RE: Usage of perfect in TW

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

Ihor Rozdil wrote:
 
> Most best practices recommend to use simple present while writing
guides.
> Simple past is also welcome. What about present perfect, has anyone
seen
> some recommedations on that? Please vote for one of the following
variants
> of the same sentense:
> 1. Aftet the installation has completed, restart your computer.
> 2. After the installation is completed, restart your computer.
> 3. After the installation completed, restart your computer.
> 
> Thanks.

I think option 2 is better than option 1, but I don't see any good
reason for using passive voice.

Option 3 is grammatically incorrect (it may be a typo), but could be
made tolerable by changing one letter: 

3. After the installation completes, restart your computer.

But I vote for Sean Brierly's version, which is much better than any of
the above: 

> After the installation finishes, restart your computer.

IMHO, etc. 

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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