Newsletter No. 378

No. 378, 19.5.2011 7 The Elements of Style Style is holistic, as we may talk about a classical style or a journalistic style. An English proverb, probably deriving from Comte de Buffon (1707–88), even goes, ‘The style is the man.’ But style is also about detail—the commas and the plurals. Hence, style can be broken down into its elements. Generations of writers of English have benefited from The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White, an elegant little book which summarizes for the discerning reader rules and principles on usage as well as offering writing tips and a list of commonly misused words and expressions. Under the rule ‘The number of the subject determines the number of the verb’, the learned authors offer this caveat on a singular subject taking on extra ballast: A singular subject remains singular even if other nouns are connected to it by with, as well as, in addition to, except, together with, and no less than. The example immediately given by Strunk and White is: His speech as well as his manner is objectionable. Editor Note: A very knowledgeable reader did respond to the last instalment of ‘Style Speaks’ and suggested that the most commonly accepted longest word in English is antidisestablishmentarianism (28 letters long). O 宣 布 事 項 ANNOUNCEMENTS www.cuhk.edu.hk/iso/en/features/style-speaks/index.html 第七屆中國大學莎劇比賽決賽 7th Chinese Universities Shakespeare Festival Performance Finals 由英文系及藝術行政主任辦公室合辦、田長霖博士科技創新基金會贊助的「第七屆中國 大學莎劇比賽」，將於5月23至25日下午3時在邵逸夫堂舉行決賽。來自中國、香港和台灣 十四所大學的參賽隊伍將以創新獨特的手法，為觀眾呈獻莎劇精華片段。中大也是晉身 決賽的隊伍之一。 莎劇比賽門票現供免費索取，有興趣觀賞比賽的教職員及學生，可瀏覽 www2.cuhk.edu . hk/shakespeare/index.php 或致電2609 7528 / 7851查詢有關詳情或預留門票。 The Seventh Chinese Universities Shakespeare Festival, jointly presented by the Department of English and the Office of the Arts Administrator, and sponsored by the Dr. Tien Chang Lin Technology Innovation Foundation, will hold its performance finals at Sir Run Run Shaw Hall from 23 to 25 May at 3:00 pm. Fourteen competing teams from mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are going to present selected scenes from Shakespeare’s renowned plays in a manner proven to entertain the audience. The CUHK team is also one of the finalists. Free tickets are now available. Interested parties may visit www2.cuhk.edu.hk/ shakespeare/index.php or call 2609 7528 / 7851 for further information or ticket reservation. 加拿大稅務局確認中大為認可國外大學 CUHK Recognized as Prescribed Foreign University for Donation Tax Credit from Canada Revenue Agency 中大已獲加拿大稅務局根據加拿大《入息稅條例》第3503條確認為合資格的國外大學，並 已根據樞密院頒令P.C. 2010 – 551於《入息稅條例》列表八列載。現在加拿大任何人士或 機構捐款予中大，均可根據加拿大《入息稅法》第110.1（1）（a）（vi）及118.1（1）（f）條，於 加拿大報稅時憑正式捐款收據申請扣稅。 新措施可望促進大學與身在加拿大的校友和友好之間的聯繫。加拿大捐款表格可於拓展 及籌募處網頁 www.cuhk.edu.hk/oia/canada 下 載。如有任何查詢或欲了解捐款支持中大 詳情，請致電2609 8648或電郵 至oia@cuhk.edu.hk 與拓展及籌募處聯絡。 CUHK has been recognized as a prescribed foreign university under section 3503 of the Canadian Income Tax Regulations and was added according to Schedule VIII of the regulations by Order-in-Council P.C. 2010–551. With official receipts issued by CUHK, donations made by Canadian donors can be claimed against the taxable income according to subparagraph 110.1(1)(a)(vi) and paragraph 118.1(1)(f) of the Canadian Income Tax Act . This will hopefully foster closer relationships between the University and our alumni, patrons and friends in Canada. The donation form for Canadian donors is available on the Office of Institutional Advancement’s website ( www.cuhk.edu.hk/oia/canada ) . For more information about supporting CUHK, please contact the office at (852) 2609 8648 or email: oia@cuhk.edu.hk . 訃告 Obituary 物理榮休講座教授、前副校長徐培深教授，痛於2011年4月26日辭世，大學同仁深表 哀悼。 徐教授於1964年加入中大，為物理系創系講座教授，歷任物理系系主任、理學院院長、副 校長等職。榮休後，於1995年獲授物理榮休講座教授銜。 The University mourns the passing of Prof. Baysung Hsu, Emeritus Professor of Physics and former Pro-Vice-Chancellor of CUHK, on 26 April 2011. Professor Hsu joined the University in 1964, and was the Founding Professor of Physics. He had since served the University as Chairman of Physics, Dean of the Faculty of Science and Pro-Vice-Chancellor. He was appointed Emeritus Professor in 1995. 《自畫像》 （2006，油彩布本） 藝術文學碩士課程學生李夏廸 Self-Portrait (2006, oil on canvas) by Li Ha-tik, Master of Arts Programme in Fine Arts 藝 文 風 景 A TOUCH OF CLASS