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Subject:FW: Use of "may" vs. "can" (was Use of "shall") From:Lani Hardage <lhardage -at- RMTECH -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 30 Jan 1998 13:19:35 -0800
> I try to avoid overuse of "you," and I'd change "You can
> press the golfrinkle button to enable the gazornblatt option" to
> "Press the golfrinkle button to enable the gazornblatt option."
> Neither "may" nor "can" seemed completely appropriate in this example.
>
>
> Lani Hardage
> Technical Writer
> Risk Management Technologies
> lhardage -at- rmtech -dot- com
>
> Cindy Metzger wrote:..
> My bugaboo is may vs can. I see may as granting permission, and can as
> indicating an ability to do something. I would rewrite "You may press
> the golfrinkle button to enable the gazornblatt option" as "You can
> press the golfrinkle button to enable the gazornblatt option."
> However,
> I know people who would argue that may is the more appropriate word.
> It's a relatively trivial thing, but it has never been discussed in
> any
> of my classes, so I'm really curious to hear what others think.
>
> Cindy
> cmetzger -at- dukane -dot- com
>
