RE: Preposition at Beginning or End?

["Combs, Richard" <richard -dot- combs -at- Polycom -dot- com>]

Keith Hansen wrote: 
 
> Which sentence do you prefer:
> Sentence No. 1: "From the Country drop-down list, select USA."
> Sentence No. 2: "Select USA from the Country drop-down list."
> 
> To me, the first example is more logical: first, you tell 
> them where to go, then you tell them what to do. However, the 
> second example is more conversational (resembles spoken English).

No. 1 _is_ more logical, for exactly the reason you state. I don't think
No. 2 is conversational. A conversational version might be "For Country,
pick USA" or "Set Country to USA." 

But if your procedure tells users they must pick USA, why is there even
a list?
 
> Please vote for No. 1 or No. 2. Please include a reason for 
> your preference. I REALLY would like to see if there is any 
> consensus here.
> 
> ALSO: Consider this sentence:
> * "Click in the Name text box and type your name."
> I would never write this sentence:
> * "In the Name text box, click and type your name."
> 
> It sounds totally wrong to begin with a preposition here--but 
> not so wrong in Sentence No. 1 above. Why?

It's not the preposition that seems awkward to me, it's "click and
type." "In the Name box, type your name" sounds fine. Unless you're
addressing people who've never used a computer, "click and" is utterly
superfluous. 

No matter who your audience is, there's no good reason for "text box" --
or for "drop-down list" in the earlier example. Just "box" and "list,"
please -- you're telling readers how to perform a task, not teaching
them the developers' names for user interface elements. 

IMHO, of course. ;-) 

Richard


------
Richard G. Combs
Senior Technical Writer
Polycom, Inc.
richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
303-223-5111
------
rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
303-777-0436
------




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