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Subject:Re: Grammar Q From:Janice Gelb <Janice -dot- Gelb -at- Sun -dot- COM> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Fri, 18 Jan 2008 12:17:47 +1100
Lauren wrote:
>
> I also have strong aversions to second-person usage in documentation. I
> read one help document that began nearly every sentence with "you" and
> contained such statements as "you must..." and "...then you click..." I got
> annoyed. Why was this document telling me what to do?!
Um, because that's its purpose: to tell you how to accomplish
things?
>
> So I say, avoid "you." Not *you* per se, but the term "you."
>
I find "you" much the best choice of the alternatives available.
I've seen people try to "solve" this problem by establishing a
name like Fred, and then referring to "Fred" and "he" and I
find that really klutzy. And as I strongly believe in gender-
neutral language, "you" and "their" win out.
-- Janice
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Janice Gelb | The only connection Sun has with
janice -dot- gelb -at- sun -dot- com | this message is the return address
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