For once, Peter, I agree with you completely on all points. (And I mean that
sincerely.)
--
Cheers!

Gordon Bentley-Mix
Word MVP

Uninvited email contact will be marked as SPAM and ignored. Please post all
follow-ups to the newsgroup.


"grammatim" wrote:

On Feb 13, 2:49 am, "L. Mohan Arun" wrote:
Disagree - IT IS a problem with W2003 grammar. And I still say
software is a term that needs to be plural not singular. Or both.
It is not a matter for "disagreement." It is a matter of the way the
English language is spoken. You do not get to decide to change
English.

I am not saying to change English - I am not interested in that. The
purpose of this discussion is that I think "software" can be both
singular or plural in meaning. The purpose of this posting is not
about usage of English, but about Word 2003 grammar. You can take a
look at the thread subject before you post any more of your answers or
please dont answer at all.

You are correct that "software" can be either singular or plural in
meaning. You are incorrect in supposing that the verb number agreees
with the meaning of the word rather than the form of the word.

I am a native speaker of English, I have a graduate degree in
linguistics, and I have worked as an editor for nearly forty years.

On this one particular point, "Word2003 grammar" is correct.

Specifically I am saying that both these sentences with the word
"software" are NOT getting flagged as errors in W2003 grammar

This Software pieces is great
These pieces of Software is great

You now completely change the topic, because the subject of the verb
is no longer "software," but "pieces"; of course the verb (as well as
the determinter "these") must be plural, and if "Word2003 grammar"
does not recognize that, then it's a pretty basic flaw in "Word2003
grammar."

It is blindly taking "software" as singular even though I have
qualified it with "pieces". So it IS something to do with W2003
grammar with the word "software"

You have not understood English grammar. What it should be reacting to
is not "software" at all, because "software" is not the subject of the
verb; "pieces" is.

To prove this type this in w 2003
"There are other softwares for doing this."
"Softwares" term is flagged as error - right click - you will find
"software" as an option. Select that and it now complains about the
"are".

Have you bothered to look in your English grammar book for the concept
"mass noun"? How is it possible that you studied English as a Second
Language and were never taught about mass nouns vs. count nouns?
Regarding those two errors, the computer is absolutely correct.

I have to say that you seem to be getting irritable with this thread
because you are indulging on a direct personal attack rather than
being an objective contributor. If this thread irritates you, then why
you are posting at all? Let others reply if at all they do.

Yes, I am getting irritable, because you continue to misstate the most
elementary facts of English grammar.

Bottom line: Both the words "download" and "software" needs fixing in
Grammar in W2003
Grammar checkers don't operate on words. They operate on grammar.

Yeah so? What I meant is that the grammar implementation in W2003 that
involves these words are not perfect in my opinion.

Any linguist knows that computerized grammar checkers are basically
failures. Human language is far too complex for any computer to
handle. (Yet humans master their own language by the time they're
about three years old.)

You had not previously brought up the word "download," and I most
definitely do not want to know what your problem with it is.

Who said I wanted *you* to know what my problem is - This is a public
thread where others can read and understand about W2003 grammar
issues. I am not asking *you* in particular about any problem with the
word "download" in W2003 grammar.

You were rude to Suzanne, one of the nicest people anywhere, and then
you ignored her second reply, so she wisely withdrew from the thread,
leaving it to me, who am known to be able to be rude to people who
provoke rudeness.

If you really wanted to say that "software" is a mass or uncountable
noun you could have given an authoritative link like this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_noun
I am not interested in *YOUR* opinion about English grammar or whether
Word 2003 grammar is correct or not, as you yourself may have English
as second language.

Your arrogance is unbelievable.

Maybe you should save your attacks for the people who took your (or
your parents') money for teaching you English, and failing so utterly.