拿到这本Style guide有一年多了，零星看了些章节，里面example与guidelines非常丰富--看时觉得很受启发，但在实际写作中却总是记不住，太琐碎。这个国庆假期，基于从头到尾把它看了一遍，记录下对我有启示的：比如，解答了我语法困惑的原则，eliminate ambiguity的一些原则。

What is Global English?

Global English refers to written English that an author has optimized for a global audience by following guidelines that go beyond what is found in conventional style guides.

The Cardinal Rule of Global English

Don't make any changes that will sound unnatural to native speakers of English.

Corollary

There is almost always a natural-sounding alternative if you are creative enough (and if you have enough time) to find it!

不及物动词演变为及物动词

Sometimes a verb that was formerly used only transitively comes into common usage as an intransitive verb, or vice versa. In such cases, consider accepting the change in usage. 

例如 ，shut down, initialize, authenticate, complete。以前都是vt，现在都可以用作vi.

Examples:

- Please wait while your computer shuts down

- The statements are executed immediately after the software has fully initialized.

- End users must authenticate to the service.

- ...until the installation completes.

Use singular and plural nouns correctly

Example:

Before: All the data items shown in Figure 7 have a numeric value. (illogical and incorrect)

After:

-  All the data items shown in Figure 7 have the same numeric value.

-  All the data items shown in Figure 7 have numeric values.

-  Each data item shown in Figure 7 has a numeric value.

Use 's to show possession

Using 's is a perfectly suitable way of clarifying some noun phrases. 

!!! Disregard the old-fashioned prohibition against using 's with nouns that denote inanimate objects.

Before: The WINDOW field data area was not defined because not enough memory was available.

After: The WINDOW field's data area was not defined because not enough memory was available.

Clarify what each relative clause is modifying (esp. when modifying prepositional phrases)

A relative clause doesn't always immediately follow the noun phrase that it modifies. One context in which a relative clause is likely to be ambiguous or confusing is when it follows one or more prepositional phrases.

Before: Click Overview to view short descriptions of the products that include information links.

Note: The relative clause could be modifying either the closest preceding noun phrase (products) or a noun phrase that occurs earlier in the sentence (description).

After: Click Overview to view short descriptions of the products. Each description includes links to more detailed information.

In some cases, the verb in the relative clause agrees in number with the noun phrase that the relative clause modifies. Then there is no ambiguity. 

The Edit window accepts lines in a DATALINES statement that are no longer than 256 characters. (Unambiguous)

If you change chapters of a document that someone else has checked out, you won't be able to save your changes. (Ambiguous)

Make sure readers can identify what each pronoun refers to

When "it" has more than one possible referent, you can often replace it with a form of the noun phrase that it refers to.

Before: Once you define the basic structure of your table, enhancing it is easy.

After:  Once you define the basic structure of your table, enhancing the table is easy. (类似前面restrictive clause与prepositional nouns组合时带来的ambiguity.)

Before: You can insert commas and blanks in a bit mask for readability without affecting its meanings.

After: You can insert commas and blanks in a bit mask for readability without affecting the bit mask's meanings.

Note: Even its can refer only to the singular noun phrase bit mask, the sentence is easier to comprehend if you repeat the noun phrase instead of using its.

Before: When the syntax analyzer reaches the RUN statement, it passes the entire program to the compiler. 

? After: When the syntax analyzer reaches the RUN statement, the syntax analyzer passes the entire program to the compiler.

Note: The resulting sentence sounds unnatural. This fact indicates that, to readers, the context made the pronoun's referent clear. 

Before: The rows in the data set must either be sorted by all the variables that you specify, or they must be indexed appropriately. 

? After: The rows in the data set must either be sorted by all the variables that you specify, or the rows must be indexed appropriately. 

Note: Replacing a potential ambiguous pronoun with the noun that it refers to sometimes sounds awkward. 

Clarify which parts of a sentence are being joined by AND or OR （Scope of Conjunction）

当遇到and或or连接的两个句子或短语时，停一停，想一想，是否会有歧义。是否需要添加syntactic cue.

当And或Or后跟着的词既可作名词又可作动词时：

Before: Don't dip your bread or roll in your soup.

 After: Don't dip your bread or your roll in your soup.

Before: The application can use the window to establish a dialog with the user and format text responses.

After (Option 1): The application can use the window to establish a dialog with the user and to format text responses.

After (Option 2):  The application can use the window to establish a dialog with the user and can format text responses.

There is no need to re-sort a table when rows are modified or added. (No potential for misreading)

However, if two different grammatical constructions are being joined, then insert a syntactic cue even if the two parts are close together. 

Before: The tags are known and built into the browser.

After: The tags are known and are built into the browser. (Note: know is an adjective, and built is a participal that forms the passive verb are built.)

题外话

这一段家事公司事都挺多的，应了一句老话：when it rains it pours。10月初，公司go-private了（被美国两家VC买下从纳市退市，与另一家公司合并）。资本逐利，估计“精简组织机构”一直要持续到11月。当初选择它时，LG的顾虑是选择美资企业在如今的市道下可能一两年内就会面临裁员的命运。

这个十一假期里，时常会想想南京文档组的命运。作为文档这种公共部门，一般是本地研发部门还在，它就会保留，但也不排除印度伙伴慢慢接过我们手中的产品。自己被layoff的可能性也不能说没有。不过，无论是什么结局，于我，都会平静接受。

回头看这一年多的工作生长历程，我并不后悔放弃深圳相对轻松与稳定的工作。因为，目前的这份工作让我终于回到自己的技术专业领域，认识到自己的英文写作的不足，获得了以前不曾有过的1：1技术写作指导，遇到了可以真正探讨英文写作与技术写作的同事，增长了写作领域知识，激起我继续学习的热情 ... 这些都让我觉这次工作经历很宝贵，如果它是我的英文技术写作生涯的最后一笔，那也算是为此画下了一个圆满的句号!  

这份工作的确很有挑战，快节奏的产品上线速度对写作质量与效率都提出了很高的要求，身在其中，必须全心投入，也就意味着生活基本围绕着工作转。以往我对美食对营养的那点小爱好小乐趣，已无力顾及。回想起上一份工作，上班全力工作，下班完全抛开工作的生活，也很让人怀念。不过，如果没有真实体验过，又怎么知道哪种生活是你当下想要的呢？活在当下吧，回忆总是记得些美好的画面，那时的种种苦恼也不少。

节后，自在的work from home也要结束了，全体员工工作日必须回办公室上班。这一段都在慢慢做心理建议，如何消化与面对。有三四年没有正儿八经在办公室上班了。Benefit很多，每天省却一两个小时的通勤时间，三四天不用洗头，运动服包打天下，照顾家庭，风雨无忧... Drawback就是缺少人际交流，每天大部分时间困于这几十平米的套间里。慢慢来吧...