RE: Use of definite article

["Bonnie Granat" <bgranat -at- granatedit -dot- com>]

If you were using the whole name, how would you say it and write it? Follow
that usage.


Bonnie Granat
http://www.GranatEdit.com
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: 
> techwr-l-bounces+bgranat=granatedit -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com 
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+bgranat=granatedit -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l
> .com] On Behalf Of Ronald Schwarz
> Sent: Friday, October 03, 2008 3:30 PM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: Use of definite article
> 
> I tried to look up in the Chicago Manual of Style and the 
> Microsoft Manual of Style ... the rules for using the 
> definite and indefinite article in conjunction with 
> abbreviated product names. I did not find anything helpful. 
> We have a product called CosmoCall Universe, abbreviated CCU. 
> In the process of writing and revising an integration manual 
> for use of the CCU with another product, also abbreviated, 
> management made me delete "the" in front of the two abbreviations.
> 
> Even though it seemed natural to me to refer to CosmoCall 
> Universe without a definite article, because it sounds like a 
> collective name for an architecture, when referring to a 
> particular platform implementation, I preferred using the 
> definite article ("the CCU"); and the same for the other product.
> 
> Is there a rule for this situation? I cannot go according to 
> my management's practices because the manager does not even 
> know when to capitalize and the analyst who designs our 
> products and helps him directly has a foreigner's command of 
> English. I would like to set down the rules for them so we 
> can have marketing collateral (what they often write) that is 
> pleasant to read as well as what I write (user documentation).
> 


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