Preferred generic form
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We're writing documentation of our e-commerce software (that enables people to open their own online stores) in which tags are used to print different contents in customers' online stores. I'm wondering what's the best way to refer to such contents, e.g.:
- Prints the content of a newsletter.
- Prints the newsletter content.
- Prints a newsletter's content.
If you search in Google, the 2nd option is the most popular one. I'm tentatively in favour of the 1st option though, since the word "newsletter" should refer to any newsletter of any online store. But then I'm wondering, is there in fact any difference between the 3 sentences at all? If you wanted to refer to a specific newsletter's content, you'd have to say "the newsletter's content", isn't it so? And if there are some differences between the 3 sentences, what are they?
There are many similar cases like this. Is it ok to say e.g.
Prints...
- the order subtotal. (meaning the subtotal of any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the order discount. (meaning a discount applied to any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the payment transaction date. (meaning a payment transaction made for an order placed in a store that uses the specific software)
I'm telling myself that "the" is correct in these case, since you could convert the phrases into "of" phrases (e.g. "the discount of an order) but is this a valid test? What about other phrases, e.g. with "for":
Prints a checksum for a due payment.
Or should it be "Prints the checksum for a due payment"?
As for context: all these sentences appear at the beginnings of separate help articles that belong to our documentation, so there is actually no context provided in the articles themselves but on the other hand our readers know that the documentation refers to online stores using a specific software.
phrases definite-articles generic
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
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Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
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add a comment |
up vote
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We're writing documentation of our e-commerce software (that enables people to open their own online stores) in which tags are used to print different contents in customers' online stores. I'm wondering what's the best way to refer to such contents, e.g.:
- Prints the content of a newsletter.
- Prints the newsletter content.
- Prints a newsletter's content.
If you search in Google, the 2nd option is the most popular one. I'm tentatively in favour of the 1st option though, since the word "newsletter" should refer to any newsletter of any online store. But then I'm wondering, is there in fact any difference between the 3 sentences at all? If you wanted to refer to a specific newsletter's content, you'd have to say "the newsletter's content", isn't it so? And if there are some differences between the 3 sentences, what are they?
There are many similar cases like this. Is it ok to say e.g.
Prints...
- the order subtotal. (meaning the subtotal of any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the order discount. (meaning a discount applied to any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the payment transaction date. (meaning a payment transaction made for an order placed in a store that uses the specific software)
I'm telling myself that "the" is correct in these case, since you could convert the phrases into "of" phrases (e.g. "the discount of an order) but is this a valid test? What about other phrases, e.g. with "for":
Prints a checksum for a due payment.
Or should it be "Prints the checksum for a due payment"?
As for context: all these sentences appear at the beginnings of separate help articles that belong to our documentation, so there is actually no context provided in the articles themselves but on the other hand our readers know that the documentation refers to online stores using a specific software.
phrases definite-articles generic
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
61
New contributor
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Yes. Just be consistent throughout.
– Kris
Nov 16 at 10:04
Do you mean "Yes, 1, 2 & 3 mean the same?"
– Hopohopo
Nov 16 at 12:49
add a comment |
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
up vote
0
down vote
favorite
We're writing documentation of our e-commerce software (that enables people to open their own online stores) in which tags are used to print different contents in customers' online stores. I'm wondering what's the best way to refer to such contents, e.g.:
- Prints the content of a newsletter.
- Prints the newsletter content.
- Prints a newsletter's content.
If you search in Google, the 2nd option is the most popular one. I'm tentatively in favour of the 1st option though, since the word "newsletter" should refer to any newsletter of any online store. But then I'm wondering, is there in fact any difference between the 3 sentences at all? If you wanted to refer to a specific newsletter's content, you'd have to say "the newsletter's content", isn't it so? And if there are some differences between the 3 sentences, what are they?
There are many similar cases like this. Is it ok to say e.g.
Prints...
- the order subtotal. (meaning the subtotal of any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the order discount. (meaning a discount applied to any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the payment transaction date. (meaning a payment transaction made for an order placed in a store that uses the specific software)
I'm telling myself that "the" is correct in these case, since you could convert the phrases into "of" phrases (e.g. "the discount of an order) but is this a valid test? What about other phrases, e.g. with "for":
Prints a checksum for a due payment.
Or should it be "Prints the checksum for a due payment"?
As for context: all these sentences appear at the beginnings of separate help articles that belong to our documentation, so there is actually no context provided in the articles themselves but on the other hand our readers know that the documentation refers to online stores using a specific software.
phrases definite-articles generic
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
61
New contributor
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
We're writing documentation of our e-commerce software (that enables people to open their own online stores) in which tags are used to print different contents in customers' online stores. I'm wondering what's the best way to refer to such contents, e.g.:
- Prints the content of a newsletter.
- Prints the newsletter content.
- Prints a newsletter's content.
If you search in Google, the 2nd option is the most popular one. I'm tentatively in favour of the 1st option though, since the word "newsletter" should refer to any newsletter of any online store. But then I'm wondering, is there in fact any difference between the 3 sentences at all? If you wanted to refer to a specific newsletter's content, you'd have to say "the newsletter's content", isn't it so? And if there are some differences between the 3 sentences, what are they?
There are many similar cases like this. Is it ok to say e.g.
Prints...
- the order subtotal. (meaning the subtotal of any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the order discount. (meaning a discount applied to any order placed in any store that uses the specific software)
- the payment transaction date. (meaning a payment transaction made for an order placed in a store that uses the specific software)
I'm telling myself that "the" is correct in these case, since you could convert the phrases into "of" phrases (e.g. "the discount of an order) but is this a valid test? What about other phrases, e.g. with "for":
Prints a checksum for a due payment.
Or should it be "Prints the checksum for a due payment"?
As for context: all these sentences appear at the beginnings of separate help articles that belong to our documentation, so there is actually no context provided in the articles themselves but on the other hand our readers know that the documentation refers to online stores using a specific software.
phrases definite-articles generic
phrases definite-articles generic
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
61
New contributor
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
61
New contributor
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
61
New contributor
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
61
asked Nov 16 at 9:53
Hopohopo
61
61
New contributor
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
New contributor
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Hopohopo is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.
Yes. Just be consistent throughout.
– Kris
Nov 16 at 10:04
Do you mean "Yes, 1, 2 & 3 mean the same?"
– Hopohopo
Nov 16 at 12:49
add a comment |
Yes. Just be consistent throughout.
– Kris
Nov 16 at 10:04
Do you mean "Yes, 1, 2 & 3 mean the same?"
– Hopohopo
Nov 16 at 12:49
Yes. Just be consistent throughout.
– Kris
Nov 16 at 10:04
Yes. Just be consistent throughout.
– Kris
Nov 16 at 10:04
Do you mean "Yes, 1, 2 & 3 mean the same?"
– Hopohopo
Nov 16 at 12:49
Do you mean "Yes, 1, 2 & 3 mean the same?"
– Hopohopo
Nov 16 at 12:49
add a comment |
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Hopohopo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Hopohopo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Hopohopo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
Hopohopo is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.
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Yes. Just be consistent throughout.
– Kris
Nov 16 at 10:04
Do you mean "Yes, 1, 2 & 3 mean the same?"
– Hopohopo
Nov 16 at 12:49