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> I have a grammar question. "Display" is usually a transitive verb, meaning
> that it needs a complement to make a complete sentence. In numerous
> manuals I have seen display used without a complement (i.e., The File
> dialog displays.).
>
> Has this verb mutated with the age of computers or is it one of those
> action verbs that changes with the intended meaning of the sentence. I
> would be interested in finding out how other writers use this verb.
>
This intransitive usage for "display" is relatively new and, according to
the American Heritage online dictionary I used when I looked this up for the
first time three years ago, it came about with the development of computer
UIs. I can't speak for the accuracy of that claim, but the intransitive
usage is at least a documented variation.
Nonetheless, I prefer not to use "display" as an intransitive verb. It
doesn't sound right to my ear. I use "appear," which to many folks sounds
like a supernatural event. I find that interpretation odd since things
appear in the paper, police appear on the scene, and so on. (And if it DOES
sound like magic, then I don't mind adding to the mystique in this case. ;-)
Bill Burns
ILE Communications/Eccentric Technology Consultant
billdb -at- ile -dot- com
> You can't gouge out your mind's eye.
>
>
