GNU bug report logs - #11862
[PATCH 0/9] doc/lispref/intro.texi: Copyediting

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Message #65 received at 11862 <at> debbugs.gnu.org (full text, mbox):

From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz <at> gnu.org>
To: Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net>
Cc: 11862 <at> debbugs.gnu.org, rms <at> gnu.org
Subject: Re: bug#11862: [PATCH 9/9] doc/lispref/intro.texi: Use passive voice
Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:37:55 +0300

> From: Stephen Berman <stephen.berman <at> gmx.net>
> Date: Thu, 05 Jul 2012 16:04:22 +0200
> Cc: 11862 <at> debbugs.gnu.org
> 
> On Thu, 05 Jul 2012 06:14:00 -0400 Richard Stallman <rms <at> gnu.org> wrote:
> 
> >      The value of this variable is the version of Emacs being run.  It is a
> >      string such as @code{"23.1.1"}.  The last number in this string is not
> >      really part of the Emacs release version number; it is incremented
> >     -each time you build Emacs in any given directory.  A value with four
> >     +each time Emacs is built in any given directory.
> >
> > Please use the active voice by preference.
> > For instance, you could write it this:
> >
> >    each time you build Emacs in a given directory, that increments this number.
> 
> This sounds rather awkward to me.  Would you accept "it gets
> incremented" as a "more active passive" alternative?

I think there's a better alternative that is entirely active:

  each build of Emacs in any given directory increments that number.

> Aside from style, the statement is inaccurate, isn't it?  At least
> with "make bootstrap" the last number is always 1.

Yes.  So:

   The value of this variable is the version of Emacs being run.  It
   is a string such as @code{"23.1.1"}.  The last number in this
   string is not really part of the Emacs release version number; it
   starts at 1, is reset to 1 by @kbd{make bootstrap}, and each build
   of Emacs increments that number.

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