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What is wrong with using "you" and avoiding all of them there
circumlocutions and trips 'round Robinson's barn, not to mention the
redundant, unneccessary, and extra words?
"If you cannot find the necessary disk, request a new one from your
supplier."
If you really *must* use the third person, you could write:
"If the necessary disk is unavailable, the user should request a new one
from the supplier."
Not quite as elegant as my first suggestion, but still much better than the
original. Incidentally, I never use "should" because the reader is left with
the idea that other alternatives exist--a "clever" reader may even search
for them. Since we can nearly always write in the second person, let's just
do it wherever possible and get away from this tempest in a teacup.
John -dot- Renish -at- Conner -dot- com
My comments are my own and do not represent Conner Peripherals
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