Several years ago I submitted a Letter to the Editor that consisted of one, single sentence. When my letter was published, I was shocked to learn that my words had been arbitrarily edited. I took umbrage to the grammatical errors that were printed in my name and vowed to never again submit anything to “The Day.” (Noteworthy is the fact that 34 years ago I was identified as the “son” of my parents in my wedding announcement.) The printing of my sister-in-law’s Letter to the Editor in a recent issue of “The Day,” however, has prompted me to pen this observation. Her letter as published was also altered, replete with errors in grammar and content. In daily editions, “The Day” encourages “original letters to the editor.” In publishing such, I offer a reminder of what it means to edit: to prepare a text for publication by correcting errors and ensuring clarity and accuracy. Maybe it is too much to expect perfection in elocution of our English language and implementation of our standard rules of grammar and punctuation. Such emphasis requires the need for clarity and accuracy — which, in our ambiguous world, seems absolutely trivial. 

Patricia F. Hnat

Groton