Hi John,
I almost *never* use the word "may" in technical writing. This is for two basic
reasons:
1) "May" can imply the granting of permission, and that is almost never
what I intend to convey.
2) I have found very, very few situations in which the word "might" or
"can" conveys the correct idea just as effectively (if not more so) without the
ambiguity.
My 37ยข worth (accounting for inflation),
Chuck Beck
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John Bell
Sent: Friday, November 21, 2008 11:05
To: TCP@techcommpros.com
Subject: [TCP] Word choice: Might or May?
I'm trying to determine which is the best word to use: Might or May.
I am writing about determining which records get displayed based on start and
end dates. At the end I want to offer the following
suggestion:
You may/might want to set the date range to your current month, quarter, or
sales quota period.
What's your choice (or complete re-write)?
Thanks!
--- John B.
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