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RE: Procedural syntax: "Click to expand" vs. "Expand by clicking"
Subject:RE: Procedural syntax: "Click to expand" vs. "Expand by clicking" From:"Johnson, Tom" <TJohnson -at- starcutter -dot- com> To:"Dubin, David" <David -dot- Dubin -at- sage -dot- com> Date:Fri, 20 Jan 2006 09:20:09 -0500
Okay, you lost me.
If I said, "Expand the folder," that would be active right?
If I said, "Click the plus sign," that would be active right?
How does an elaboration of how you are supposed to expand the folder change it from active to passive? They're both commands to do something. How does it matter which comes first?
Tom Johnson
Technical Writer
tjohnson -at- starcutter -dot- com
-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+tjohnson=starcutter -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+tjohnson=starcutter -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On
Behalf Of Dubin, David
Sent: Friday, January 20, 2006 9:01 AM
To: 'Keith_Wolfe -at- mercmarine -dot- com'
Cc: TECHWR-L
Subject: RE: Procedural syntax: "Click to expand" vs. "Expand by
clicking"
"A verb is in the active voice when it expresses an action performed by its
subject. A verb is in the passive voice when it expresses an action
performed upon its subject or when the subject is the result of the action"
-Warriner's English Grammar and Composition.
Let me ask this question for clarification. What do we want the outcome of
the action to be, and what is the action? The action is to click, the
outcome is the expansion of the folder. We do not want the action to be the
expansion and the outcome the clicking do we?
Perhaps it would have been better if it were written like this, "To expand
the folder, click on the plus sign."
David B. Dubin, PHR
Senior Curriculum Developer
Sage Software
727-579-1111 x 3356
david -dot- dubin -at- sage -dot- com
Your business in mind.
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