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Subject:Re: The Use of Future Tense in Procedures From:Nicole Saleeba <nsaleeba -at- CONNECT -dot- COM -dot- AU> Date:Thu, 7 Nov 1996 09:14:10 +1100
Hi from a newbie...
At 01:50 PM 11/6/96 CST, you wrote:
>Or, should I write the procedure in the present tense, (i.e., Press
>the ___ key. The ______ window appears on the screen.). Is one way
>right and the other wrong, or is one preferred over the other? Does
>anybody give a hoot?
I always use the present tense, ie Press the ___ key. The ____ window is
displayed, because with most of the documentation I have written (using
Internet applications) I envisage the users with the folder on the desk,
following each instruction line by line, looking for a result.
I don't imagine many users would read it all, put the book away and then
carry out the steps in this environment. The future tense is probably more
appropriate in, for example, a training context where the action will not be
conducted at the same time as the instructions are read.
Cheers
Nicole
********************************
Nicole Saleeba
Technical Writer
Melbourne, Australia
nsaleeba -at- connect -dot- com -dot- au
