A business writing textbook I once used advocated using a period instead
of a question mark after what would normally be considered interrogative sentences
when the writer was not really offering the reader the opportunity to say refuse
the “request.” An example would be “Will you send me the
report as soon as possible.”
I thought at the time that it was an odd idea to teach writers. I
suggested to my students that I thought most people would think they had made
an error if they put a period after an interrogative sentence.
That same textbook said that the additional “s” after a
singular possessive noun ending in an “s” was optional “depending
upon whether or not the writer thought the additional syllable were awkward.”
Does that strike anyone else as completely unhelpful and wholly
subjective? The Gregg reference
manual says the same thing, but it also says over and over again that the coordinating
conjunctions are and, but, and or.
It’s not a wonder folks are confused.
Nancy L. Tuten, PhD
Professor of English
Director of the Writing-across-the-Curriculum Program
803-786-3706
From: Assembly
for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Spruiell, William C
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008
2:32 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: A Test of Essential
Academic Skills
That
*is* the kind of thing that makes
you wish organizations like this one could issue the equivalent of the medieval
Church’s Interdiction (can we make the head of ATI kneel in the snow for
hours? Ok, analogy taken too far…).
At
any rate, for what it’s worth, I’d divide those examples into two
categories: the Needlessly Draconian, and the Hopelessly Wrong (with (B) and
(D) being hard to place):
ND: (A), (F), and (E).
(A) makes sense if (and only if) you’re writing for publishing
house whose style guide has already stipulated that you must adhere to the Chicago-style recommendations for which and that.
(F) involves the kind of ambiguity that will only create comprehension problems
for people who will have trouble with reading the sentence in the first place,
or, for that matter, figuring out how wheels work. I actually do like their
suggested version, but there’s a very large difference between an “improvement”
and a “correction.” Although the original in (E) does sound clumsy,
if it occurred in a conversation about
the cooking and laundry duties, it could work.
HW: (C) and (G). I
particularly like the idea of an imperative modal. Perhaps, in an alternate
universe, Churchill commanded the troops into battle by shouting, “Shall
you fight them on the beaches….” (G) wins the Grammar Raspberry
award, though for the way it requires a writer to discard a viable option in
favor of bad punctuation.
On those other two – This test is hardly alone in
confusing “text syllables” with “real syllables.” It’s
sad, but unsurprising. The fact that someone thought (D) was an example of
excellent English writing serves as a kind of summary comment on the test
itself.
Bill Spruiell
Dept. of English
From: Assembly
for the Teaching of English Grammar [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Michael Kischner
Sent: Thursday, April 03, 2008
1:36 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: A Test of Essential
Academic Skills
A psychologist friend of mine now living in
She has been so shocked by what she has found in the Test Study
Manual that she called to ask if I know of an official professional body that
might pronounce judgment on a company putting out shoddy, error-filled
material. I don't think ATEG is in the business of issuing
such pronouncements, but I wonder if people out there with what are now called
"creds" in English grammar and usage would be willing to express
themselves on the materials. Does anybody know to whom one might report
ATI?
These examples are all from the ATI-published official Pre-Test Study
Manual for the Test of Essential Academic Skills (TEAS). "ATI"
stands for the Assessment Technologies Institute.
Example A: See
Page 175, Item #19
Original: The building which was a firetrap was torn down.
Corrected: The building, which was a firetrap, was torn
down.
Example B:
See Page 175, Item #23
Original: We expect them moment
arily.
Corrected: We expect them moment-
arily. [This is supposed
to be an example of correct syllabication.]
Example C: See
Page 175, Item #26
Original: May I interrupt you for a moment?
Corrected: May I interrupt you for a moment. [Reason
given is that the imperative requires a period rather than a question mark.]
Example D: See
Page 178, Example #1:
A teacher's work (it has often been spoken), begins when the
dismissal bell rings. [This is offered as an example of good English
usage. Note the punctuation.]
Example E: See
Page 184, Item #12
Original: On Saturdays, the cooking is done by me and the
laundry is done by my sister.
Corrected: Saturdays, I do the cooking and my sister does
the laundry.
Example F: See
Page 190, Item #9
Original: Mr. Thomas was fired from Washington High because
so many students failed the exam. This was unfortunate.
Corrected: It is unfortunate Mr. Thomas was fired from
Washington High because so many students failed the exam. [Reason given
is that the referent is ambiguous for "This" in the second sentence
of the original. Is the corrected version much better, though?]
Example G: See
Page 191, Item #11
Original: The meeting lasted all day, and nothing was
accomplished.
Corrected: The meeting lasted all day, however nothing was
accomplished. [Reason given is that in the first sentence two ideas of
unequal importance were joined by a coordinating conjunction. Can you
believe the corrected version?]
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