Grammar and vocabulary¶

Grammar tenses¶

• Use present simple tense to describe an action or instruction
• Use present participle tense with an ellipsis (…) at the end to describe an ongoing progress
• Only use simple verb forms in the past or future when necessary

Active voice¶

UI terminology¶

• Mouse terminology: drag, hover, point, tap, click
• Touchscreen gestures: tap, drag, flick, touch and hold, double-tap, swipe, pinch, spread
• Basic terminology: checkbox, drop-down, field, icon, menu, link, radio button, window

Idioms and phrasal verbs¶

• Avoid multi-word phrasal verbs when one word works
• Avoid idiomatic expressions
• Avoid cultural references

Jargon, buzz words and terms¶

• Use simple vocabulary
• Do not avoid technical terms but consider if you need to explain them
• Define new or unfamiliar terms and use existing explanations (do not reinvent the wheel)

Abbreviations and acronyms¶

• Avoid abbreviations (info, incl, excl) and acronyms (SIOS for Siemens Industry Online Support)
• Explain acronyms initially and in full unless well known: Asset Performance Suite (APS)
• Capitalization only for acronyms that are proper nouns
• No periods in abbreviations or acronyms
• Never make up your own acronyms: https://www.acronymfinder.com

Time based vocabulary: Last, latest and recent¶

• Last implies nothing else will follow. It's the last, and after this it is finished. No more are coming.
• Latest implies that it is the last to date, which means there could be more to follow. Most recent. Newest.
• Recent is more time focused and is similar to latest. It means that it happened a short time ago.
• Avoid the adjectives last, latest and recent if the verb relates to a time stamp (e.g., column header).

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