Re: "Errors" in Pressman's "Patent It Yourself"

On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 04:59:09 GMT, World Patentee Org. <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> 
wrote:
> Isaac <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> John Riley wrote:
>>> From: World Patentee Org. ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
>>>> I just remembered that Patent It Yourself uses "etc."
>>>> (9th edition, page 8/35 second paragraph from bottom) 
>>>>  so your book must be wrong :-)
>>> 
>>> Yes, indeed. 
>>
>>I think reading the fist sentence containing "etc." gives
>>a perfect illustration of how little word accomplishes.
>>Et cetera literally means "and others" or "and other things.
>>Since the sentence already lead off by saying can have other
>>shapes, adding "etc." to a list of shapes that have little
>>in common communicates absolutely nothing.
> 
> The symbol :-) indicates that I'm only kidding.

I knew that :^).  Interestingly enough I think the second
"etc." in the paragraph does serve a purpose.  

> However, if you don't use "etc." in this sentence you would
> probably need to add the word "or" to make it sound right
> and you would end up with the same number of words anyway :-)

Okay.  I know you're still kidding, but there is a point here.  Etc.
isn't necessarily bad.  "Etc." is at worst a nullity.  It's only bad when it
substitutes for actually explaining what those "other things" really
are.

Isaac