Use contractions (EK00033)
Contractions like can't or doesn't give documentation a natural, approachable tone that matches how people speak. Learn why to use them, with fixes.
Contractions such as “can’t” and “doesn’t” give documentation a conversational tone that matches how people speak and read. EkLine flags full verb forms that read more naturally as contractions and suggests the contracted form (rule EK00033).
Why use contractions in documentation?
Section titled “Why use contractions in documentation?”Contractions make writing sound approachable rather than stiff. “You can’t undo this” reads the way a person talks, while “You cannot undo this” feels formal and distant. A friendly, consistent voice keeps readers engaged and signals that the documentation was written for them, not for a legal filing.
What EkLine flags
Section titled “What EkLine flags”EK00033 detects full forms such as do not, is not, and cannot that read more naturally as contractions.
- ❌ Incorrect: You cannot undo this.
- ✅ Correct: You can’t undo this.
- ❌ Incorrect: The file does not exist.
- ✅ Correct: The file doesn’t exist.
How to fix
Section titled “How to fix”Replace the full form with its contraction. Change “cannot” to “can’t” and “does not” to “doesn’t”.
Are contractions acceptable in technical documentation?
Section titled “Are contractions acceptable in technical documentation?”Yes. Contractions give technical documentation an approachable, conversational voice, and most modern style guides encourage them. Reserve full forms for cases that need extra emphasis.
When should you avoid contractions?
Section titled “When should you avoid contractions?”Keep the full form when a warning needs emphasis or when a term is used literally, such as “You cannot recover deleted data.” Everywhere else, contractions read more naturally.
Rule details
Section titled “Rule details”| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Rule ID | EK00033 |
| Category | Tone and voice |
| Default severity | Warning |
| Enabled by default | Yes |
Ignore this rule
Section titled “Ignore this rule”To keep a full form on one line, add an inline comment with a reason:
<!-- ekline-ignore-next-line EK00033 -- emphasis in a warning -->You cannot recover deleted data.To disable the rule across your project, add it to the ignore list in your configuration file.