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Subject:Use of "Should," "Must," etc. in Instructions From:"Vollbach, Elizabeth" <evollbach -at- CCLINK -dot- LOGICON -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 3 Jun 1994 08:55:47 PST
To say that using such words in instructions "1. Treats the readers as
if they were children, 2. Treats the readers as if they had no free
will, 3. Sounds moralistic and preachy, 4. Makes statements instead of
requests, and 5. Needlessly lengthens sentences (e.g., "You need to
enter the . . . ." is, save for point 5, kind of silly. Are we
getting a bit ridiculous here? Beth
