TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
> > IF it was correct to say "lower right-hand corner," you're right about
> > that hyphen. But it's not. I just finished deleting a bunch of
> > "-hand"s from some documents that were written, obviously, before I
> > started working here.
> Why is it incorrect to say "lower right-hand corner"?
I don't use the "-hand" part because it is my impression (or perhaps "guess"
instead of "impression") that "right-hand" and "left-hand" are
language-specific idiom. I wouldn't expect people who speak English as a
second language (part of my audience) to be familiar with the expression.
Or, I would at least expect that "lower right" might seem more natural to them.
Also, the "-hand" doesn't add anything ... why use it?
Yvonne DeGraw
yvonne -at- smartstar -dot- com
SmartStar Corporation
Santa Barbara, Ca