atw: Re: Not ... all
- From: "Jim Rountree" <James.Rountree@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Fri, 9 Oct 2009 11:39:26 +1100
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 <http://www.vision-bio.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
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