My point is that _Elements of Style_ is not a set of rules. It's a nice book with generally good advice; it's not a style guide in a formal sense. If we wanted rules, _The Chicago Manual of Style_ or the_Associated Press Style Guide_ would be much closer to that. But neither of those actually removes subjectivity about what's clear either.
On Sat, Jun 27, 2020, 1:24 AM Steven D'Aprano steve@pearwood.info wrote:
On Sat, Jun 27, 2020 at 12:37:35AM -0400, David Mertz wrote:
Objectively, could I have dropped "most"? Both "most famous"?
Could you have dropped "still," objectively?
Yes, we probably could have. What's your point? I'm not arguing in favour of S&W here on this mailing list, and I've explicitly said that I don't even like their rules.
But having a set of rules as (1) guidance for those who need guidance, especially those who have difficulty telling what is clear and understandable to others, and (2) for use in disputes, is not a bad thing.
-- Steven
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