Re: language usage preference

[<neilson -at- windstream -dot- net>]

Caroline Tabach asks:
> I am writing the same things over and over again so have become
> confused, what would be better to use?

Your quoted material gives me too little context. However, I've noticed that when I'm confused over which phrase to use, it's usually a sign of a larger problem. Moreover, I'm not always the one who has the answer. I might rewrite it a few different ways, or I might hand it to a reviewer and ask what's wrong with it.

I gather that you are trying to choose between sequential and conditional presentation. Normally I prefer a conditional approach, but some audiences do not take well to making choices, so you have to sneak the choice in while they are not paying attention. Who is going to read and use the document? What kind of mistakes will they make from following your first presentation versus the second? Is it crucial that no mistakes be made? What other questions should you ask yourself that I've omitted?

--Peter Neilson


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