Return-Path: <root> Received: (from root@localhost) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) id f7VBv6L11479 for health-archive@nifl.gov; Fri, 31 Aug 2001 07:57:06 -0400 (EDT) Resent-Message-Id: <200108311157.f7VBv6L11479@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from smtp03.mrf.mail.rcn.net (smtp03.mrf.mail.rcn.net [207.172.4.62]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with ESMTP id f7RFUTf24915; Mon, 27 Aug 2001 11:30:29 -0400 (EDT) Received: from 207-172-130-5.s5.tnt3.col.md.dialup.rcn.com ([207.172.130.5] helo=keenaninc) by smtp03.mrf.mail.rcn.net with smtp (Exim 3.32 #2) id 15bOLI-0004T9-00 ; Mon, 27 Aug 2001 11:30:24 -0400 From: "Jann Keenan" <jkeenan@erols.com> To: <nifl-health@nifl.gov>, "Multiple recipients of list" <nifl-health@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: RE: [NIFL-HEALTH:3323] Re: hyphen or no? Date: Mon, 27 Aug 2001 11:36:13 -0700 Message-ID: <HFEOKEOKAENPEEILPJCFIEFBCCAA.jkeenan@erols.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 (Normal) X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook IMO, Build 9.0.2416 (9.0.2910.0) Importance: Normal In-Reply-To: <p05001902b7b008dd7ea5@[146.186.96.31]> X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4522.1200 Resent-From: root@literacy.nifl.gov Resent-Date: Fri, 31 Aug 2001 07:57:05 -0400 Resent-To: health-archive@nifl.gov Status: O Content-Length: 1308 Lines: 27 Ah, yet another opinion. At the risk of being soap boxish. . . . I suggest folks conduct mini- FIELD TESTS with their intended audience. It doesn't have to be a big formal thing. I usually park myself in a clinic or lobby and ask the people what they think. Something like this can take a only couple of hours at most, and then you'd know if your words were understood. For the record--I don't use hyphens very often when writing at the 4th to 6h grade level. However, I have used hyphens for this group with good success when I limit them. Len is right--hyphens can help words stand out in body copy. Yet, as mentioned, the caveat is changing reading level. And I hardly ever use style books for answers to low-lit dilemmas (I used to be a writing major and can feel my beloved professors sigh loudly at that comment). As the tone gets more conversational--sentences may begin with "and" and end with "of." Some words may work with hyphens, others might be skipped as too hard for readers. After writing for a blue moon, I still don't have a hard and fast position and rely heavily on pre-testing for comprehension. I do what works for the people WHILE trying to respect the established grammar rules. But if the rules don't fit . . . Regards as we wrap up this fine summer, Jann Keenan, Ed.S. -----
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