Editor's Corner

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers sang it, danced it, and skated it; Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong took it to another level when they crooned the argument about who says toe-MAY-toe and who says toe-MAH-toe—but we’re here to talk about either and neither today. No matter how you say them, here are a few tips on these words and their pals “or” and “nor.”

· First, remember this mantra:

Either/or, neither/nor

Either/or, neither/nor

· Second, look at when to use them:

The either/or pair is used for positive, affirmative situations, when there is a choice between two possibilities. For example:

· You can have either the sapphire tiara or the aquamarine tiara.

· We can either swim or sail, but we don’t have time for both.

The neither/nor pair is used in a negative sense (think neither/nor—negative) to show that two things are not true. For example:

· Neither business nor pleasure brought Mr. Bond to the Poconos; he was there to fight.

· I find neither mountains nor molehills much of an obstacle.

· Third, consider these rules for the verbs you use with the either/or and neither/nor pairs:

· When both elements are singular, use a singular verb.

o Either the dog or the cat can stay in the garage. (Dog and cat are singular, so the singular verb “can” is used.)

o Neither Rocky nor Leo knows how to fix a flat tire. (Rocky and Leo are singular, so the singular verb “know” is used.)

· When one element is plural, use a plural verb.

o Either your father or his friends are going to clean up the beer and peanuts. (Friends is plural, so the verb “are” is used.)

o Neither the basketball nor the soccer balls came filled with air. (Balls is plural, so the verb “came” is used.)

Kara Church

Technical Editor, Advisory

619-542-6773 | Ext: 766773

www.symitar.com

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Per the JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training:

• You may use log on and Log on to to refer to creating a user session. To describe ending a user session, use log off or log off from.
  • Do not use log in, login, log onto, logout, or log off of.
  • You may deviate from this rule if necessary to follow the software interface.

• You may also use sign in and sign in to to refer to creating a user session. To describe ending a user session, use sign out.
  • Do not use sign on, sign into, or sign off.
  • You may deviate from this rule if necessary to follow the software interface.

• The verb from of log on is two words, while the noun and adjectives are one word without a hyphen.

Examples:

o Create a logon name.

o Log onto your account.

Thank you,

Jackie Solano

Technical Writer, Episys Technical Publications

Symitar®

8985 Balboa Avenue

San Diego, California 92123

Direct Line: 619-542-6711

NOTICE: This electronic mail message and any files transmitted with it are intended
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Today’s Editor’s Corner is an excerpt from Quick & Dirty Tips (Grammar Girl), written by guest blogger Martha Brockenbrough (author of the book Things That Make Us [Sic]. The question of the day is “Does Grammar Really Matter?” Here are Ms. Brockenbrough’s reasons for why it does.

Getting a Job

It matters, for example, when you’re applying for a job. In one survey of hiring managers, 75 percent said it was worse for an applicant to have a spelling or grammar error on his application than for him to show up late or—get this—swear during an interview. Holy bleep.

Keeping a Job

It continues to matter when you’ve landed that job. Remember the fictional TV lawyer Ed? He lost his job in a Manhattan law firm because of a misplaced comma in a contract. Just in case you think this sort of thing only happens on TV, think again. A utility company in Canada had to pay an extra $2.13 million in 2006 to lease power poles because someone stuck a comma in the wrong spot.

Staying Out of Jail

Grammar matters even if you have an illegal job. A bank robber once got nabbed, in part, because he spelled "money" M-U-N-Y. The bank teller realized the man was such an idiot, he could be tricked into robbing the bank across the street—where police summoned by the teller were waiting.

And get this: A woman who killed her husband and then wrote notes to the police was caught in part because of her tendency to misuse dashes and quotation marks. All police had to do was compare her regular correspondence to the anonymous taunts sent to the police and they had a powerful piece of evidence against her.

Finding Love

Grammar also matters if you’re looking for love. Raise your hand if you’d want to go out with someone whose personal ad contains spelling and grammar errors. That’s right. It’s a turnoff. It’s the equivalent of having spinach in your teeth, or having the zipper on your jeans undone. [KC – I’m not sure I’d put
any of these things in the same category.]

Understanding Appropriateness

Speaking of jeans, grammar and clothing have a lot in common.

Let’s say you see a man in a Speedo. Are you at the beach? Let’s hope so. If he’s wearing a Speedo on public transportation, the man’s probably a lunatic. [KC – In some countries, this is just called “confident.”] At the very least, you don’t want to sit next to him on the bus.

In just the same way, using the wrong kind of language in the wrong place can send some pretty nutty messages.

Let’s say you sent your company president e-mail and you used the number 2 as shorthand for "to." Essentially, you’re saying, "I don’t need that raise this year after all. In fact, I might not really even need this job."

That doesn’t mean you can never use shortcuts like this. Even though people who love grammar are less likely to do so, it’s fine to save your thumbs when you’re texting. It’s all about context.

You don’t wear a Speedo or other super-abbreviated forms of pants on the bus. Likewise, you don’t use really abbreviated language where it doesn’t belong.

Of course, you know this already, you with your pants carefully zipped, you with your shirt covering your navel.

Getting and Giving Respect

You know that being grammatical isn’t just about following the rules like some sort of robot. It’s about paying attention to context. It’s using language that’s most likely to be understood. It’s about sending a message that will be met with respect, just as it shows respect.

So thank you for caring—and good luck out there.

For the full article and surrounding info from Mignon Fogarty, see Grammar Girl’s website.

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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immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Happy Friday, everyone! Many of you will be glad to hear that I have just purchased a couple of books of misheard song lyrics (mondegreens)—I know that is favorite Friday fare for you language lovers. Today I just have something simple, though, from a mistake I heard on our local public radio station.

The newscaster was announcing a story about the riots over in Ferguson, Missouri and said, “People are rioting and alternatively looting. More in ten minutes.” Though the story is serious, I laughed. I thought, “That’s nice, people have the option to riot or to loot.” Then I realized I should do an Editor’s Corner on alternately vs. alternatively, since those two are still frequently confused word couples.

Alternatively means offering a choice between two things; alternately means taking turns or doing one thing and then another. Using this example, here two ways to translate the statement:

· “People are rioting and alternatively looting.” Some people are choosing to riot; those who aren’t rioting have decided to do some looting, instead.

· “People are rioting and alternately looting.” People are rioting, and then looting, and then rioting some more. Then maybe more looting?

I guess it depends what the rest of the story is about to determine which word is really the most accurate, but neither alternately nor alternatively seem like the right word here.

Have a good weekend, folks.

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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is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
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Please follow these new guidelines from the JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training when using the term memo post in your documentation.

Thank you,

Jackie Solano

Technical Writer, Episys Technical Publications

Symitar®

8985 Balboa Avenue

San Diego, California 92123

Direct Line: 619-542-6711

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,
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is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

Good morning, folks. In case you missed this announcement on jhaToday there are some important links available to any of you who write for the company. I am copying the message here for you in its entirety:

A new version of the JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training is now available on the resources page of the Editing Services SharePoint. This quarterly update includes new guidelines for font styles, terminology, time of day, and more. Please see the guide’s What’s New page for a full list of updates.

If you have any questions about the guide, contact Cathy Jones (catjones). If you have suggestions for future additions to the guide, we would love to hear them. Submit them via the suggestion page on the Editing Services SharePoint.

And now, back to my daily message, sponsored by…well, nobody actually. Since I’m talking about style guides, I’d like to share a rule that is common amongst the guides we use and the rules we follow. Specifically, the Microsoft Manual of Style says “avoid (s) to indicate both singular and plural.” What does this mean? It means when you are writing and you aren’t sure if you are telling the audience about one thing or more than one thing, don’t waffle! We don’t want wishy-washy language, so commit to the plural. It may be easier to understand if I give you some examples:

INCORRECT. WAFFLING. YUCK. Tom said he would bring the kitten(s) and maybe a (some) bearded dragon(s).

CORRECT. STRONG. YIPPEE.Tom said he would bring the kittens and maybe some bearded dragons.

INCORRECT. WISHY-WASHY. NO WAY. After you install the disk(s), wait for one (or more) minute(s).

CORRECT. COMMITTED. YEAH WAY. After you install the disks, wait for one or more minutes.

The reasons to go this route are many, but here are just a few:

· It takes the reader too long to figure out what you are trying to tell them when they have to make decisions about the amount of something and verb tense every few words (which means frustration).

· The overall message is more important than whether you are bringing one ball or two to the beach. If this is not true and precision is required, then use precision: “This includes one gumball machine, one stand, and 60 gumballs.”

· When you mix singular and plural nouns, jumble verb tenses, and sprinkle text with the letter “s” in parentheses, translators go bonkers.

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.
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Every now and then, my brother will leave me a phone message with his musings on language: a word he likes or a phrase he hates. The latest message from him was about the phrase “catch-as-catch-can.” This phrase got the seal of disapproval from him, as he told me that he heard it a lot at job sites. I thought I’d look into this idiom a little further to see why it might irk him.

According to Merriam-Webster, “catch-as-catch-can” means “using any available means or method”; it is synonymous with haphazard or scattered and indicates lack of foresight. As someone who has to carefully plan his projects and how they fit in with work other people are doing, I see how this attitude might get my brother’s boxers in a bunch.

But there’s another arena in which “catch-as-catch-can” is used, and I think this will make my brother laugh. Here is the Encyclopaedia Britannica definition of catch-as-catch-can wrestling:

“…basic wrestling style in which nearly all holds and tactics are permitted in both upright and ground wrestling. Rules usually forbid only actions that may injure an opponent, such as strangling, kicking, gouging, and hitting with a closed fist. The object is to force the opponent into a position in which both shoulders touch the ground at the same time. Formerly known as the Lancashire style in England, catch-as-catch-can became the most popular form of wrestling in Great Britain and the United States and, with slight modifications, was introduced into Olympic and international competition as freestyle wrestling.”

I must say, however, that I think this blogger summed it up better: “…as opposed to Greco-Roman (wrestling), where there are no leg pickups or holds below the waist, ‘Catch as catch can’ = grab whatever you like.”

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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Today’s nugget focuses on the second half of the spacing standards for company templates.

Thank you,

Jackie Solano

Technical Writer, Episys Technical Publications

Symitar®

8985 Balboa Avenue

San Diego, California 92123

Direct Line: 619-542-6711

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,
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is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please
immediately advise the sender by reply email and delete all copies.

The next two nuggets will focus on spacing standards from the JHA Style Guide for Technical Communication and Training. Please follow these guidelines when using company templates to create documentation.

Thank you,

Jackie Solano

Technical Writer, Episys Technical Publications

Symitar®

8985 Balboa Avenue

San Diego, California 92123

Direct Line: 619-542-6711

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.

Happy (almost) weekend! It’s been another busy week, so I haven’t had time to read through your questions, research them, or write up answers for you. What I do have is an email that I’ve received several versions of. I am not sure of the original source, but it is an interesting and fun bit of food for thought. My apologies if it is a repeat for any of you. First some homographs (words with the same spelling and different meanings) and heteronyms (same spelling, different pronunciation, and different meanings). After that, paragraphs of word play for your reading pleasure.

Note: I didn’t fact check this email, so if you have questions about the writer’s claims and the history of guinea pigs, you’ll have to do your own research!

You think English is easy?

1) The bandage was wound around the wound.

2) The farm was used to produce produce.

3) The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.

4) We must polish the Polish furniture.

5) He could lead if he would get the lead out.

6) The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.

7) Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.

8) A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.

9) When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.

10) I did not object to the object.

11) The insurance was invalid for the invalid.

12) There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.

13) They were too close to the door to close it.

14) The buck does funny things when the does are present.

15) A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.

16) To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.

17) The wind was too strong to wind the sail.

18) Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.

19) I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.

20) How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

Let’s face it – English is a crazy language. There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren’t invented in England or French fries in France. Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren’t sweet, are meat. We take English for granted. But if we explore its paradoxes, we find that quicksand can work slowly, boxing rings are square and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write but fingers don’t fing, grocers don’t groce and hammers don’t ham? If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn’t the plural of booth, beeth? One goose, 2 geese. So one moose, 2 meese? One index, 2 indices? Doesn’t it seem crazy that you can make amends but not one amend? If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it?

If teachers taught, why didn’t preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? Sometimes I think all the English speakers should be committed to an asylum for the verbally insane. In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship? Have noses that run and feet that smell?

How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

Still haven’t had enough? Check out this Wikipedia article on linguistics: Heteronyms.

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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