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Usenet Posted 19 years ago
Usage
"Yet" as "However"
I work with some wonderful copy editors. Yet I want to encourage them to stop doing what I did at the start of this sentence. I can accept "yet" as an alternative for "however," or "nevertheless" when it follows a comma. What bugs me is when they edit my copy so that "yet" leads off a new sentence that contradicts the sentence before it.
Except sometimes it seems ok. I'm puzzled and looking for enlightenment.
To start with, it's not like my raw copy is priceless prose. Here's my original lead that provoked this post:
"Selecting high-precision 6-degrees-of freedom rate and acceleration sensors generally involves painful cost/performance tradeoffs and elaborate implementation and calibration processes. Not only does Analog Devices' ADIS16355 inertial measurement unit (IMU) combines three axes of angular rate sensing and three axes of acceleration sensing in a device with 50-times more accuracy than other off-the-shelf inertial sensors, but the devices come pre-calibrated. One version comes pre-calibrated for -40 to +85(degree symbol)C, the other is calibrated for room temperature."
Agreed, there needs to be a transition between the first two sentences. And the "Not only" that does start the second sentence carries a lot of run-on baggage. That's why we have copy editors, God bless them.
Here's the copy editor's version:
"Selecting high-precision rate and acceleration sensors with six degrees of freedom generally involves painful cost/performance tradeoffs and eleaborate implementation and calibration processes. Yet Analog Devices? ADIS16355 inertial measurement unit (IMU) combines three axes of acceleration sensing with 50 times more accuracy than other off-the-shelf inertial sensors. And it comes pre-calibrated."
Ignore the loss of half the gizmo's functionality in sentence 2. That was probably an accidental deletion, and I can put it back. Ignore the copulative conjunction. (What's needed there is a paragraph break and a "Moreover," but I can generally live with copulative conjunctions at the beginning of sentences.)
It's that "Yet" that irks. It's two syllables shorter than "However." It's punchier. Yet (unlike its use in this sentence), it sounds clunky.
Can anybody explain to me why I think that in a way that'll make sense to the copy editor?
Don
Except sometimes it seems ok. I'm puzzled and looking for enlightenment.
To start with, it's not like my raw copy is priceless prose. Here's my original lead that provoked this post:
"Selecting high-precision 6-degrees-of freedom rate and acceleration sensors generally involves painful cost/performance tradeoffs and elaborate implementation and calibration processes. Not only does Analog Devices' ADIS16355 inertial measurement unit (IMU) combines three axes of angular rate sensing and three axes of acceleration sensing in a device with 50-times more accuracy than other off-the-shelf inertial sensors, but the devices come pre-calibrated. One version comes pre-calibrated for -40 to +85(degree symbol)C, the other is calibrated for room temperature."
Agreed, there needs to be a transition between the first two sentences. And the "Not only" that does start the second sentence carries a lot of run-on baggage. That's why we have copy editors, God bless them.
Here's the copy editor's version:
"Selecting high-precision rate and acceleration sensors with six degrees of freedom generally involves painful cost/performance tradeoffs and eleaborate implementation and calibration processes. Yet Analog Devices? ADIS16355 inertial measurement unit (IMU) combines three axes of acceleration sensing with 50 times more accuracy than other off-the-shelf inertial sensors. And it comes pre-calibrated."
Ignore the loss of half the gizmo's functionality in sentence 2. That was probably an accidental deletion, and I can put it back. Ignore the copulative conjunction. (What's needed there is a paragraph break and a "Moreover," but I can generally live with copulative conjunctions at the beginning of sentences.)
It's that "Yet" that irks. It's two syllables shorter than "However." It's punchier. Yet (unlike its use in this sentence), it sounds clunky.
Can anybody explain to me why I think that in a way that'll make sense to the copy editor?
Don
Top answer
[nq:1]I work with some wonderful copy editors. Yet I want to encourage them to stop doing what I did at ... anybody explain to me why I think that in a way that'll make sense to the copy editor?
- [nq:1]I work with some wonderful copy editors.
- Yet I want to encourage them to stop doing what I did at ...
- anybody explain to me why I think that in a way that'll make sense to the copy editor?
- Don[/nq] I did not like your first line.
- " would imo sound more professional than 'selecting", which is far too casual.
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33 Answers
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[nq:1]I work with some wonderful copy editors. Yet I want to encourage them to stop doing what I did at ... anybody explain to me why I think that in a way that'll make sense to the copy editor? Don[/nq]
I did not like your first line. "The selection of .." would imo sound more professional than 'selecting", which is far too casual. I would also replace "painful"with "painstaking". (I know som
I did not like your first line. "The selection of .." would imo sound more professional than 'selecting", which is far too casual. I would also replace "painful"with "painstaking". (I know som
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[nq:1]To start with, it's not like my raw copy is priceless prose. Here's my original lead that provoked this post: ... combines three axes of acceleration sensing with 50 times more accuracy than other off-the-shelf inertial sensors. And it comes pre-calibrated."[/nq]
[nq:1]It's that "Yet" that irks. It's two syllables shorter than "However." It's punch
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[nq:2]I work with some wonderful copy editors. Yet I want ... a way that'll make sense to the copy editor? Don[/nq]
[nq:1]I did not like your first line. "The selection of .." would imo sound more professional than 'selecting", which is far too casual.[/nq]
Very wrong. Nounification is very bad style in English. Non-native writers and inexperienced native writers nounify a lot under the mi
[nq:1]I did not like your first line. "The selection of .." would imo sound more professional than 'selecting", which is far too casual.[/nq]
Very wrong. Nounification is very bad style in English. Non-native writers and inexperienced native writers nounify a lot under the mi
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before entering into the "yet/however" conundrum, i'd need to know what the relationship between these sentences is meant to be... do you mean that "even though selecting...involves (a couple of negatives), the ADIS16355 does things which justify this "painful" selecting?
all else, except bannerjee's problem with the verbal, depends on this...
[nq:1]"Selecting high-precision 6-degrees
all else, except bannerjee's problem with the verbal, depends on this...
[nq:1]"Selecting high-precision 6-degrees
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[nq:1]. . . it's not like my raw copy is priceless prose. . . . "Selecting high-precision 6-degrees-of freedom rate ... the devices come pre-calibrated. One version comes pre-calibrated for -40 to +85(degree symbol)C, the other is calibrated for room temperature."[/nq]
Perhaps the original thought was backwards, and thus the prose it suggested. How about:
Analog Devices' ADIS16355 inertial
Perhaps the original thought was backwards, and thus the prose it suggested. How about:
Analog Devices' ADIS16355 inertial
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[nq:1]I edit scientific papers written by non-English speakers for a living, and a good part of my work is changing ... far better than "the selection of". That you would think otherwise suggests that you are not a native English speaker.[/nq]
Mr. Banerjee is actually from Saturn. He is the love child of Sun Ra and the goddess Bhuvaneshwari. Unfortuntely, while still a chiled, he had a severe
Mr. Banerjee is actually from Saturn. He is the love child of Sun Ra and the goddess Bhuvaneshwari. Unfortuntely, while still a chiled, he had a severe
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[nq:1]I work with some wonderful copy editors. Yet I want to encourage them to stop doing what I did at ... Can anybody explain to me why I think that in a way that'll make sense to the copy editor?[/nq]
I think "yet" implies that the original proposition somehow remains in force, although modified by
the following material. But in fact it is being
completely refuted by what follows. S
I think "yet" implies that the original proposition somehow remains in force, although modified by
the following material. But in fact it is being
completely refuted by what follows. S
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[nq:2]I edit scientific papers written by non-English speakers for a ... otherwise suggests that you are not a native English speaker.[/nq]
[nq:1]Mr. Banerjee is actually from Saturn. He is the love child of Sun Ra and the goddess Bhuvaneshwari. Unfortuntely, while ... where he tries to discredit all of Earth's scientists, living or dead, while trying to invent a perpetual motion machine.[/nq]
[nq:1]Mr. Banerjee is actually from Saturn. He is the love child of Sun Ra and the goddess Bhuvaneshwari. Unfortuntely, while ... where he tries to discredit all of Earth's scientists, living or dead, while trying to invent a perpetual motion machine.[/nq]
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[nq:1]I work with some wonderful copy editors. Yet I want to encourage them to stop doing what I did at ... anybody explain to me why I think that in a way that'll make sense to the copy editor? Don[/nq]
They are yeti. Introduce them to sasquatch.
T.
They are yeti. Introduce them to sasquatch.
T.
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[nq:1]Perhaps the original thought was backwards, and thus the prose it suggested. How about: Analog Devices' ADIS16355 inertial measurement unit ... the range -40 too +85 deg. C. Only this IMU avoids the cost/performance tradeoffs and calibration processes of competitors' instruments.[/nq]
Clearly better. The subtle problem is that it shifts my voice from that of reporter to shill. I could wr
Clearly better. The subtle problem is that it shifts my voice from that of reporter to shill. I could wr
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