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Subject:Re: Contractions & Style From:Laurel Nelson <Laurel_Y_Nelson -at- NOTES -dot- SEAGATE -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 22 Jan 1999 13:48:18 -0600
Michelle: In online Help, contractions are harder to read than a full verb
phrase, which is one good reason to stay away from contractions. Users may
read the verb incorrectly and end up making a mistake.
To eliminate using the word *not,* a writer can write in a positive tone;
that is, tell users what they should do rather than what they should not
do. Writing this way is difficult because I think we naturally express
ourselves in the negative.
Regards, Laurel
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Things work out best for those who make the best of the way things work
out.
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