Dr. Watson’s prose, however

[The Hound of the Baskervilles (dir. Sidney Lanfield, 1939).]

Doctor John H. Watson is writing to Sherlock Holmes:

There is something about this fellow Stapleton I don’t like. However, his charming step-sister has invited us to dine with them at their house, across the moor.

Bryan Garner’s Garner’s Modern English Usage (2016) on however :

It seems everyone has heard that sentences should not begin with this word — not, that is, when a contrast is intended. But doing so isn’t a grammatical error; it’s merely a stylistic lapse, the word But or Yet ordinarily being much preferable. . . . The reason is that However — three syllables followed by a comma — is a ponderous way of introducing a contrast, and it leads to unemphatic sentences.

Garner cites varied authorities on the wisdom of not leading with however . Better to begin with but or place however later in a sentence. A beautiful explanation from Sheridan Baker: “But is for the quick turn; the inlaid however for the more elegant sweep.” In a recent tweet Garner says that a sentence starting with however

shows something useful: you’re reading someone of only middling skill. It’s a shortcut litmus test. Truly.

Middling skill: that seems to describe Watson, or at least the Watson who appears in this film. The stuffiness of however suits him. Place the word later in the sentence and the difference is slight:

There is something about this fellow Stapleton I don’t like. His charming step-sister, however, has invited us to dine with them at their house, across the moor.

And because an inlaid however adds emphasis to whatever precedes it, Watson’s sentence may now carry an unintended implication: I don't like Stapleton, but his step-sister, wow. I will go to dinner because she will be there.

Change however to but  and the difference is sharp:

There is something about this fellow Stapleton I don’t like. But his charming step-sister has invited us to dine with them at their house, across the moor.

And now Watson’s meaning is once again clear: I don’t like this man, but duty and all that. I must go.

Dropping however at the start of sentences (and after semicolons) was, for me, a big step away from the ponderous habits of academic prose. Been there, did that. Done.

Related reading
All OCA Bryan Garner posts (Pinboard)

[As Garner points out, however at the start of a sentence is fine when it means “in whatever way” or “to whatever extent.”]

Twelve

Orange Crate Art turns twelve tonight tomorrow night, an age best described as “difficult.” Orange Crate Art will often seem very grown up, but may revert to childish behavior at times. It needs nine-and-a-half to ten hours of sleep every night and catches up on weekends. Its voice is deepening, but it sometimes comes up against a mismatch between expectations and actual capabilities. As I said, “difficult.”

But seriously: writing in these pages, day after day after day, gives me more pleasure than any other writing I’ve done. To everyone who’s reading: thank you.

*

12:14 p.m.: I goofed on the date. My blog turns twelve tomorrow.

[Twelve-year-old stuff found here.]

“No need to buy an EGGBEATER!”

[Life , May 15, 1950. Click for a much larger view.]

A related post
VFAN Sr.

VFAN Sr.

We cool (and sometimes heat) our house with two Fujitsu Mini-Splits. But now we have added two Vornado fans, which do a terrific job of keeping the air moving and keeping life comfortable. We chose the VFAN Sr. in an ancient shade of green. It’s quiet, solid, and incredibly powerful. Also legitimately retro.

When one of our fans rattled, I called Vornado’s toll-free number and followed the rep’s suggestion to pop off the grill and tighten the blade cap. Problem solved. I recommend the VFAN Sr. highly.

Strange thing: Vornado, or an earlier incarnation of Vornado, was the parent company of Two Guys, an employer of mine in my student days. The fan is much, much better than Two Guys.

Once more with feeling

One more time: lines from seven days of poetry from The Writer’s Almanac . This poem, like the one before it, is made of last lines, here moving backward through the week. I have taken small liberties with initial caps and end-of-line punctuation.

Related posts
Here’s a poem for today
Another poem from Keillorville

Another poem from Keillorville

Another poem made from a week’s worth of poems from The Writer’s Almanac . This one is made of last lines. I have taken small liberties with initial caps and end-of-line punctuation.

Is it just me, or does line six feel unwittingly creepy?

A related post
Here’s a poem for today

Help wanted

[Made by the Internets.]

Conserveira de Lisboa

“Cabral Ferreira likens tinned fish to wine, insisting that the flavors further develop after canning”: The New York Times reports on Lisbon’s Conserveira de Lisboa (est. 1930), a family-run store that sells nothing but canned fish. The store has a website, with great photographs.

Thanks to Matt Thomas, who reads the Sunday Times with exceeding care and posts the results at Submitted for Your Perusal.

Related reading
All OCA sardines posts (Pinboard)

September 11

[The Daytrippers , (dir. Greg Mottola, 1996).]

Here’s a poem for today

Here’s a poem for today by Garrison Keillor’s The Writer’s Almanac and me. I made this poem by collecting the first lines of this week’s offerings. The line from William Wordsworth is a moment of delight, but as for the other six: an anecdotal sameness sets in rather quickly. Keillor’s reading voice adds an extra element of sameness, covering everything in dreary piety. Everyone sounds alike, or at least like cousins.

If I were a novice in poetry, The Writer’s Almanac would probably convince me that poetry had very little to offer. Nothing to see here, folks. Move along. But putting these lines next to one another makes, I think, for greater interest. (Parataxis FTW!) The last stanza seems especially promising.

Related reading
A Palm memo
The “well-crafted” poem
All OCA poetry posts (Pinboard)

[Credit where it’s due: I have learned the publication date of On the Road from The Writer’s Almanac , which deepened my understanding of Nancy . And I have learned that “Be well, do good work, and keep in touch” is a registered trademark®.]