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Subject:Re: Purpose of document review process? -Reply From:"Tamminga, Ernie" <et -at- DSC -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 12 May 1997 14:10:53 -0700
Some years ago, after an engineer had re-cast most of my prose into what
he called "objective language" (read: passive voice), I picked one of
the sentences: something like...
The green wire is connected to the red wire.
I asked him to tell me how the reader is supposed to know whether this
is a statement of fact, or an instruction telling the reader to do
something. (He had actually intended it to be the latter...)
He didn't re-cast active sentences into passive after that. i.e., he
didn't do it when reviewing material that was intended for a customer.
Passive voice "works" fine in certain kinds of technical specifications,
& he continued to use it there.
--------
Ernie Tamminga
Director, InfoEngineering
Digital Sound Corporation
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Mary Shaw [SMTP:MSHAW -at- MONEYNET -dot- COM]
>Sent: Monday, May 12, 1997 2:03 PM
>To: TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
>Subject: Re: Purpose of document review process? -Reply
>
>Nancy McDonald wrote:
>>> My reviewer (right now) usually deletes my "ordinary language"
>statements, and replaces them with obviously technical talk... when I am
>positive that he is incorrect in editing his reviews (in this project
>he's the project mgr/developer, and always thinks he's right) I use my
>ultimate weapon: "Well in the Microsoft manual of style that we're
>relying on..." and he immediately says, "whatever works," and shuts up!!
><<
>
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