The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group Good Writing - for the bookshelf Major Keary |
“The nice thing about standards is there are so many to choose from” [anonymous].
The most common use of desktop and workstation computers is the creation of documents, which can range from large manuscripts to two-line emails. Many users rely on software to check spelling and grammar, style, and insert hyphenation breaks. Such systems are no substitute for human proof reading, which requires at the very least a reliable reference that is relevant to the user's environment. However, there is no absolute standard; style manuals and guides written for one country may be at odds with usages in another country, and house styles vary even within the same industry or profession.
So where does one turn for authority? One solution is to settle on a particular reference or guide and stick to its prescriptions and advice. Another solution is the eclectic path: develop one's own house style based on a selection of rules and advice from multiple sources. The main thing is to be consistent, especially within the same document.
Nick Renton is a well established-Australian-author whose work includes titles on guides to meetings, managing voluntary organisations, understanding various aspects of taxation and investment, and good writing.
His Compendium of Good Writing is a compendium, which is defined by Oxford as "A work presenting in brief the essential points of a subject; a digest, an epitome". It is comprehensive, but succinct; it avoids unnecessary technical or theoretical discussions and focuses on practical usage illustrated by examples; and it contains useful information in tabular format for ready reference. Internet usage is discussed, and useful links are listed in an appendix.
It was a pleasant surprise to find an example of hyphenation pitfalls that came from my own writing on the subject (and would have been even more pleased had the source been acknowledged). I don't subscribe to all of the author's prescriptions, but anyone who wants a modern guide to writing Australian English will be on safe ground using the Compendium as a style manual and general desktop reference that is easy to keep within hands reach.
For those who prefer to be eclectic, the Compendium is a useful addition to their respective libraries of dictionaries, grammars, and style guides. Very good value.
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N. E. Renton: Compendium of Good Writing ISBN 1-74031-080-2 Published by Wiley, 292 pp., RRP $29.95 incl. GST |
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Reprinted from the November 2004 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
