I agree. It's either "not permitted in any area" or "prohibited in all areas".
---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Rod Stuart <rod.stuart@xxxxxxxxx> Date: 09/10/2009 11:58am Subject: atw: Re: Not ... all To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx CC:
Quite correct Howard. They MEANT to say "smoking is prohibited in all areas"
2009/10/9 Jim Rountree James.Rountree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Hi Howard
I don't think you're being pedantic ... "not all" is consistent
with "some", and definitely doesn't mean "not any"
I wonder what the difference is between the smoking and telephone
examples ... I agree noone would get the telephone one wrong but I bet lots of
people get the smoking one wrong.
Jim
Jim
Rountree Lead Technical Writer Biosystems Division
Leica Biosystems Melbourne Pty
Ltd 495 Blackburn Road Mt Waverley VIC 3149 Australia telephone +61
3 9211 7400 personal +61 3 9211 7587 facsimile +61 3 9211
7590 www.leica-microsystems.com
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From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Howard
Silcock Sent: Friday, 9 October 2009 11:26 To:
austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: atw: Not ...
all
An email circulated in the government department where I work says 'smoking is not permitted in all areas of the
building occupied or controlled by the Department'. I think the intended meaning
is that you mustn't smoke in any of those areas.
Am I being pedantic if I
object that you could quite accurately interpret that as
meaning just that there's at least one area where smoking isn't
permitted?
If I said, for
example, 'telephones are not installed in all offices', surely you wouldn't
think I meant that none of the offices had a phone? And isn't that a parallel
example?
Howard
-- Rod Stuart 6 Brickhill Drive Dilston, TAS 7252, Australia rod.stuart@xxxxxxxxx> M((040) 184 6575 V(03) 6312 5399
