue

8) Music is too loud

9) Lyrics are sung too fast

I have my own for number 10: Listener is under the influence of some mind-numbing substance.

Here are your lyrics for today:

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
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This week, I’m on a modal verb kick. Today, I’ll provide you with a little more information about modal verbs and explain why we should try to minimize their use in technical documentation. Remember, last week I said modal verbs help you with a certain “flavor” in your writing. Maybe that flavor is some kind of formality or wish to sound extremely polite or as if you have no expectations for a situation. In technical writing, we want the facts! We want to be straightforward with our writing and make sure there are no misunderstandings. The “flavors” we are looking for are crisp and sharp.

· You can use modals for speculation and probability:

o Bill should have been here by 6:00 p.m.

o It must be difficult raising two children by yourself.

o If you click Enter, the transaction should be processed.

In technical writing, we want to concentrate on concreteness and exact information:

o Click Enter to process the transaction.

· You can use modals to discuss ability:

o She could crochet better than her grandmother.

o Mr. Farrow can speak three languages.

o The system could calculate the monthly mortgage payment if you entered the total loan amount and percentage rate.

In technical writing, we want to know precisely what the system can and will do under certain circumstances:

o Enter the total loan amount and percentage rate to calculate the monthly mortgage payment.

· You can use modals to indicate obligation.

o You must complete these steps before you can continue.

In technical writing, you want to be direct and straightforward. You don’t want to change the intended meaning of the sentence, but consider the following revision for the previous example:

o Complete these steps before you continue.

Tomorrow: Merry mondegreens.

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

As I mentioned yesterday, modal verbs are also called “helping” or “auxiliary” verbs. To get the real flavor of how English modal verbs are used, this article from the Frankfurt International School does a great job explaining. Sometimes I find that English as a Second Language (ESL) lessons break down our language into more digestible pieces than English grammar books do. J

Modal verbs

The modal verbs include can, must, may, might, will, would, should. They are used with other verbs to express ability, obligation, possibility, and so on. Below is a list showing the most useful modals and their most common meanings:

Note: Many native English speakers will use can to request permission. For example, “Can I watch TV?” Many native English speakers are also asked, in return, “I don’t know, can you? You may turn on the TV.” This correction may be met with appreciation or a smack to the head, depending on who is correcting whom.

Tomorrow: Modal verbs and technical documentation.

Friday: Merry mondegreens!

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

There are new guidelines for indicating time of day and time zones in the JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training.

Jackie Solano | Technical Editor | Symitar®

8985 Balboa Ave. | San Diego, CA 92123 | Ph. 619.542.6711 | Extension: 766711

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
exclusively for the individual or entity to which it is addressed. The message,
together with any attachment, may contain confidential and/or privileged information.
Any unauthorized review, use, printing, saving, copying, disclosure or distribution
is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.