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Re: [jetty-dev] Docs: Bad grammar on home page

You're on the right track (and the last sentence of 5:220 applies) for
a phrase like "Jetty provides an HTML web server", but without the
"HTML" there is no initialism. The "w" has a consonant sound in "web".
See the second sentence of section 5.72.

Also, "Web" should be  "web" in a middle-of-sentence context like this.

I wouldn't care, really, except that Jetty is a such great product,
and that opening sentence is the first documentation many new users
see.

Hope this helps, and thanks for the fast reply... :-)

On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 2:43 PM, Shirley Boulay <boulay@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hello Bob Harner:
>
> We try very hard to write Jetty documentation that is both technically and
> grammatically correct. Despite our best efforts, sometimes we make mistakes.
> The instance you cite, however, is neither a typo nor an error. It is
> correct per The Chicago Manual of Style Online. The last sentence in Section
> 5:220 is the most pertinent:
>
> 5.72Choosing “a” or “an”
>
> With the indefinite article, the choice of a or an depends on the sound of
> the word it precedes. A comes before words with a consonant sound, including
> /y/, /h/, and /w/, no matter how the word is spelled {a eulogy} {a historic
> occasion} {a Ouachita tribe member}. An comes before words with a vowel
> sound {an LSAT exam room} {an X-Files episode} {an hour ago}. See 5.220,
> under a; an.
>
> Section 5:220: a; an. Use the indefinite article a before any word beginning
> with a consonant sound {a utopian dream}. Use an before any word beginning
> with a vowel sound {an officer} {an honorary degree}. The
> word historical and its variations cause missteps, but since the h in these
> words is pronounced, it takes an a {an hour-long talk at a historical
> society}. Likewise, an initialism (whose letters are sounded out) may be
> paired with one article while an acronym (which is pronounced as a word)
> beginning with the same letter is paired with the other {an HTML website for
> a HUD program}.
>
> Thank you for your interest and concern.
>
> Best regards,
> Shirley Boulay
> Technical Writer for Jetty
>
>
>
> On Sat, Nov 5, 2011 at 12:35 PM, Bob Harner <bobharner@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
>>
>> Can someone please fix the first sentence of the
>> http://www.eclipse.org/jetty/ home page? In the "Jetty provides an Web
>> server" sentence, "an" should be "a". Really bugging me..
>>
>> The same typo exists at http://jetty.codehaus.org/jetty/
>>
>> Thanks!
>> _______________________________________________
>> jetty-dev mailing list
>> jetty-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
>> https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/jetty-dev
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> jetty-dev mailing list
> jetty-dev@xxxxxxxxxxx
> https://dev.eclipse.org/mailman/listinfo/jetty-dev
>
>


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