ABSTRACT
When one is writing a specification, or a standard, an operating procedure, or an instruction, however, it is of the utmost importance that words be used in the normal, or generally understood, sense. It is essential that readers are able to read into a word exactly what the writer wrote into that word. This chapter lists out a set of examples in which different words can be used for most people to understand. It is not likely that the use of bad grammar and sentence construction will cause serious problems in the understanding of specifications. However, as a matter of course, and to ensure that a good text is provided, it should be discouraged. The chapter provides a set of examples of bad grammar and sentence construction that cast a cloud on understanding. Ambiguity is found in all sorts of places: in newspapers, on radio and television, and even in legislative acts.
