Swami said:

There is ZERO evidence...

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pattern said:

...saying "There is ZERO evidence" is a grammatical error...

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Swami said:

I back up ALL my statements. I will wager $1000 that my usage is acceptable.

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The statement is almost correct, except that the word ZERO is capitalized.

From the Harbrace College Writer's Handbook, Fourth Edition, p119: "Capitalize words according to standard conventions.  Avoid unnecessary capitals."

The only acceptable convention for capitalization of a word is if it is an acronym or an abbreviation (Chapter 9 of the Writer's Handbook).  It is clearly not being used as either.  Therefore, the statement contains grammatically incorrect usage of the English language.  I'm assuming that "ZERO" was intended to emphasize the word "zero".  If so, italics would have been the proper usage (Chapter 10). 

I never thought my university English classes would pay off until today!  Thank you Gulliver's Travels! 

Quote:

I think you are cheating a little. You didn't challenge Swami on whether the word was properly capitalized, or whether it should have been in italics.

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I was never arguing with Swami on using the word "zero".  He just thought I was. 

I'm tricky like that.  It's the poker shark in me.

Swami said:

Nice try pat. What you said was:

Wrong. The correct answer is: "There is no evidence".

You did not say, "The correct answer is: There is zero evidence," so you are already flip-flopping, though wrong on both accounts.

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Quote:

From http://www.webworkshop.org/writing/adding_emphasis.htm

As an entrepreneur, you probably realize the importance of adding emphasis to your business writing?as in the form of bold, underline and italics?especially when creating advertising copy or ezine articles. The problem is how to add emphasis when writing copy that will be viewed as plain text.
Here are some ideas to help you draw attention to your writing without the benefit of the popular word processing features.

==> Use UPPERCASE

  Uppercase letters are another great way to emphasize important points , but use them sparingly! One or two words is sufficient. Too many uppercase words has the same effective as shouting in your reader's face.

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Quote:

From Webster's site on Internet Protocol http://webster.commnet.edu/grammar/capitals.htm

Restrain your use of ALL CAPS to    solitary words that need further emphasis 

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Quote:

Webster's dictionary

gram?mar    ( P )  Pronunciation Key  (grmr)
n.

The study of how words and their component parts combine to form sentences.
The study of structural relationships in language or in a language, sometimes including pronunciation, meaning, and linguistic history.

The system of inflections, syntax, and word formation of a language.
The system of rules implicit in a language, viewed as a mechanism for generating all sentences possible in that language.

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Quote:

PM me for an address to send the $1,000 check to. Hopefully I can add that to shroomism's $20,000 for my Dodge Viper down-payment.

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Welch! 

Quote:

Now that is a good quote, but it harms your case. You violated the grammatical rules of the language.

Grammar has to do with the structure or arrangement of words. No violations were made nor were any letters harmed in the writing of this post.

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Swami said:

From the Harbrace College Writer's Handbook, Fourth Edition, p119: "Capitalize words according to standard conventions. Avoid unnecessary capitals."

1. What year was this handbook written?

2. Who says it the ultimate writing guide?

3. What medium was it talking about?

4. What does it SPECIFICALLY say about Internet protocol (like my refererences do!)?

5. Telling the student to "avoid" is not saying that it is an "error" nor does it state that my capitalization for emphasis is "unnecessary", now does it?

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