One of previous blog posts started with the line ‘At Steta, one of our proofreaders is a retired gentleman.’
The same gentleman (bless him), has brought to our notice the fact that ‘retired gentleman’ is misleading. It implies he was a gentleman in the past, and is no longer one. The line should read:
'At Steta, one of our proofreaders is a retired Government employee and a gentleman...' OR
'At Steta, one of our proofreaders is a gentleman who is a retired Government employee...'
It is these subtle nuances of language that can make the difference between good writing and almost-perfect writing. The English language is flexible enough to allow many different ways to express the same thought. It is essential, however, to see that the sentence remains true to its intended meaning.
If you happen to notice any aspects of language on this website that could be improved, please do let us know.
The same gentleman (bless him), has brought to our notice the fact that ‘retired gentleman’ is misleading. It implies he was a gentleman in the past, and is no longer one. The line should read:
'At Steta, one of our proofreaders is a retired Government employee and a gentleman...' OR
'At Steta, one of our proofreaders is a gentleman who is a retired Government employee...'
It is these subtle nuances of language that can make the difference between good writing and almost-perfect writing. The English language is flexible enough to allow many different ways to express the same thought. It is essential, however, to see that the sentence remains true to its intended meaning.
If you happen to notice any aspects of language on this website that could be improved, please do let us know.
By Armeen Kapadia