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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2009"Also" usage
Hello All, I am a reporter for a trade magazine and I have some questions about using the word "also". Specifically, my editor always places also before any verb, no matter what the usage. This drives me nuts, but I don't know if it's technically wrong. Unfortunately, I have not been able to find a rule anywhere that would support my view, certainly not in the AP style guide. So, here I am. Should "also" always precede a verb? ex. "It also is imperative that training represent..." Thank you in advance. Sincerely, Dylan de Thomas > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > ex. "It also is imperative that training represent..." What is the "AP style guide"? He is employing a careful usage in which modifiers do not "split the infinitive". He is not wrong, but his usage, when carried out fully, contributes to a stilted pattern. Do you notice other such instances? You have some things to consider: Do you want to keep your job? Is your editor a native speaker of English? (Some people educated in formal and business English _as a second language_ may rely on rules they have memorized and may not feel free to break them.) Has your editor asked for assistance in English usage? When you say "trade journal", have you considered the aspirations and expectations of the subscribers? Perhaps your editor caters to their tastes. > > Hello All, > > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > He is employing a careful usage in which modifiers do not "split the > infinitive". Except, of course, that there is no infinitive in the example given, split or otherwise, and the boss is being more "careful" than necessary. The infinitive that we are told by spurious rule not to split is the one with "to", as in "to split an infinitive." > He is not wrong, In the sense that "also" can be placed where he wants it. > but his usage, when carried out fully, contributes to a stilted pattern. Amen [ ... ] I certainly agree with Pat Durkin's other comments -- you work for him, not vice versa. If this is the worst problem you have with him, suck it up and do what he says. You can always mutter to yourself when you get back to your cubicle. (I'm quite serious here.)  SignatureBob Lieblich Who has been through it also >>> Hello All, >>> [quoted text clipped - 16 lines] > Except, of course, that there is no infinitive in the example given, > split or otherwise, Oh, sh.t. You are correct, of course. > and the boss is being more "careful" than > necessary. The infinitive that we are told by spurious rule not to [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > suck it up and do what he says. You can always mutter to yourself > when you get back to your cubicle. (I'm quite serious here.) > I am a reporter for a trade magazine and I have some questions about > using the word "also". Specifically, my editor always places also [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > ex. "It also is imperative that training represent..." Whether in the Associated Press style manual or in your editor's memory, this seems to be a hangover from the old days of long-distance transmission by teleprinter. The Canadian Press taught me in 1964 the word "now" must alwas be so displaced that (predictable) operator typos could not be misunderstood. Consider: The government will now stop taxing XYZ The government will not stop taxing XYZ The government now will stop taxing XYZ The government not will stop taxing XYZ. In case 3/4, even if the operator punched a T for a W, case 4 could not be misunderstood (and would be corrected by a subeditor before publication) because word order had been appropriately predetermined. SignatureDon Phillipson Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada) > <ddetho...@gmail.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > Carlsbad Springs > (Ottawa, Canada) Hey, that makes sense! I've seen "not" for "now" in books. Dylan, I've never heard this rule. I've never seen the AP stylebook, either, and didn't know it gave opinions on anything other than style (punctuation, treatment of numbers -- numeral or word, type). But I think your editor is wrong. In your example -- which verb? "It also is imperative that training represent..." or "It is imperative that training also represent..."? Where do you think it should be? In my experience, "also" can go anywhere in the sentence, depending on what it is that is being added. Does your editor do this with "only" also? > Hello All, > [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Should "also" always precede a verb? No. > ex. "It also is imperative that training represent..." That's poor writing. By the way, we don't use "ex."; we use "e.g." Adrian Adrian Bailey wrote, in part: > By the way, we don't use "ex."; we use "e.g." Well, some of us do. (Sometimes.) SignatureMaria C. > Adrian Bailey wrote, in part: >> >> By the way, we don't use "ex."; we use "e.g." > > Well, some of us do. (Sometimes.) Yes; "ex." doesn't irritate me half as much as some others, ex. "sb", "sth", "thx". Signatureathel >> Adrian Bailey wrote, in part: >>> [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Yes; "ex." doesn't irritate me half as much as some others, ex. "sb", > "sth", "thx". ITYM "...ex. 'sb' resp. 'sth', 'thx'". HTH. SignatureRoland Hutchinson Will play viola da gamba for food. NB mail to my.spamtrap [at] verizon.net is heavily filtered to remove spam. If your message looks like spam I may not see it. >>> Adrian Bailey wrote, in part: >>>> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > HTH. WTF, FGS? -- M. |
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