[Prefatory remarks]

     [This is a fast-access FAQ excerpt.]
-1.  For those who have asked for a URL for the newsgroup, I'll
   try:  <news:alt.usage.english>
0. Yes, I know that this file is too big for some newsreaders.  If
   you are cursed with such a newsreader, you can ftp this file from
   "rtfm.mit.edu", directory "pub/usenet/alt.usage.english", file
   "alt.usage.english_FAQ".  (It's also on the World Wide Web:
   [...]).
     [See page Places to find Mark Israel's FAQ on this site for
     places to find the FAQ on the web.]
   Or you can send me [...] e-mail and I'll send it
   to you in pieces.  Sorry for the inconvenience, but there are
   more of us who appreciate the convenience of a single file.
     [The e-mail address given is no longer current.]
1. Please send suggestions/flames/praise to me by e-mail rather than
   post them to the newsgroup.  The purpose of an FAQ file is to
   reduce traffic, not increase it.
2. This is in no sense an "official" FAQ file.  Feel free to start
   your own.  I certainly can't stop you.
3. Please don't expect me to add a topic unless (a) you're willing
   to contribute the entry for that topic; (b) the topic has come up
   at least twice in the newsgroup, *or* the entry gives information
   that cannot readily be found elsewhere; and (c) if the topic has
   been controversial in the newsgroup, your entry attempts to
   represent conflicting points of view.  Thanks to all who *have*
   contributed!