Re: contractions in tech.writing

Subject: Re: contractions in tech.writing
From: Tim Altom <taltom -at- IQUEST -dot- NET>
Date: Fri, 15 Mar 1996 20:19:00 EST

At 04:26 PM 3/6/96 +0200, you wrote:
>A couple of weeks ago, Beth wrote:

>> We conform to Microsoft's styles in general but some of them we
>> overrule (such as their declining to use contractions (in the Win 95
>> booklet)).

>What are the reasons for and against using contractions in technical
>writing?


We use contractions for friendliness, UNLESS the work is destined for
translation, or will be read in the original by international readers.
That's a big argument on the minus side. Contractions can be hard for
non-native English speakers to cope with.

Tim Altom
Vice President
Simply Written, Inc.
317.899.5882 (voice)
317.899.5987 (fax)
http://www.iquest.net/simply/simplywritten


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