: Re: Can basic grammar rules be skipped when writing text for machine safety labels? First of all I'm completely against this idea but a few people who contribute to the technical documentation project

Your question specifically asks for grammar, but perhaps you might consider distinguishing grammar and punctuation. Punctuation is variable for clarity, also known as typesetting, while grammar is more or less fixed.

Punctuation: commas, periods, exclamation points ...

Grammar: Grammar consists of the rules governing how words are put into sentences. [The Chicago Manual of Style 5.1]

For instance,

Do not place finger in nose.
Not place finger nose
Don't place finger in nose!
Yo! Nosepicking ain't cool, dude

What I like about (1) is the proper use of grammar AND the use of a period. Over time, warning labels get smudged, burned, drawn on, etc. When you complete a sentence, imperative or otherwise, use a period--we know a thought has been completed even if a word is smudged.

(2) is an example of improper grammar. I don't think you can get away with any grammar mistakes and achieve the clarity you're looking for. To the extent you can leave out articles, that, then, pronouns, and certain auxiliary verbs does not make for improper grammar--I mean, makes not for improper grammar.

(3) I think contractions are OK. Someone who has such poor conception of English to misunderstand probably needs a label in a different language. However, I'd recommend only using an exclamation point once per label or maybe twice, but even then, CAPS or bold may be a better choice for the most important thing.

(4) Stay away from idioms! Period.

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: Re: Can basic grammar rules be skipped when writing text for machine safety labels? First of all I'm completely against this idea but a few people who contribute to the technical documentation project

More posts by @Caterina108

: Formatting Text from a Sign I have a dialog heavy scene in which one of the characters walks up to a door marked with a sign. I wrote A warning etched under the sign read â€œElectromagnetics

: Introducing the hero first? In the book I'm writing, the first character I introduce dies before the end of the chapter. She is the girlfriend of my hero and is setting up their date before

: How do I delete a scene in Scrivener? I purchased Scrivener a few weeks ago. As I was messing around with it trying to get a hang of how to use it I accidentally added too many scenes

: Italics for both internal monologue and dialog emphasis? I have adopted the use of italics to denote internal monologue. A reviewer suggested that I italicize a word of spoken dialog to denote

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