[R] what constitutes a 'complete sentence'?

[Rolf Turner]

On 03/07/15 20:09, Federico Calboli wrote:
> Hi All,
>
> I am upgrading a package for CRAN, and I get this note:
>
> checking DESCRIPTION meta-information ... NOTE Malformed Description
> field: should contain one or more complete sentences.
>
> This is puzzling because:
>
> cat DESCRIPTION
>
> ... Description: Functions designed to test for single gene/phenotype
> association and for pleiotropy on genetic and genomic data. ...
>
> In my understanding "Functions designed to test for single
> gene/phenotype association and for pleiotropy on genetic and genomic
> data.” *is* a complete sentence.  So, what is complete sentence in
> the opinion of whomever coded that check?


If that is your understanding you need to go back to school and learn 
some grammar.  What you have is a noun ("Functions") modified by an 
adjectival clause.  No verb in sight.  Ergo *not* a complete sentence.

OTOH you are probably in good company in not knowing your grammar.  The 
CRAN folks most likely don't know grammar either.  I suspect that they 
*don't* actually demand a complete sentence.  Such a demand would in 
fact be rather pedantic.  Moreover I really can't see how the package 
checker could possibly check for complete sentences.  This would require 
some very sophisticated programming, it seems to me.

If it turns out that you *really* need a complete sentence, you could 
say (for instance):

This package consists of functions designed to test for single 
gene/phenotype association and for pleiotropy on genetic and genomic data.

The foregoing *is* a complete sentence.

cheers,

Rolf Turner

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Technical Editor ANZJS
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