Writing Tips 4
rogersgeorge on March 20th, 2021
When should you use the present tense?
The rule: In technical documentation, use the present to indicate customary behavior, no matter when it happens.
Examples:
- When true, the statement indicates acceptance; when false, it indicates rejection
- When you press Enter, the window appears
- Whenever I start to get hungry, I eat!
- Tomorrow I go to the dentist
- Every day I get up before 6:00
When can you use the future?
- When you want to be vague: Someday we will get married
- When the time is important: Tomorrow I will go to the dentist, but the next day I won’t
- For a command: You will clean your room! (In military tech writing they use “shall.”)
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