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Subject:Re: Your opinions again, please From:SuePStewrt -at- AOL -dot- COM Date:Thu, 2 Jun 1994 09:41:46 EDT
David H. Citron wrote, in part: "It reminds me of an editor I once worked
with at
IBM <snip> who would not allow possessives in any documentation.
He contended that that would be imputing human qualities to inamimate
objects. (I'm paraphrasing, of course!) All those occurrances of "of the"
really made a document awkward!"
Well, I agree with your editor on the subject of possessives--but "of the"
isn't necessary. Instead of "the computer's keyboard" you simply say "the
computer keyboard."
"The program's purpose" = "the program purpose."
"The key's function" = "the key function" (or "the key does or causes")
Neither hardware nor software may own anything. No possessive
required/permitted. But neither is "of the" in 99 44/100% of instances.
JMHO, ;-) suepstewrt -at- aol -dot- com
