TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Sidenote to "don't Should on me" From:Dianne Phelan <primate!dphelan -at- CS -dot- UNM -dot- EDU> Date:Thu, 2 Jun 1994 18:03:54 PST
Barb (BurkBrick -at- AOL -dot- COM) writes:
> As a sidenote, I worked with a writer for a while that
> changed all my "wills" to "shalls," which I think is the
> absolute in condescension. As a contractor, there wasn't much I
> could do about it - he had final say - but I got out of the
> contract as soon as possible!
Continuing the sidenote, I was taught there is a LEGAL
difference between "shall" and "will" (and also between "that"
and "which"). For example, a contract that says "The program
shall walk the dog" is making a different statement than a
contract that says "The program will walk the dog." As I
recall, and my grammar books seem to corroborate, "shall" is a
stronger, legally enforceable promise--if the program doesn't
walk the dog, the purchaser has grounds for breach of contract
or some such. "Will" is a weaker statement.
If you're writing your company's contracts or product
descriptions, you might want to investigate and be aware of the
distinction. Standard disclaimer: I'm not a lawyer, just a
writer with sometimes fallible memories.
