Language Arts 101

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I see then and than used incorrectly quite frequently on this board. Mostly than when it should be then.
 
Thats a good one alevin. We have many locations with communications equipment inside structures. They are referred to as "sites" The definition: An area of ground on which a town, building, or monument is constructed. They are referred to in many documents as sights. I surmise the author of the document must have seen the sight?
 
PessOptimist said:
I surmise the author of the document must have seen the sight?
Click to expand...
Sadly, yes. The sight was GPS'd and associated data for the sight entered into database. :notrust: We have many sites that do not have a facility per se associated with them, but we do have data and often a permanent site marker for longterm monitoring at our sites. :)
 
Seen people use buy instead of by on this board. A they weren't talking about purchasing anything...
 
We seemed to have ironed out a lot of the vocubulary issues, y'all's quick studies. Let's move on to grammar.

Peaceful female protestors on Wall Street are suddenly surrounded by police,
put inside nets, and sprayed with chemical weapons by the police without reason.
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http://www.tsptalk.com/mb/showthread.php?9940-Citizens-occupy-Wall-Street&p=332482#post332482

Were the protestestors sprayed without reason (lacking basis) or is it the police without reason (lacking logic)?

The way it is written it is difficult to deduce the author's point, although the intent is clear.
 
burrocrat said:
We seemed to have ironed out a lot of the vocubulary issues, y'all's quick studies. Let's move on to grammar.


http://www.tsptalk.com/mb/showthread.php?9940-Citizens-occupy-Wall-Street&p=332482#post332482


Were the protestestors sprayed without reason (lacking basis) or is it the police without reason (lacking logic)?

The way it is written it is difficult to deduce the author's point, although the intent is clear.
Click to expand...

You are goood, burro! I once had similar detailed questions regarding interpreting unclear instructions (due to grammar) in a tech manual. My performance rating months later gave me low marks for being slow to understand the job-only tiime I ever asked for help understanding the job was on that dang manual. boy was I steamed to get nailed for asking questions for clarification because of someone else's poor sentence construction skills. Me-new employee. Longtime employee-writer of the new manual.

There were never any complaints about the work I did after I asked the questions.

If the job hadn't been paying so good, I'd have quit. early 80s, jobs were not easy to come by that paid that well-with health insurance even. Life went on, the contract ended a couple years later, I found a new job before my savings ran out.
 
Net junkies get lose and loose mixed up all the time.

Also people on ebay can't spell nuthin right.
 
burrocrat said:
Here we go again,

http://www.tsptalk.com/mb/showthread.php?7329-burrocrat-s-Account-Talk&p=334821#post334821



Didn't believe there are strange patterns in charts? Or that the trend reveals itself in fundamentals?
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Oh wait, I think I get it now. It all has to do with punctuation.

Since the question was separated from the statement with a period instead of a comma it must refer to the whole thing, not one or the other. Thank goodness, all the wondering which participle dangled was making my head hurt.

Had to search the memory banks for that one because the books were sold back used a long time ago, but I think I got it, right?
 
burrocrat said:
Oh wait, I think I get it now. It all has to do with punctuation.

Since the question was separated from the statement with a period instead of a comma it must refer to the whole thing, not one or the other. Thank goodness, all the wondering which participle dangled was making my head hurt.

Had to search the memory banks for that one because the books were sold back used a long time ago, but I think I got it, right?
Click to expand...

Burro, Why do you torture your brain so early in the morning. You should be reading the paper and on your second cup of java. ;)
 
burrocrat said:
Here we go again,

http://www.tsptalk.com/mb/showthread.php?7329-burrocrat-s-Account-Talk&p=334821#post334821



Didn't believe there are strange patterns in charts? Or that the trend reveals itself in fundamentals?
Click to expand...

No dangling participles, b. But other grammar errors and unclarities, yes-I acknowledge the error of my ways.

My greater sin was to use a comma to separate 2 strong clauses with a comma.
Rule 14.

[TD="width: 442, colspan: 2"][/TD]

[TD="class: red, width: 60"] Incorrect: [/TD]
[TD="width: 350"] Time flies when we are having fun, we are always having fun. (Comma splice)

Correct: Time flies when we are having fun; we are always having fun. OR Time flies when we are having fun, and we are always having fun. (Comma is optional because both strong clauses are short.)


OR Time flies when we are having fun. We are always having fun.
[/TD]

As far as unclarities go, we're talking use of strong dependent clauses and referential pronouns as object of sentence, well as punctuation. Would have been clearer what the referential pronoun (object) was referring to if I'd punctuated things thusly:

"...there are strange patterns in the charts. Just a matter of time before the real trend reveals itself in the fundamentals; I wish I didn't believe that." Claro now?
 
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