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:Re: "May" vs. "Can" From:Bob Morse <morse -at- INXPRESS -dot- NET> Date:Sun, 13 Aug 1995 13:14:19 GMT
On 12 Aug 1995, Sue Heim wrote:
> Hey folks! I need your collective opinion...
> How do you feel about using "may" or "can" in docs and marketing
> collaterals.
Well, it's a fine line, but I've always seen the difference this way:
"Can" connotes power/capability, in the sense that the subject (of the
sentence) has the power/capability to ... [predicate]. "May" suggests that
the the predicate of the sentence characterizes an optional task/procedure.
For example:
You can save your custom-report definition to a disk file, so that
you can reapply it to other data sets. [The "save" feature is a
capability of the app that is at the user's disposal.]
You may save your custom-report definition to a disk file, so that
you can reapply it to other data sets. [The "save" feature is a
procedural option, to be invoked at the user's discretion.]
In this distinction, "may" is more localized in time, since the option is
available only at a particular step within a longer procedure.
