Grammar Moses: Which conveys meaning better - spoken or written word?

The advantage of the spoken word over the written word is the ability to use inflection to convey meaning.

The trouble with email, they say, is that something is lost in translation. Tone and sometimes meaning can be grossly misinterpreted.

The written word's defense, of course, is good context.

Stephen Foust of Batavia came up with a great example of how one sentence can have two opposite meanings.

Take this quote: "There's just so much we can do."

If you had spoken those words to your boss, you would elicit either a smile or frown, depending on which word you emphasized. If you put the emphasis on "so," you could probably kiss that Christmas bonus goodbye. But if you put the emphasis on "much," you could be looking at a promotion.

With proper context, you can divine whether the speaker is talking about a paucity of options or an unlimited number.

Only, only, only

I've written plenty lately about putting "only" in its proper place. Perhaps not plenty, because examples of its misuse keep rolling in.

Stephen also wrote this: "In Real Estate Trivia today it reads: 'Female mosquitoes can only lay their eggs ... in stagnant water.' That may technically be true, as I'm not sure female mosquitoes can do much else in stagnant water, except perhaps drown. Shouldn't it have read: 'Female mosquitoes can lay their eggs only in stagnant water'? And should we care? Am I carrying grammatical precision too far? My family says I am."

Stephen, your analysis is correct. As for whether you carry grammatical precision too far with your family, I suggest you tell your kids: "I will only buy pizza if you clean your rooms."

That will get you out of paying for college and buying them cars and braces and all of that. It'll be the best $20 you'll ever spend.

And then they'll know the importance of putting "only" in the right spot.

And there's this

Steve Smith of Aurora wrote recently to tell me he enjoyed my column as a respite from election polemics, but "Oops! In the next to last paragraph, you started the second sentence with the word 'And.'"

I've never had a problem with my staff doing so, and I often employ conjunctions to lead sentences to change the cadence of my writing and to lend emphasis.

But you don't have to trust me. (See, I just did it!)

The Chicago Manual of Style says this:

"There is a widespread belief - one with no historical or grammatical foundation - that it is an error to begin a sentence with a conjunction such as and, but or so. In fact a substantial percentage (often as many as 10 percent) of the sentences in first-rate writing begin with conjunctions. It has been so for centuries, and even the most conservative grammarians have followed this practice."

The Chicago Manual of Style does admonish us, though, that when you lead a sentence with "but" you make sure you're using the correct conjunction.

The sentence it starts must contrast with the sentence that precedes it.

Write carefully!

• Jim Baumann is vice president/managing editor of the Daily Herald. Write him at jbaumann@dailyherald.com. Put Grammar Moses in the subject line. You also can friend or follow Jim at facebook.com/baumannjim.