Re: Grammar: appear or appears?

Subject: Re: Grammar: appear or appears?
From: "Ruby Isaacs" <ruby -at- quendi -dot- ca>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 2002 15:13:03 -0400


The interface on the new page changes based the options you selected on the previous page of the Web-based tool.

As a simple example, if the user selected apples on the previous page, then the following would appear on the new page:
Step 1: Select various types of apples.
Step 2: Select a quantity for each type of apple.
Step 3: Select a size for each type of apple.
Step 4: View a pie chart or table representing your choice of apples.

If the user selected oranges on the previous page, then the following would appear on the new page:
Step 1: Select various types of oranges.
Step 2: Select a quantity for each type of orange.
Step 3: Select a size for each type of orange.
Step 4: View a pie chart or table representing your choice of oranges.

The only identifier on the new page is the text that remains constant. In the online help, the procedure states:
"Step 1" to "Step 4" appear on the new page.

It seems as though the original software designer tried to embed help into the interface. Given a deadline of September 30, the current software designer does not have time to change the interface.

Does that help?

Cheers,
Ruby
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Kirkham" <rkirkham -at- seagullscientific -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Cc: <ruby -at- quendi -dot- ca>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 12:49 PM
Subject: RE: Grammar: appear or appears?


>
>
> Actually, Ruby, neither of your sentences is grammatical. "Step 1 to Step 4"
> cannot be the subject of a sentence: the prepositional phrase "to Step 4"
> cannot logically be a modifier of "Step 1" (or anything else in the
> sentence). It does not describe, condition, or, well, modify "Step 1" in any
> way. What you have is a slangy, ungrammatical, abbreviation of a pair of
> prepositional phrases: "From Step 1 to Step 4". (E.g. "The road from Chicago
> to Detroit...".) But if you plug that whole phrase into your sentences,
> you'll see that neither sentence makes sense. This because there is nothing
> in the sentence that they can modify.
>
> Those who recommended that you rewrite the sentence were being too mild. You
> MUST rewrite it, if you want to be grammatical.
>
> By the way, why are putting quotation marks around the names of the steps?
> What matters to the reader is that the *steps* appear on a new page, not
> that the *phrases*, "Step 1", etc., appear on a new page.
>
> And why are you capitalizing "Step"?
>
>
> "Ruby Isaacs" <ruby -at- quendi -dot- ca> wrote:
>
> > On the interface of a Web-based tool, the constant text on a page that =
> > changes based on the user's selections is "Step 1", "Step 2", "Step 3", =
> > and "Step 4".=20
>
> > Given this information, which of the following observations is correct?
> > 1. "Step 1" to "Step 4" appear on the new page.=20
> > 2. "Step 1" to "Step 4" appears on the new page.
>



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