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.
> 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 ...
> 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.
Both uses are still valid.
There have been several protracted discussions of this issue, but
only among tech writers, never users.
For the most part, users aren't too concerned with prescriptive
grammar issues. "The window displays" is a nice, short direct way of
getting the point across to the reader. There's nothing wrong with
that.