RE: Pet Peeves

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

Suzette Leeming
 
> What's wrong with avoiding pronouns/gender issues by 
> rewording it to something like this:
> 
> "Any problems with the setting can be fixed using RegEdit."

You're avoiding pronouns by writing in passive voice, thus removing the
actor from the action and making the object of the action into the
subject of the sentence. 

I believe the technical term for that style of writing is "yucky." ;-) 

I don't understand the aversion to "you" -- what's wrong with
acknowledging the existence of the reader? But in any kind of procedural
or instructional material, you can avoid it by using the imperative
mood, where the subject "you" is implied: 

"If there are problems with the setting, fix them with RegEdit."

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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