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Subject:Re: You VS One From:"Bill Swallow" <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com> To:TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 5 Jun 2008 11:26:22 -0400
You know, one should never use one when you mean you, else you may
confuse one reading one instead of you. One is best to use you and not
one when meaning you, and use one only when meaning one and not you.
On Thu, Jun 5, 2008 at 2:50 AM, Geoff Lane <geoff -at- gjctech -dot- co -dot- uk> wrote:
> On Thursday, June 5, 2008, Keith Hansen wrote;
> Only in America does one use "one" instead of "you". "One" is a
> generic person that includes first and third persons, i.e. substituted
> for "we and they", or "they and I". So, if you're addressing the
> reader, "you" has always been correct.
>
> Occurrences of the first person in technical writing are limited,
> which limits the times when we can legitimately use "one" in technical
> documentation. Even when "one" is correct it's often clearer to use
> the name of the group, e.g. "voters", and so it's rare to see "one" in
> technical writing.
--
Bill Swallow
HATT List Owner
WWP-Users List Owner
Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
STC Single-Sourcing SIG Manager http://techcommdood.blogspot.com
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