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I have no problem with the author's line of reasoning.
I am not saying now, nor have I ever said, Senator, that correct grammar is
required in order to make a point. In some cases, sentence fragments add
clarity and help make a point. This is equally true in marcomm and tech
writing.
In _this particular case_, I found the author's excessive use of sentence
fragments to be irritating, distracting, and condescending. That's my
personal, subjective opinion, completely divorced from the question of
correct grammar.
In _this particular case_, I thought that the author's chosen style damaged
his ability to make his point. But style is *not* more important than
content. Whoever said it was? (Watch out for that straw man, Toto!)
Repeating himself again,
Dan Goldstein
Dan Goldstein
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gene Kim-Eng
> Sent: Thursday, April 29, 2004 10:28 AM
> To: TECHWR-L
> Subject: Re: Great piece on marketing collateral
>
> Actually, I find this particular exchange more disturbing than
> amusing. What's happened here is that a marketing person has
> written an article for other marketing people that presents the
> message that nobody reads marketing collateral so it doesn't
> support a sales force and either shouldn't be written or should
> be minimalized. Apparently, some members of the list didn't
> think much of this argument, but rather than address its points,
> responded to it with criticisms of the article's grammar and
> presentation. In most online forums, ignoring an argument's
> content and sniping at its presentation is automatically regarded
> by most as a virtual admission that you have no cogent counter-
> argument to offer, but in a forum full of professional writers
> and publications managers, it may also be, to quote another recent
> post in a different thread, an "example of what makes so much
> of our documentation crap:" an emphasis on style over content.
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