Re: Non native English speaker is checking whether a phrasing should be filed a minor bug report.
On 11/30/2010 07:22 AM, Regid Ichira wrote:
Consider the following:
$ man bootlogd | grep -A4 DESCRIPTION
DESCRIPTION
Bootlogd runs in the background and copies all strings sent to the
/dev/console device to a logfile. If the logfile is not accessible,
the messages will be kept in memory until it is.
I think there is a problem with the 2nd sentence. Doesn't it lacks an
objective? Until when will the messages be kept in memory?
I am asking because I am not a native English speaker. In the past I was
advised to carefully check before making comments about other people's
phrasing. I think that phrasing should be filed a bug against. The package
is sysvinit-utils.
This is a little clumsy, but it is technically correct. The word "it"
refers back to the singular "logfile." A more easily read sentence
might be, "The messages are kept in logfile and can be read when
it becomes accessible." There, the plural "messages" takes the
plural verb "are," and the word "logfile" and the word "it" are in close
proximity, and clearly take a verb form which is not seen to be plural.
Generally in English, a verb form wants to agree with a noun it is in
close proximity to, and therefore, it behooves the writer to make that
happen. Do not file a bug.
--doug
--
Blessed are the peacemakers...for they shall be shot at from both sides. --A. M. Greeley
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