Re: active vs. passive voice

["Susan W Gallagher" <susanwg -at- gmail -dot- com>]

First, assuming that the reader will take the time to read a whole two
sentences is dangerously optimistic - it usually doesn't happen. I refer you
to this article by Mike Hughes, who cautions writers to put the important
stuff in the _first_three_words_ of a step, because sometimes that's all the
attention span you get.
http://www.uxmatters.com/MT/archives/000242.php

I was lucky enough to be scheduled in the second half of the session when
Mike first presented this research at the (1998 I think) annual STC bash. He
makes sense - read the article.

And second, conventional tech-writing wisdom says to stick with the present
tense for just the reasons that Fred gave and because it's easier to read
and process. All of the technical writing text books I've ever seen, as well
as the MMoS, say to use the present tense. This isn't news.

Third - to get back to the discussion at hand - I have no problem with using
"appears" or "opens", or even "is displayed". Please just remember this -
unless you are writing about the mating rituals of certain members of the
animal kingdom, "displays" is a transitive verb, TYVM. <g>

-Sue Gallagher



On 3/27/08, Leonard C. Porrello <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com> wrote:
>
> Good question. I was assuming the reader would read both sentences
> before carrying out the directions... So, the event
> that takes place after he clicks <New Entry> actually occurs in the
> future...


From: Fred Ridder [mailto:docudoc -at- hotmail -dot- com]

> (B) "1. Click <New Entry>. The New Entry window will appear."

Why introduce the future tense? I don't see that it adds any
meaning. In fact, it seems to dissociate the result from its
cause because it carries some implication that the appearance
of the window might not be immediate.

And it still doesn't address the objection of the people who
believe that the verb "appear" is somehow supernatural
because it is the opposite of "disappear".
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