Posted on 03/30/2005 8:30:57 AM PST by Vision Thing
What's wrong with this sentence?
"Microsoft the company should big improve Word grammar check."
A University of Washington associate professor ran it through the grammar check in Microsoft Word, and the software found it acceptable.
Sandeep Krishnamurthy is now on a mission to get the software giant to tweak its grammar-check system.
He says he discovered problems after scolding a student he'd given a poor grade for submitting a paper filled with grammatical errors. The student complained that she had used the software to check for errors.
Microsoft says grammar is almost impossible for a computer to master because it requires artificial intelligence that isn't available. Microsoft Word spokesman Chris Pratley said the best way to ensure grammar is correct is to pay attention in school.
Should read "Microsoft, the company, should improve Word grammar check."
"Bobs' car" implies that you have more than one Bob. Whereas "Bob's car" states that the car belongs to Bob.
When I was a tech writer in a previous life, the only grammar tool that I used was the one that measured readability levels. I targeted my writing for the eighth grade reading level.
My left Bob is a little bigger than my right Bob.
"Technical document production is my profession. I never use any grammar software. I also read every spelling "error" before I okay changes. I make my staff do this also.
"
Good idea. Some years ago, I wrote an instructional book about a popular word processor. It included two chapters on that program's macro language, which was remarkably similar to Basic.
When I got the page proofs back from the publisher, I found that every instance in the book of the word "If" had been changed to "When."
I called the copy editor for the book, a young woman who had recently graduated from one of the better East Coast universities, and asked her what she had in mind with that.
"Our style sheet says that it is preferable to use "when" instead of "if."", she said.
I explained to her that none of the macros in the book would work, given her substitution.
"So...what do you expect me to do about it?", She retorted.
I told her, "You might want to think about updating your resume." Then I called the Editor-in-Chief of the publishing company, corrected the page proof, and got on with my life.
The young woman is now editing novels.
LOL!
I just checked the following: "Microsoft have just released a bug-free product and are, therefore, no longer supporting it."
It highlighted 'have' but if I am British, that is correct usage. So, you need to be careful. Not everyone uses the same rules.
Hello? Bobs' is not correct. (You might use "the Jones's car", but even if you know someone named Bobs, then "Bobs' is incorrect). You could use the boys' game, referrring to a game the boys are playing.
Bobs' becomes Bob's which has a different meaning.
Yeah, it's more sensible.
"Bobs' car" becomes, literally, "Bob's car" which means "Bob is car".
Uhhh, no, it doesn't. "Bob's car" means the car that is possessed by Bob.
"My left Bob is a little bigger than my right Bob."
If you weren't a guy, I'd ask for photographic proof.
Yes, their are definitely some problems with there softwear.
"The young woman is now editing novels."
I can tell she is doing well. Most novels have about one grammar/spelling error per page these days.
The funniest one I ever saw was a manual that had replaced all cases of 'the' with 'The'. So you got sentences such as, "The guy saw The oTher guy with Their friend, LuTher." It was a bit distracting.
LOL!
Sounds like the young woman from one of the better East Coast universities has never used macros before.
Amen. I went back to college in 1996 after a 40 year absence. It drove me crazy to be in work groups with some of the (much) younger students. Many of them knew nothing of grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Their excuse always was that their work had passed the computer grammar and spell checker.
I got around it by always volunteering to type up the final project. I would surreptitiously correct the spelling, grammar, punctuation, and APA end notes for the rest of my group. Got an A every time!
I did graduate with honors for the highest grade point in my class too. However, I never got thanked by any of my groups. They probably didn't even notice my contribution.
It got really sticky once when a member of my group (niece of a prominent school official in our city) gave me her part of a group paper where the first three pages were copied verbatim out of the text book. When I called her attention to it, she pointed out some quotation marks and claimed the first three pages was a quote! I explained that she could not do that, and she was pretty miffed that I re-wrote her work and inserting the proper references. *sigh*
I'm still laughing over a sign that was prominently displayed on a street corner in Stafford, Texas in the 1970s: Jone's Dirt Yard. I never did meet Mr. "Jone", even though I bought dirt there from time to time! Nobody else seemed to mind.
"However, I never got thanked by any of my groups."
You are lucky the people in your groups even did ANY work from what I hear from various college kids. Usually they manage to weasel out of it by doing nothing. The smart kid wants to pass, so the smart kid does it all. The lazy kid gets the good grade. If the grade isn't good, the lazy kid, who did nothing, complains to the smart kid.
Or, the lazy kid does the work at the last minute leaving no time for corrections, so the group gets a low grade.
I always hated group projects, but I guess life is a group project. You just need to find out how to make sure the right people get credit.
"Jone's Dirt Yard."
Good one! I saw a sign that said, "We sell flower's for wedding's"
I guess you always use an apostrophe if there is ANY doubt!
This sounds like a hugh and series problem. I will attend to it after I answer my beeber.
Well, I can understand it wanting to do that. Most of us want to get rid of our HMO's.
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