TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> Which of the following sentences is grammatically correct and
> why/why not?
>
> 1. The record description is a text entry which has no conditional
> logic.
>
> 2. The record description is a text entry which does not have
> conditional logic.
Both sentences are grammatically correct, although I would add a comma
before "which."
I prefer the first sentence, however, because it has a positive verb
(has). Negative verbs, such as the one in the second sentence (does
*not* have) are harder for most readers to understand. I prefer to add
the negative to the object, as in the first sentence (*no* conditional
logic).
Emily Skarzenski
Deloitte & Touche/ICS - Chadds Ford, PA
eskarzenski -at- dttus -dot- com
