Compliment VERSUS Complement

[echelon2004]

Then there is the New York Times rule for punctuating acronyms:
I.B.M., etc. Has this rule escaped beyond the NYT?

I believe IBM's official name is simply "IBM" now, so I.B.M. would
be inaccurate even by New York Times standards. ;-)

That one is due to different regulations and rules regarding text advertizment in editorial text.

The correct way to write IBM in editorial text is I.B.M.

If it is something which is pronounced as a word, such as iPod, it should be written Ipod.

Cheers
--
Anders

Some of my pictures can be seen at;
http://teamexcalibur.se/US/usindex.html

event photography and photo journalism

 

[Tim the Grey]

You're American. You don;t speak ENGLISH anyway, but AMERICAN. It's a different language altogether.
I bet you leave the U out of the word COLOUR???

8^)

Compliment means they fit/work together well. Well suited.
Complement means components of an item.

Think supplement to go with the second definition? Somthing you can ADD to the complement.
--

1. ######
2. ####_O Tim Yorath
3. #### />
4. #### @ UK.
5. ### \

http://catmangler.smugmug.com/

 

[Phrank]

Oh, Tim !

I think you're a bit mixed up, but never mind.

 

[Brian]

I've certainly been around the globe a couple of time and I have decided that as long as communication is taking place, that is what really matters.

I work for a Japanese company and every 6 months we meet with corporate to go over stuff. We look forward to these meetings, not because they are informative, but rather entertaining.

We were informed that the factory is going to "rump" up production next year for a new program.

Also the company wants "fucus" more on profits. (that's not pronounced how you might want it to be pronounced, btw). We didn't quite know how to take that.

When talking about two lenses that go well together, such as the EF
24-70L and the EF 70-200L, almost everyone say:

"these two lenses compliment each other".

Now, it's been years since I've been to grade school... but I
could've sworn the proper word should be "complement".

But I swear to god, 100 times out of 100, people use the word
"compliment". In fact, I have never even seen a single person use
the word "complement". I'm not trying to be nitpicky, but this is
making me doubt my sanity, or at least my grasp of the english
language. Perhaps I'm wrong? Are these lenses supposed to
compliment each other the way I would compliment my wife? When
nobody's watching, do these lenses tell each other how shiny they
are, what a nice hood they have, and so forth?

--
Brian

 

[Pyogenes]

I believe IBM's official name is simply "IBM" now, so I.B.M. would
be inaccurate even by New York Times standards. ;-)

The NYT uses this to this day.

I wonder if NYT continues to use the periods because "IBM" used to be an acronym, or because the writers/editors aren't aware it is no longer an acronym.

You politely didn't point out the error I made in the subject line.
It should be "Ohh, a rant...." I don't think you were conducting
multiple rants.

You give me too much credit regarding. I didn't notice the error.

I don't know if there is any browser based grammar checker, but the
Google Toolbar has a great built in spelling checker that I depend
on heavily.
http://toolbar.google.com/
For both IE and FireFox. Not sure about other browsers.

IE users can use ieSpell, if they object to the Google Toolbar.
http://www.iespell.com/

Ah, a reason to install Google Toolbar again.

--
Joe

Any perceived rudeness, condescending tone, or insults are not intended, but rather the result of my inability to properly express myself with the written word.

 

[Pyogenes]

Then there is the New York Times rule for punctuating acronyms:
I.B.M., etc. Has this rule escaped beyond the NYT?

I believe IBM's official name is simply "IBM" now, so I.B.M. would
be inaccurate even by New York Times standards. ;-)

That one is due to different regulations and rules regarding text
advertizment in editorial text.

The correct way to write IBM in editorial text is I.B.M.
If it is something which is pronounced as a word, such as iPod, it
should be written Ipod.

The punctuation is used to aid the reader with proper pronunciation, not indicate it is an acronym? That makes a lot of sense now.

Either way, I'll choose to continue ignoring that rule. Me hates them periods. :-D

--
Joe

Any perceived rudeness, condescending tone, or insults are not intended, but rather the result of my inability to properly express myself with the written word.

 

[Ken Draper]

I wonder if NYT continues to use the periods because "IBM" used to
be an acronym, or because the writers/editors aren't aware it is no
longer an acronym.

IBM is still an acronym; they just rarely expand it these days, and never write it with periods. The mailing address of their corporate office is:

International Business Machines Corporation
New Orchard Road
Armonk, New York 10504

 

[Pyogenes]

I wonder if NYT continues to use the periods because "IBM" used to
be an acronym, or because the writers/editors aren't aware it is no
longer an acronym.

IBM is still an acronym; they just rarely expand it these days, and
never write it with periods. The mailing address of their
corporate office is:

International Business Machines Corporation
New Orchard Road
Armonk, New York 10504

I could have sworn I read an article a couple years ago that they officially changed their name to just "IBM." Perhaps I'm confusing them with some other corporation.

--
Joe

Any perceived rudeness, condescending tone, or insults are not intended, but rather the result of my inability to properly express myself with the written word.

 

[Pyogenes]

I wonder if NYT continues to use the periods because "IBM" used to
be an acronym, or because the writers/editors aren't aware it is no
longer an acronym.

IBM is still an acronym; they just rarely expand it these days, and
never write it with periods. The mailing address of their
corporate office is:

International Business Machines Corporation
New Orchard Road
Armonk, New York 10504

I could have sworn I read an article a couple years ago that they
officially changed their name to just "IBM." Perhaps I'm confusing
them with some other corporation.

I must have been thinking of AT&T.
My apologies for spreading inaccurate information.

--
Joe

Any perceived rudeness, condescending tone, or insults are not intended, but rather the result of my inability to properly express myself with the written word.

 

[BraveUlysses]

Murray McCulloch wrote:
Grin and bare it.

Don't look, Ethel..

But it was too late..

--
Rob

If you're bored...
http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/

 

[BraveUlysses]

What's a Chevy? (c:

--
Rob

If you're bored...
http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/

 

[BraveUlysses]

Country stores in the U.S. have their own problems: "No check's
cashed".

Yeah, well... that's doubly wrong - it should be 'cheques'. (c:

--
Rob

If you're bored...
http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/

 

[BraveUlysses]

echelon2004 wrote:
it must be difficult at times, watching ones language

being butchered...

Anders,

You foreign chaps may sometimes blunder in your use of English, but butchering it is solely the domain of the native speaker - you should come here and listen to a group of Australians sometime!

--
Rob

If you're bored...
http://braveulysses.deviantart.com/

 

[GothtinPowers]

I thought grammar was my mother's mother.

 

[JulesJ]

I disagree with your comments below and agree with the OP. If a word is used and miss spelled and actually means something different in that incorrect spelling, then the meaning of the sentence is not as originally intended by that poster. Therefore the spelling IS important and relevant to our conversations about photography to avoid confusion.

Would you be happy to buy, say, a house, and find that your solicitor or lawyer (whatever you use in your country), had written your contract full of spelling mistakes and hence ambiguities?
Jules

Dear Murray and Aardvark7,

Remarks on such subjects as grammar, diction, syntax, spelling,
etc., being peripheral to our focus on cameras and photography,
should always be taken as light-hearted banter rather than serious
criticism. Even beyond that, no subject whatsoever justifies
incivility or arrogance toward others in this forum. Both of you
keep your civility while some others strive to be authoritative by
speaking in absolutes, absolutes stripped clean of the spirit of
civilized discussion.

 

[CharlieDIY]

Country stores in the U.S. have their own problems: "No check's
cashed".

Yeah, well... that's doubly wrong - it should be 'cheques'. (c:

No one around here would know what they were. That spelling dropped out in the U.S. over 100 years ago.

--
Charlie Self
http://www.charlieselfonline.com

 

[CharlieDIY]

What's a Chevy? (c:

A car.

--
Charlie Self
http://www.charlieselfonline.com

 

[CharlieDIY]

being butchered...

Anders,
You foreign chaps may sometimes blunder in your use of English, but
butchering it is solely the domain of the native speaker - you
should come here and listen to a group of Australians sometime!

--

Or drive from, say, Birmingham, Alabama to Portland, Maine to hear two different methods of messing it up, about 1100 miles apart. Neither native can understand the other until some minutes have passed unless they have prior experience of the dialects and idioms (and idiocies).

--
Charlie Self
http://www.charlieselfonline.com

 

[echelon2004]

for a car

--
Anders

Some of my pictures can be seen at;
http://teamexcalibur.se/US/usindex.html

event photography and photo journalism

 

[aardvark7]

Please do not take this personally as it has been mentioned at various points through this thread and others, but IBM never was, nor will be, an acronym.

An acronym is the use of initials in the form of a pronounced word, such as NATO or SPECTRE. Occasionally this can become an accepted word in its own right such as radar.

Regardless of the use of full stops, individually pronounced letters are simply an abbreviation.