Meal-preparing?

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The list need not be so parallel (-ing, -ing, -ing) but it would certainly be more acceptable with at least all nouns. 'Meal preparation' is the usual form, so that 'meal-preparing' is noticeably an unusual choice. Not so with the other two words, which are common, although your sentence would also be much improved with updated spelling. Both are now normally unhyphen

Thanks, Mister Micawber. But I find it very interesting. Actually the sentence is taken from The New St. Martin's Hangbook, compiled by Andrea Lunsford, an Ohio State University professor and Robert Connors, a University-of-New-Hampshire professor in 1999. On p.263, the original sentence reads, "The duties of the job include baby-sitting, house-cleaning and preparation of meals." And the c

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Well, none of the forms we have discussed are downright wrong, so the professors (and the compilers) had some choices, but I certainly would not make those choices, on grounds of good style.

Professors can be as language-challenged as anyone else, especially if they are not professors of language or linguistics. I have edited enough abstracts to know that some of them border on th

Thanks, Mister Micawber. I am interested in the issue you mentioned in your reply. So, if you like, please tell me why those professors gave you the impression of bordering on the illiterate. I have heard it for the first time and it surprises me.
Thanks.
Richard

Scientists and engineers are not known for their language abilities. Mr. M is using a bit of hyperbole when he says they are almost illiterate, but certainly many of them write very poorly.

Thank you, Grammar Geek. But still this fact surprises me. This may be because I've never had any contact with any native English speaking scientist.
Thanks again.
Richard

Few people excel at everything. A brilliant scientific mind is not necessarily one that focuses on clarity in writing. Is it not the same in your culture? I would be suprised if the best writers where you are are often associated with innovative engineering solutions or advances in science.

You are right there. I used to think that almost every native speaker could write very well without thinking of the fact that many native speakers of English, like many of my fellow countryfolks, might never write anything. This was because I never think deeply and compare the cultures and find similarities when I was reading articles or books by native writers. Thanks for pointing it out. Still,

Benjamin Franklin was indeed an exception! A truly amazing man. There are always exceptions!