Re: To Gerund or Not to Gerund?

["Pro TechWriter" <pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com>]

I agree with Lauren. When I have had files that would be translated into
Japanese, we used "How to" instead of the gerund in the title. But I do
prefer the gerund in the title for English-speaking audiences in the US and
the UK.  I would use "Add the..." only in a procedure step.

Best,

--PT

On 8/20/07, Lauren <lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu> wrote:
>
> If you were a reader of the document, what phrasing would annoy you more?
> Avoid that one.
>
> Although, I prefer concrete phrasing in my documentation, I like my
> headings
> to be approachable and to invite readers to read.  If "Add Files to the
> Database" became the chosen phrase, then I would want to preface it with
> "How to," but "Adding Files..." also sounds approachable to me.
>
> Lauren
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
> > Behalf Of Tsipi Erann
> > Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 2:16 AM
> > To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> > Subject: To Gerund or Not to Gerund?
> >
> > I'm in the process of adapting/creating a style guide for a
> > company that
> > recently went through an M&A process.
> >
> > We have become VERY stuck on the question of the format for procedure
> > headings: The common practice I'm familiar with is to use a
> > gerund format
> > ("Adding Files to the Database"). The other proposal was to
> > use present
> > simple verbs ("Add Files to the Database").
> >
> > Writers/editors on the "other" side have a bias against
> > gerund use, because
> > of localization issues (although everyone pretty much agrees
> > that consistent
> > usage overcomes translation issues).
> >
> > Writers/editors on "this" side are against present simple,
> > because a) it
> > looks the same as an imperative, and can therefore be
> > confused with a step,
> > which leads to b) if our goal is to be DITA compatible, each
> > architectural
> > element should be different, hence a heading must be
> > different than a step.
> >
> > After the long intro, here are my questions:
> >
> > 1. What is your opinion on the issue?
> > 2. What style guide do you use/champion regarding procedure headings?
> > 3. Do you have a good alternative to both gerunds and present
> > simple? (one
> > suggestion was a "How To" statement, which some style guides
> > [Microsoft]
> > prohibit... Do you know why they do?)
> >
> > THANKS!
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-- 
PT
pro -dot- techwriter -at- gmail -dot- com
I'm a Technical Technical Writer!
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Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
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True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

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