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Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used if there are three or more selections?)
Subject:Display or appear (Was: Can "either" be used if there are three or more selections?) From:Steven Brown <stevenabrown -at- yahoo -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 4 Oct 2001 13:30:14 -0700 (PDT)
<If you tab past the third field without entering a
check mark in either of the three fields, a message is
displayed.>
Another aspect of this sentence is the use of
"display."
The "Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical
Publications" (admittedly not the only authority of
standards) states:
"Use 'appears' as an intransitive verb; use 'displays'
as a transitive verb. If necessary in context, you can
use the passive 'is displayed.'"
I'd rewrite the sentence to make it more concise and
complete:
If you tab past the three fields without entering a
check mark in any of them, a message appears
instructing you to...."
Steven Brown
Senior Technical Writer
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