RE: Technical Grammar Peeves

["Neil, David M" <neildm@id.doe.gov>]

Webster's New Collegiate clearly shows "reference' as a transitive verb, as
well as a noun and an adjective. In separate definitions. Matt Young's book
gives Matt Young's OPINION that it should be used as a noun for "Style and
Clarity".  I think I will continue going along with the more traceable
source; it's Webster's dictionary, not Young's dictionary.

However, I also tend to not take "proper" English too seriously; it was
largely the result of the attempts of Norman men-at-arms to get dates with
Saxon barmaids, and has little more claim to propriety than any of the other
results of those liaisons :-)

For example, there is a technicality of English that is rather studiously
ignored by every writer on the subject that I can recall off-hand.  The
adjective referring to the next planet Sunward is not "Venusian" it's
"Venereal", which carries somewhat different connotation.

I'll shut up before I get Melissa mad at all of us.  

Dave Neil
neildm@id.doe.gov 

On Thursday, May 27, 1999 8:12 AM, Falo Gerald A CHPPM
[SMTP:Gerald.Falo@APG.AMEDD.ARMY.MIL] wrote:
> I've restrained myself for a while now, but I've noticed several annoying
> grammatical trends cropping up in many publications., including technical
> articles.
> 
> The first is the use of the word "reference" as a verb; as is "Not to be
> referenced."  According to one dictionary I have, the verb form has been
> around since 1891, but other dictionaries don't list it at all.  Matt
> Young's book, "The Technical Writer's Handbook, Writing with Style and
> Clarity," states definitively that reference is a noun not a verb.
> 
> I weigh in with Matt's position.  You may "refer" to something or
something
> may be "referred to' something else.  Documents and publications are
"cited"
> not "referenced" in other publications.
> 
> Another problem I've been seeing is the capitalization of the names of
> elements and units; for example, Radium instead of radium and Becquerel
> instead of becquerel.  According to the SI system the abbreviations of
units
> based on names are capitalized but the name is not.  I believe that the
same
> rule applies to element names.
> 
> I know that these are not weighty matters, but I was just beginning to
read
> the draft report of the NCRP Scientific Committee Report Number 6, and in
> big bold letters across the top it says, "DRAFT FOR COMMENT, NOT TO BE
> REFERENCED." In this month's HPS Newsletter, there is at least one
reference
> to "Becquerel level". 
> 
> Thanks for letting me vent.
> 
> Jerry Falo
> jer3ry@aol.com
> 
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