Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 exptools 1/6/84; site ihuxq.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxj!ihnp4!ihuxq!ken From: ken@ihuxq.UUCP (ken perlow) Newsgroups: net.flame Subject: Re: Chris's Major Conniption and Ross's ad hominem Message-ID: <1281@ihuxq.UUCP> Date: Tue, 16-Oct-84 20:11:48 EDT Article-I.D.: ihuxq.1281 Posted: Tue Oct 16 20:11:48 1984 Date-Received: Wed, 17-Oct-84 06:39:18 EDT References: <826@dual.UUCP>, <8200020@acf4.UUCP> Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL Lines: 74 -- >> To Ken Perlow: >> Hey there, ken. How are you?? Have you ever read a book called >> _The Elements of Style_, by William Strunk and E.B. White??? Hi, Ross. Yes, I have. In fact, I probably thumbed to tatters at least three copies before you learned the alphabet. But I'm glad you've taken it to heart, especially White's paraphrase of Strunk in the introduction: "Why compound ignorance with inaudibility?" >> What a marvelous book!! It puts each and every one of your puny >> arguments out to lunch. It too discusses when a rule can be >> discarded. It doesn't encourage it, though. And I'll take even >> third-grade english-book content as superior to advice you give. >> Mistakes will happen on the net, and many people will not go to >> ridiculous length to make sure that their article is proper in >> every rule. Especially your rules! It is marvelous. Of course, the rules it discusses are pretty basic-- things like sentence structure, concise phrasing, proper use of certain words--nothing about acronyms I remember. What rules of mine? I've only quoted Safire on the use of "'s". And the only people I've flamed at are those who themselves flamed--and intolerantly so--about other people's style. As for the 3rd grade text, Ross, please *DO* prefer it--you need it. As for puny arguments, Strunk and White do not concern themselves with the petty stylistic differences I claim to be irrelevant to clear communication. Indeed, style manuals themselves disagree on many points of punctuation. So your manuals disagree and Strunk abstains--what do you do then, Ross? Watch out, Ross, if you say "be consistent", you're following one of my rules! [Ross quoting me] >Hey, guy, don't put words in my mouth, even if they're spelled >right. Marla Baer flamed long and hard about literacy, yet was >herself imprecise. I simply commented, "And boy is your face red." >Who said anything about relative badness? I was just probing >the limits of intolerance, not grammar. >> Golly ken! Perhaps you've been staring at your screen too long?? Or >> perhaps you're not reading your own articles before posting? >> "..even is they're spelled right."?? Howzabout "...spelled correctly"? >> Relative "badness"???? What a joke!!! You put these articles on the >> net to make us laugh, right? Nobody could be as dense as you seem to be. >> Ken, even if this is net.flame, why not just flame by yourself for >> a while?? I've had enough of your bullsh=t to last for the next decade! >> There are four grammatical mistakes in the above. Can YOU find them, >> Mr. Ken "I'll defend my right to be dumb" Perlow?? >> Ross M. Greenberg About that 3rd grade text... "Right" is an adverb (among other things). "Badness" is a noun. But don't take my word for it, look them up. So you don't like my style? Sorry, I thought "evil" was a bit too strong. I went though the right/correctly argument a year ago, when someone tried to correct the grammar in my hypothesis, "If you can't write it right, you can't think it right." As before, I am right. Look, I know that having one's prose publicly upbraided is downright humiliating. That's why I *NEVER* do it on the net *EXCEPT* to know-it-alls who could use a taste of their own medicine. So I don't want to look for any more of your mistakes, Ross. I've edited for a living; the novelty has long since worn off. -- *** *** JE MAINTIENDRAI ***** ***** ****** ****** 16 Oct 84 [25 Vendemiaire An CXCIII] ken perlow ***** ***** (312)979-7188 ** ** ** ** ..ihnp4!ihuxq!ken *** ***