Re: unclear wording, mentioning the gerund doesn't help

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gnome org>]

On Thu, 2005-01-27 at 20:17 +0000, Alan Horkan wrote:
> The documentation style guide said this was the place to send feedback
> http://developer.gnome.org/documents/style-guide/titlepage.html
> 
> The following section of the Documentation style guide concerns me:
> 
> http://developer.gnome.org/documents/style-guide/infodesign-2.html
> 
> Use parallel construction in headings of the same level. For example, if
> you use a gerund to start one heading, use a gerund to start all headings
> of the same level in the section.
> 
> Correct:  To Open a File
>           To Save a File
>           To Edit a File
> Incorrect:  Opening a File
>             To Save a File
>             Edit a File
> 
> Gerund is certainly an interesting word but I do not believe it is a word
> that most native English speakers are necessarily familiar with but I do
> know that it is a fancy way of saying "-ing words".
> I think it is not a good idea to use the term and I think the writer is
> showing off how good they are at grammar, particularly since the
> example does not actually use a gerund.
> 
> I hope you can rephrase this section.

How else is the section to be rephrased?  I suppose, in this case, it
isn't actually necessary to point out that some of the constructions are
using gerunds.  Is this really the only occurance of the word genund in
the Style Guide?  That would surprise me.

Honesly, I don't see how a style guide (any style guide, not just ours)
can possibly avoid using terms like this.  If a person isn't familiar
with words like "gerund" or "infinitive" or "participle", then he won't
make much use of CMS.  And CMS is the root of all style guides; we defer
to it often.

And just to set the record straight, gerund does not refer to all -ing
words.  It is a type of verbal, which is a non-verb something formed
from a verb.  In English, the -ing construction is used to form both
gerunds and present participles.  Gerunds are nouns ("Jogging is good
exercise."), while participles are adjectives ("The jogging man...").
Typically, nouns are used as titles of sections.

The (pathologically) interesting thing about gerunds is that they act as
a verb within the phrase, but the phrase itself acts as a noun, just as
if it were a single word like "rock".  That means you can still modify
the verb with adverbs, and you can throw it direct and indirect objects.

"Buying my father a Christmas gift is always difficult."

I once saw this delicious turn of words:

"Shamelessly devouring books and licking my fingers afterwards"


Anyway, perhaps the Style Guide could include a short grammar reference,
or refer to some trustworthy online reference.  The wikipedia entry on
gerunds seems to be quite good.

--
Shaun