Re: Student looking for re-readers for his thesis ( it deals with embedded system, USB, Linux, microcontrolers, firmwares ... )

From: E. Charters (echarters_at_sympatico.ca)
Date: 02/04/05 

Date: Thu, 03 Feb 2005 21:41:44 -0500

This will be really hard to correct. E.G."I expect some difficulties
about use of the clock" corrects to "I expect some difficulty [] with
use of the [] clock" It is easy to substitute, but is this correct? What
clock? You have a dangling reference. It is bad style, while
grammatically correct. Never assume that your thesis advisor knows a
grandfather clock from a MPU clock. [] must be filled in with
description or phrases that explain the terse phraseology.

"The last problem is to make everything work (chip+servos) only
consuming 500 MA as peak current."

One can see what you want to say.

"Finally the challenge is make the all components work, inclusive of
chips and servos, while only consuming a maximum of 500MA peak current."

Actually one does not consume peak current. One "reaches a level of
consumption that maximizes at [or does not exceed] a peak current of
500MA". The verb consume is active continuous in mood, whilst a peak
current usage is perforce transitory. Thus the meaning of the phrase is
corrupted.

The work of making this document correct and fluid is not trivial. Good
goddamned luck with it. It is not for amateurs.

EC<:-}

DEMAINE Benoit-Pierre wrote:
>> I still think you should get an english major to look at it.
>> Preferrably a really good looking one in your preference of gender.
>> Reward him/her by taking him/her out to dinner -- perhaps oysters with
>> lots and lots of wine. Then suggest that you need to go back to your
>> room to take another look. Then discover that you just happen to have
>> some champaign stashed away.
>>
>> The rest is up to you, but remember: a good engineer kills two birds
>> with one stone.
>
>
> Your two peaces of advice are quiet interesting, but I definitively can
> not follow any of them at the moment.
>
> :)
>

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