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.
> "For data reduction, the desired quantity is the response of the
> band after the out-of-band has been removed."
> You aren't talking about a person, you're talking about a process.
> I left it alone since there aren't any people involved and, as I
> said, it's a process. How would y'all handle a sentence like the
> above?
Try this:
"If needed, remove out-of-band data until the desired band response
is reached."
Shorter and clearer? - close to being obvious! The good old
procedural step method: "Conditions - Action in imperative mode -
Result" strikes again! (FYI: These are the C, A, and R points of the
"hewires-CleAR" system for writing procedural steps, described in my
book, see my "User Friendly Manuals" website below).
The funny thing is, that when unwinding sentences like the original
one, all their ambiguity problems are displayed - and that's maybe
why so many scientists prefer the long complicated sentences with
passive voice!
Greetings from Denmark
Peter Ring
PRC (Peter Ring Consultants)
- specialists in user friendly manuals and audits on manuals.
prc -at- pip -dot- dknet -dot- dk
http://www.pip.dknet.dk/~pip323/index.htm - the "User Friendly
Manuals" website with links, bibliography, list of prof.
associations, and tips for technical writers.
