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  • support for [something] vs support [something]

    From Madhu@enometh@meer.net to alt.usage.english on Tue Jan 13 09:53:20 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english


    This comes up when writing "commit messages" when writing code. One is
    writing or extending a software library which provides a function or a
    feature, and has to document the change in the source code in a commit
    message. Consider graphics software which provides the end user some
    way to draw circles and rectangles, which has now been extended with a
    way to draw polygons.

    Which would you preferable as the one-liner description of the commit
    message? Is there there a qualifiable preference?

    "Support for drawing polygons"

    "Support drawing polygons"
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  • From lar3ryca@larry@invalid.ca to alt.usage.english on Mon Jan 12 22:47:28 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    On 2026-01-12 22:23, Madhu wrote:

    This comes up when writing "commit messages" when writing code. One is writing or extending a software library which provides a function or a feature, and has to document the change in the source code in a commit message. Consider graphics software which provides the end user some
    way to draw circles and rectangles, which has now been extended with a
    way to draw polygons.

    Which would you preferable as the one-liner description of the commit message? Is there there a qualifiable preference?

    "Support for drawing polygons"

    "Support drawing polygons"

    I would use the first one. It's a description.
    The second one is an instruction that sounds like a command.
    --
    "Thanks, Monsieur," Tom said mercifully.
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  • From Hibou@vpaereru-unmonitored@yahoo.com.invalid to alt.usage.english on Tue Jan 13 06:46:33 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    Le 13/01/2026 |a 04:23, Madhu a |-crit :

    This comes up when writing "commit messages" when writing code. One is writing or extending a software library which provides a function or a feature, and has to document the change in the source code in a commit message. Consider graphics software which provides the end user some
    way to draw circles and rectangles, which has now been extended with a
    way to draw polygons.

    Which would you preferable as the one-liner description of the commit message? Is there there a qualifiable preference?

    "Support for drawing polygons"

    "Support drawing polygons"


    "Support [for] polygons"

    Just MHO: it's graphics software, so there's no need for 'drawing'; and,
    in the context of a commit message (a summary of a change), there's no
    risk of it being taken to be in the imperative mood, so the 'for' could
    go too.

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  • From richard@richard@cogsci.ed.ac.uk (Richard Tobin) to alt.usage.english on Tue Jan 13 10:52:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: alt.usage.english

    In article <m3a4yidttz.fsf@pison.robolove.meer.net>,
    Madhu <enometh@meer.net> wrote:

    Which would you preferable as the one-liner description of the commit >message? Is there there a qualifiable preference?

    "Support for drawing polygons"

    "Support drawing polygons"

    The difference between one of these is that the first is a description
    of what has been added to the program, while the second is a
    description of what you have done (or what the program now does).

    If you want to be consistent, consider the form of other messages
    you've written. Do you say "larger maximum number of circles" or
    "made maximum number of circles larger"?

    -- Richard
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