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Subject:Re: Functionality vs Function - My Mistake! From:Keith Wolfe <keith -at- MERGE -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 15 Jul 1998 11:27:16 -0500
folks,
Nurre, Vickie wrote:
> Somewhere along the line, I
> got the impression adding endings like ality, ism etc is a bad thing?
> Any comments? Because I still don't like it. The other suggested word
> was features. Thanks Vickie
>
These are what you call nominalizations ? when a verb or adjective becomes a noun.
All verbs and adjectives can turn into nouns. This can complicate the sentence
by reducing the number of verbs and increasing the number of... you guessed
it... nouns. Readers often get lost and give up, overwhelmed by nouny
sentences.
Try to maintain a high verb to noun ratio. Use strong verbs to guide your
reader. When they read a technical document, they want action.
Which sentences are easier to understand?
(a) The assumption that creative ability has a relationship to intelligence
warrants further examination.
(b) We must examine how creative ability relates to intelligence.
(a) The description within this chapter provides product explaination.
(b) This chapter explains how to operate the product.
I know this last example is a bit extreme, but you get my point.
This is just my opinion. I could be wrong.
Keith Wolfe
Associate Technical Writer
Merge Technologies Inc.
