Re: Ability vs. allows? Why not just "let"?

[Ben Kovitz <apteryx -at- CHISP -dot- NET>]

Geoff Hart wrote:

>John Posada wonders which is better: "This selection gives
>you the ability to define the countries..." or "This selection
>allows you to define the countries..."
>
>I'm not keen on either, particularly given that "lets you
>define" is so much shorter and lacks the baggage associated
>with "gives you the ability" (what? I didn't have it already?)
>or "allows you to" (mighty kind of you... and I didn't even
>know I had to ask your permission).

Also, "This selection" could be improved.  To document icons or buttons or
all sorts of other things, a good approach is to make a two-column table
with the icon at left and at right a sentence like, "Defines countries."
This sentence is (intentionally) missing its subject; the subject is
implied by the icon (or whatever) at right.

Still another option is to go task-oriented and have a two-column table
where the left column is headed "To..." and the right column is headed "Do
This..."  Then "Define countries" is the mini-sentence in the left column,
and the right column says, "Click <icon>."  Or if all the actions are
clicking, then the heading can be, "Click..."

But dropping the subject of the sentence is a technique that I find helpful
*a lot* for reducing wordiness and clutter.  It's super-helpful as the
first sentence of a section in an API reference about a function.  You
don't have to say, "This function stores blah-de-blah."  You can just say,
"Stores blah-de-blah."  In fact, sometimes that's all the description you
need (and another opportunity for the two-column format).

--
Ben Kovitz <apteryx -at- chisp -dot- net>
Author,  _Practical Software Requirements: A Manual of Content & Style_
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1884777597
http://www.manning.com/Kovitz


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