Bill Sabin, author of The Gregg Reference Manual (ninth edition, 2000), has been wrestling with such weighty stylistic issues as the hyphenation of the compound adjective for more than 30 years. Since his retirement from McGraw-Hill in 1990, Bill has been leading workshops in corporations and schools and is an unofficial hotline for callers and writers from all parts of the U.S. These contacts indicate what needs to be added to or changed in the next edition of the Manual. Bill has a B.A. and an M.A. in English from Yale. Married for more than 43 years, he is the father of five children and lives in the quiet village of Bristol, Maine.

Bill spoke from notes and regrets that his presentation is not available. This session was intended to address the questions and problems that plain language practitioners continually encounter and debate. In a short introduction, Bill described the process he puts himself through when making decisions about matters of style, grammar, and usage. Then he answered questions from the audience. Bill also posed a deeper question: Should the plain language movement establish its own style?