Readers may not be aware that we have something at The Argus called house style to ensure our use of English is consistent.

Kevin Allen, a regular letters page contributor and Brighton and Hove City Labour councillor, says he understands this need but thinks our style reflects "a rather static and out-of-date view of the English language" and questions whether it should apply to readers' letters.

"Where a meaning is obscure and an alteration here or there can improve things then of course you are doing a service both to the writer and the readers," he says.

However, he adds: "Your letters page might be even livelier if you left in a few more exclamation marks, allowed letter writers to begin with but (why shouldn't you start a sentence with but?) and to leave out verbs if that is how they wish to express themselves."

Well, Councillor Allen, old-fashioned we may be but that's how I like it. For instance, at school I was taught sentences should not begin with a conjunction because it shows poor writing style and there is always a better way to write. Try it, it works.

I was also taught that all sentences should have verbs and, while some clever writers can write well without them, I don't believe that either applies to us mere mortals or aids reading.

As to exclamation marks, in my experience they are overused and better deliver the effect they intend if used sparingly. As in, sorry councillor, you're wrong!

A punctuation lesson next thanks to Jackie and John Grenham, who were upset by our BBC1 television listings last Friday which described the programme about the Queen Mother's procession to lying in state thus: "...while senior royals walking behind the coffin are expected to include the Prince of Wales, the Princess Royal and the Duke of Edinburgh; The Queen Mother and Me."

"We would like to put on record our disgust at the misprint, which presumably it was and not somebody's idea of a sick joke," say the Grenhams.

"We would hope there will be a full apology and an explanation of how this could occur. One would have thought that with such a solemn event your proof readers would have taken particular care."

The explanation is the semicolon after the word "Edinburgh", which indicates the next words refer to a different part of the programme. However, I admit a full stop would have been better and I am sorry to the Grenhams and anyone else who was similarly offended.

On a similar theme, an anonymous writer points out that a recent story about a charity donation by a firm of solicitors used the word it's (it is) instead of its (possessive form of it). Many thanks, anon, but why the secrecy?

Finally, Gilbert King, from Woodingdean, found our review of Victoria Wood at the Brighton Centre "rather much" with its references to some of the comic's subject matter, which I won't repeat for fear of recommitting our original, unintentional crime and causing further offence.

"Do we really need all that smut on TV?" asks Mr King, adding - somewhat appropriately for my theme - "I do wish these journalists would make sure of their grammar. Victoria Wood is a comedienne, not a comedian. There is a difference between men and woman or don't you know the facts of life?"

We do, Mr King, and you are right, except that a comedian can be of either sex but we prefer to judge on talent, not gender. It's politically correct, if you like, and modern in a way Councillor Allen would doubtless approve.