From owner-freebsd-chat@FreeBSD.ORG Fri May 30 15:28:40 2003 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.FreeBSD.org (mx1.freebsd.org [216.136.204.125]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id A216037B401 for ; Fri, 30 May 2003 15:28:40 -0700 (PDT) Received: from mail.speakeasy.net (mail13.speakeasy.net [216.254.0.213]) by mx1.FreeBSD.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 138EF43FAF for ; Fri, 30 May 2003 15:28:40 -0700 (PDT) (envelope-from jhb@FreeBSD.org) Received: (qmail 20890 invoked from network); 30 May 2003 22:28:39 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO server.baldwin.cx) ([216.27.160.63]) (envelope-sender )encrypted SMTP for ; 30 May 2003 22:28:39 -0000 Received: from laptop.baldwin.cx (gw1.twc.weather.com [216.133.140.1]) by server.baldwin.cx (8.12.8/8.12.8) with ESMTP id h4UMSap0088879; Fri, 30 May 2003 18:28:37 -0400 (EDT) (envelope-from jhb@FreeBSD.org) Message-ID: X-Mailer: XFMail 1.5.4 on FreeBSD X-Priority: 3 (Normal) Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <20030530221619.GA41668@wopr.caltech.edu> Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 18:28:36 -0400 (EDT) From: John Baldwin To: Matthew Hunt cc: chat@freebsd.org Subject: Re: grammar X-BeenThere: freebsd-chat@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.1 Precedence: list List-Id: Non technical items related to the community List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 30 May 2003 22:28:40 -0000 On 30-May-2003 Matthew Hunt wrote: > On Sat, May 31, 2003 at 08:06:45AM +1000, Sue Blake wrote: > >> Tell me, how would you follow the following (hypothetical) instruction? >> >> In case you run out of memory, don't run all of the programs together. >> >> Is it something to do as a precaution, or a response to take when >> an unlikely situation occurs? I would read it as a precaution and >> make a workplace rule that we must follow it. > > Do you know the national origin of this documentation? Was it generally > satisfactory otherwise? I'm wondering if it was written by a non-native > speaker. It feels that way. That sentence read very odd. Doesn't "feel" like it's correct. Maybe the contrast of "in case" which implies a chance occurrence, and the present tense of "run". I.e. it might sound better as: In case you have run out of memory, . In which case I think it is a grammar error. -- John Baldwin <>< http://www.FreeBSD.org/~jhb/ "Power Users Use the Power to Serve!" - http://www.FreeBSD.org/