The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 23.0525  Tuesday, 18 December 2012

From:        Hardy M. Cook < This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it >

Date:         Tuesday, December 18, 2012

Subject:     Pedantry 

As a sometimes scholar, I recognize certain habits of discourse used by some outside of my circle BLANK me off. A few examples will suffice. 

Example One:

The OTHER might write: The earth IS flat.

I might write instead:

1. It seems to me that the earth is flat.  Or

2. The members of my group argue the earth is flat.  Or

3. The evidence of my perceptions suggests to me the earth is flat.

Example two:

The OTHER might write: I demonstrate that the earth is flat.

Whereas I might write: As I peered out from the top of K2, it seemed as if the earth were flat since I could not perceive any roundness, only an edge, from every direction I turned my attention. 

I prefer to be alerted to one’s critical POV and to have logical “warrants” stated rather than implied.

From one very slow learner,

Hardy

Addendum: I would, also, never write “At this point in time, . . . .”  And never, never get me started on commas, hyphens, semicolons, or colons or put me in bright light, get me wet, or fed me after midnight.