[WikiEN-l] "Well-known"

[Charles Matthews]

Ray Saintonge wrote:
>> Date: Wed, 9 Sep 2009 12:25:28 +1000
>> From: Steve Bennett <stevagewp at gmail.com>
>>     
>> Disagree. High quality, comprehensive, readable information is far
>> more important than English grammar pedantry. "Most well known" or
>> "best known"? Whichever one is currently in the article. Focus your
>> efforts elsewhere.
>>   
>>     
>
> One can hardly call a respect for good grammar pedantry.  The quality of 
> information is diminished when it is expressed by imprecise language.  
> Good grammar and usage is exactly what makes it readable.
>
>
>   
>> (Bias: Background in linguistics and technical writing.)
>>     
>
> So what?
>   
IMX, copyeditors do have a bias towards laxer, even technically 
ungrammatical constructions, if they feel they communicate well with 
average readers. What Steve is saying is something I recognise as a 
coherent POV found in real life, therefore. I would accept the label 
"pedantic" for the point or points I have raised, but I think in certain 
examples the "wrong" construction also sounds wrong. It's an odd one: I 
think it is careless prose writing to put "more well known", but it 
doesn't stand out as an obvious colloquialism. I agree with Ec to the 
extent of saying my POV is different and certainly valid: smaller 
stylistic points do add up.

Charles