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I am updating some legacy documentation currently and
am facing a dilemma in correcting some of it.
The current guide has a sentence,
"Ensure that <b>Display</b> is checked, or click on it
to clear it, as required"
Assume that this sentence occurs in such a context
that the reader understands what is being said. As you
may have noticed, the above sentence contains "click
on". I have recently started technical writing, but
have already read at several places that "click on"
should be avoided and simply "click" should be used
instead.
Now heres the corrected sentence:
"Ensure that <b>Display</b> is checked, or click it to
clear it, as required"
Somehow, the earlier sentence with the "click on"
sounds better to me. It seems to me that simply
"click" is better when you are saying "Click Ok..."
but when are are saying "click it", it does not sound
very good, at least to me. I have considered revising
the entire sentence in different ways, one of which
is:
"Ensure that <b>Display</b> is checked, or click
<b>Display</b> to clear it, as required (as required
is linked to a page which describes when it may be
required to do so)"
However, I am not sure if I am taking the right
approach with this. Any advice will be highly
appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Alan.
ps: I would be glad if you could please cc: me on the
reply since I am on the digest.
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