and then (was: Silly but important to me)

[John Wilcox <JWilcox -at- zetron -dot- com>]

Bonnie Granat wrote:

> To say, "Highlight the item you want to work with, then press F4" is
> equivalent to saying, "Eat dinner, after that mow the lawn".
> "Then" is an adverb, not a conjunction.

That's correct. I'm not using it as a conjunction. It describes when the
verb action takes place (i.e., right after the preceding action).

Susan Gallagher wrote:

> Grammatically correct versions are:
> 
> Click the button; then go get coffee. (semicolon)
> or
> Click the button, and then go get coffee. (comma + 
> coordinating conjunction)

Or even:
Click the button. Then go get coffee.

The most important thing to remember when writing the procedures is who your
audience is. This is our Prime Directive. If you sell your software to a
bunch of grammar purists,... But if not, just write the way people talk.
Simpler is generally better.


_____________________________
Regards,
John Wilcox, Technical Writer
Zetron, Redmond


  


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