11 Sep
2007
11 Sep
'07
10:08 a.m.
On 11/09/2007, Sridhar Ayengar <ploopster at gmail.com> wrote:
Liam Proven wrote:
[Nod] Whether I do this depends upon on the tone I am aiming for. If I
am being careful, precise and formal, I do it too. If I'm being
informal, as in, writing as I would normally speak, then no.
--
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Oh, FFS!
Hint: the word "you" in colloquial English usage does not always refer
directly to an individual or to the person being addressed.
For example: "If you want to learn to fly a plane, you have to
demonstrate good vision and a degree of numeracy". This would be a
perfectly reasonable statement in a magazine or newspaper article,
without any implication that every reader of that journal is an
aspiring pilot.
Whenever I'm making a statement similar to the one in your example, I
always try to use the word "one" instead of "you". It's clearer
and it
sounds less accusatory. I forget sometimes, though.