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.
Subject:Extraneous modifiers? I don't think so From:"Robert Parker" <rparker -at- welkintech -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Thu, 10 Feb 2000 09:30:05 -0800
-----Original Message-----
From: Ackerson, Allan [mailto:aackerson -at- logicon -dot- com]
[snip]
>a) Leave the building.
>This conveys no urgency.
Exactly my point. An instruction may not solely describe the action that
should be taken, but the *manner* in which it should be taken. I entirely
agree that extraneous modifiers can cloud an instruction, but modifiers
aren't *sui generis* extraneous.
[snip]
>Do you think that if you leave "immediately" off the
>sentence that people are going to leave the burning building slowly and at
a
>leisurely pace?
Having been a high-school teacher for eight years...yes, I'm quite sure that
at least some people will require the extra intensifiers. They may also
require a boot in the keister, but the <kick></kick> tag won't be
implemented in the current version of the help system.
