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Subject:Re: Shut Windows down versus shutdown Windows From:Lori Klepfer MCOM <klepfer -at- CS -dot- HH -dot- AB -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 24 Jun 1994 16:40:57 -0400
> Gang,
> I need some help with the verb To Shut Down.
> For example, in a procedure, I need to say something like:
> 1. Shut Windows down and restart it.
> Would it be more correct to say
> 1. Shut down Windows and restart it.
> Donna Ellis
> dle -at- alpha -dot- sunquest -dot- com
First a word of aplogy; my first mail message was sent in error. I pressed the
wrong button. My most humble "I'm sorry."
According to my research, Harbrace College Handbook, 1986, says either way is
correct. "Shut down" is a verb phrase and words can come between the elements.
Karen Judd's Copyediting, A Practical Guide, 1982 says that splitting
verb phrases and infinitives are not as bad as they once were. But, when
you see a split infinitive or phrase ask yourself if putting the noun/modifer
anywhere else sounds akward.
Personally, I try to avoid splitting infintives and verb phrases because
1) I'm a purist
2) when writing a document for translation into another language, not splitting
these items helps the translators understand the sentence structure.
