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RE: Gender neutral - any new developments in your neck of the woo ds?
Subject:RE: Gender neutral - any new developments in your neck of the woo ds? From:Rose -dot- Wilcox -at- pinnaclewest -dot- com To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 28 Feb 2003 16:25:07 -0700
<<My version:
"The first time [you] access [your] account, [you] will have to enter
[your] e-mail address and give praise to tech writers everywhere."
>>
Or, if forced into third person for some reason such as writing Requirements:
When users access accounts for the first time, they must enter an e-mail address.
Note that it is proper to keep the object of the verb singular even if the subject is plural, implying that each user has his/her :-) separate email address.
-or-
When a user accesses an account for the first time, the user will have to enter a valid e-mail address.
By the way, I've been doing this 18 years or so and never been forced into a his/her construction or into using "they" for third person singular yet. However, that doesn't mean it *won't* happen. I'm just saying... it's rare. And with a little practice and thought, it isn't too difficult to use these techniques to rewrite the sentences, IMO.
Rose A. Wilcox
CHQ, 14th Floor
Tranz1 QA/Documentation
602-250-2435
Rose -dot- Wilcox -at- PinnacleWest -dot- com
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