From mboxrd@z Thu Jan 1 00:00:00 1970 Path: news.gmane.org!not-for-mail From: Richard Stallman Newsgroups: gmane.emacs.devel Subject: Re: To non-native English writers: expunging the solecism "This allows to do something." Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:35:49 -0500 Message-ID: References: <20160124210602.GA7711@acm.fritz.box> Reply-To: rms@gnu.org NNTP-Posting-Host: plane.gmane.org Content-Type: text/plain; charset=Utf-8 X-Trace: ger.gmane.org 1453736177 25846 80.91.229.3 (25 Jan 2016 15:36:17 GMT) X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org NNTP-Posting-Date: Mon, 25 Jan 2016 15:36:17 +0000 (UTC) Cc: emacs-devel@gnu.org To: Alan Mackenzie Original-X-From: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Mon Jan 25 16:36:05 2016 Return-path: Envelope-to: ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org Original-Received: from lists.gnu.org ([208.118.235.17]) by plane.gmane.org with esmtp (Exim 4.69) (envelope-from ) id 1aNjBR-0002hG-Qm for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 16:36:01 +0100 Original-Received: from localhost ([::1]:39296 helo=lists.gnu.org) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNjBQ-0003mv-VH for ged-emacs-devel@m.gmane.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:36:00 -0500 Original-Received: from eggs.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::10]:34432) by lists.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNjBJ-0003m5-Tj for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:35:57 -0500 Original-Received: from Debian-exim by eggs.gnu.org with spam-scanned (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNjBJ-0002aI-0Z for emacs-devel@gnu.org; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:35:53 -0500 Original-Received: from fencepost.gnu.org ([2001:4830:134:3::e]:39066) by eggs.gnu.org with esmtp (Exim 4.71) (envelope-from ) id 1aNjBG-0002Zb-Cu; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:35:50 -0500 Original-Received: from rms by fencepost.gnu.org with local (Exim 4.82) (envelope-from ) id 1aNjBF-0002hG-So; Mon, 25 Jan 2016 10:35:49 -0500 In-reply-to: <20160124210602.GA7711@acm.fritz.box> (message from Alan Mackenzie on Sun, 24 Jan 2016 21:06:02 +0000) X-detected-operating-system: by eggs.gnu.org: GNU/Linux 2.2.x-3.x [generic] X-Received-From: 2001:4830:134:3::e X-BeenThere: emacs-devel@gnu.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.14 Precedence: list List-Id: "Emacs development discussions." List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Errors-To: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Original-Sender: emacs-devel-bounces+ged-emacs-devel=m.gmane.org@gnu.org Xref: news.gmane.org gmane.emacs.devel:198771 Archived-At: [[[ To any NSA and FBI agents reading my email: please consider ]]] [[[ whether defending the US Constitution against all enemies, ]]] [[[ foreign or domestic, requires you to follow Snowden's example. ]]] > For some time I have been irritated by sentences of the form "This > allows to do something" in our source and documentation. > Such a sentence formation is NOT ENGLISH. That's true. In addition, that formation is unclear because it fails to say who or what will do the thing. The right way to write it is this way > (i) The person or other agent being allowed, followed by an infinitive > verb: > "This allows YOU to do something." > "This allows EMACS to do something." because it explicitly states who or what will do the thing. These three constructions > "This allows DOING something." > "This allows THE DOING OF something." > "This allows SOMETHING to be done." are correct English, but they share the problem of failing to clarify who or what will do it. > The same considerations also apply to "permit", "enable", and "prevent" That's right. The point that we want to state who or what will be permitted, enabled or prevented applies to them too. Please everyone, fix these constructions to state the subject and follow correct English. -- Dr Richard Stallman President, Free Software Foundation (gnu.org, fsf.org) Internet Hall-of-Famer (internethalloffame.org) Skype: No way! See stallman.org/skype.html.