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Richard, I found the sentence ambiguous with and without the comma. Perhaps
it would be made clearer by context, but I agree with those who suggested
rewriting.
Kathleen
On Fri, Jul 19, 2013 at 12:38 PM, Combs, Richard
<richard -dot- combs -at- polycom -dot- com>wrote:
> Tony Chung wrote:
>
> > It doesn't help that you don't have a complete sentence. A missing
> subject
> > can cloud anyone's perception of how the language is used.. While this
> > style is common in API docs, just know that the comma rules should
> > technically follow a proper sentence structure.
>
> Implied subjects aren't limited to imperative sentences. I think most
> grammarians would agree that if the implied subject is clear from the
> context, the sentence is just fine. That's the case not just in API docs or
> Karen's table of algorithms, but in any table or list of items followed by
> descriptions of what they do.
>
> | Accelerator | Makes the car go forward.
> | Brake pedal | Makes the car stop.
>
> The implied subject of each sentence on the right is the term on the left.
>
> Richard G. Combs
> Senior Technical Writer
> Polycom, Inc.
> richardDOTcombs AT polycomDOTcom
> 303-223-5111
> ------
> rgcombs AT gmailDOTcom
> 303-903-6372
> ------
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