RE: To Gerund or Not to Gerund?

["Lauren" <lt34 -at- csus -dot- edu>]

If you were a reader of the document, what phrasing would annoy you more?
Avoid that one.  

Although, I prefer concrete phrasing in my documentation, I like my headings
to be approachable and to invite readers to read.  If "Add Files to the
Database" became the chosen phrase, then I would want to preface it with
"How to," but "Adding Files..." also sounds approachable to me.

Lauren
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com 
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+lt34=csus -dot- edu -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On 
> Behalf Of Tsipi Erann
> Sent: Monday, August 20, 2007 2:16 AM
> To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Subject: To Gerund or Not to Gerund?
> 
> I'm in the process of adapting/creating a style guide for a 
> company that
> recently went through an M&A process.
> 
> We have become VERY stuck on the question of the format for procedure
> headings: The common practice I'm familiar with is to use a 
> gerund format
> ("Adding Files to the Database"). The other proposal was to 
> use present
> simple verbs ("Add Files to the Database").
> 
> Writers/editors on the "other" side have a bias against 
> gerund use, because
> of localization issues (although everyone pretty much agrees 
> that consistent
> usage overcomes translation issues).
> 
> Writers/editors on "this" side are against present simple, 
> because a) it
> looks the same as an imperative, and can therefore be 
> confused with a step,
> which leads to b) if our goal is to be DITA compatible, each 
> architectural
> element should be different, hence a heading must be 
> different than a step.
> 
> After the long intro, here are my questions:
> 
> 1. What is your opinion on the issue?
> 2. What style guide do you use/champion regarding procedure headings?
> 3. Do you have a good alternative to both gerunds and present 
> simple? (one
> suggestion was a "How To" statement, which some style guides 
> [Microsoft]
> prohibit... Do you know why they do?)
> 
> THANKS!
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