Pronouns

[Daryl Edmonds 0]

In the Variable (Name Tags) section in the Help files, it says "[P] . . . . . . . (always produces He/She)".

 

When I use [P] I get the full name all the time. Most tags after the initial use of the full name I have used [PF] to make the output a bit more readable, but it gets a bit tiresome reading John did this, John did that, John did something else. I would much prefer the use of a pronoun (he/she) in most of those occasions. I realise I can change the sentence to something like "[D] he was living [L] <[M]>" but the way I read the Help files, I shouldn't need to. Or am I missing something? Where and under what conditions are the pronouns produced?

[JanisR 0]

Daryl,

 

Not sure where you got that sentence from Help or what your problem sentence is. It sound like your problem may be because your sentence has another variable, probably [D], before the variable for [P].

 

The below is from the Help page titled: Variables (Event Tags)

 

Principals

 

[P] Current Principal, Full name. The first time the variable appears in a paragraph,

the full name will be used. During second and subsequent appearances, if the name

variable appears before any other variable in a sentence, a pronoun (he/she) will

be substituted for the name. You can force the use of the full name by using [P+].

A plus after any name variable cause that form of the name to be printed in full

rather than allowing a pronoun to be substituted, e.g., [W+], [PG+]. They may

also be used with role name variables, e.g., [R+:Rolename].

 

So, AFTER the first sentence, if the [P] variable appears BEFORE any other variable, THEN a pronoun will be used. For example:

 

[P] lived <[L]> <in [D]>

 

[P] lived <[L]> <in [D]>

He lived in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts in 1850.

 

Whereas the following sentence will always give you the full name:

 

On [D], [P] lived in [L]

 

On June 3, 1850, Alvah Chace lived in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts.

 

If this is not the problem, please post your sentence.

 

Janis Parkison Rodriguez

 

P.S. Another variable will force a he or she: The [RP:%] variable, with the % being the rolename. The variable is not available with the [P], [PO], [P1], or [P2] variables... You can use Principal for the role here.

 

<On [D]> [RP:Principal] lived in [L]

On June 3, 1850, he lived in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts.

[Daryl Edmonds 0]

Daryl,

 

Not sure where you got that sentence from Help or what your problem sentence is. It sound like your problem may be because your sentence has another variable, probably [D], before the variable for [P].

 

The below is from the Help page titled: Variables (Event Tags)

 

Principals

 

[P] Current Principal, Full name. The first time the variable appears in a paragraph,

the full name will be used. During second and subsequent appearances, if the name

variable appears before any other variable in a sentence, a pronoun (he/she) will

be substituted for the name. You can force the use of the full name by using [P+].

A plus after any name variable cause that form of the name to be printed in full

rather than allowing a pronoun to be substituted, e.g., [W+], [PG+]. They may

also be used with role name variables, e.g., [R+:Rolename].

 

So, AFTER the first sentence, if the [P] variable appears BEFORE any other variable, THEN a pronoun will be used. For example:

 

[P] lived <[L]> <in [D]>

 

[P] lived <[L]> <in [D]>

He lived in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts in 1850.

 

Whereas the following sentence will always give you the full name:

 

On [D], [P] lived in [L]

 

On June 3, 1850, Alvah Chace lived in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts.

 

If this is not the problem, please post your sentence.

 

Janis Parkison Rodriguez

 

P.S. Another variable will force a he or she: The [RP:%] variable, with the % being the rolename. The variable is not available with the [P], [PO], [P1], or [P2] variables... You can use Principal for the role here.

 

<On [D]> [RP:Principal] lived in [L]

On June 3, 1850, he lived in Dighton, Bristol County, Massachusetts.

 

 

Janis,

 

Thank you for your reply. It would be the [D] at the beginning of the sentence that would be the culprit. Thanks for setting me straight. I like the idea of the sentence in your PS regarding the [RP:%] variable; I'll use that quite often, I'm sure, as I often like to have the date at the beginning of a sentence, particularly if I have an exact date.

 

The sentence I included in my query was from Help>Variables>(Name Tags)

[Jim Byram 0]

The sentence I included in my query was from Help>Variables>(Name Tags)

You are looking at the wrong help topic since you are primarily discussing event tag sentences.

You want: Sentence Construction / Variables (Event Tags)

[Daryl Edmonds 0]

The sentence I included in my query was from Help>Variables>(Name Tags)

You are looking at the wrong help topic since you are primarily discussing event tag sentences.

You want: Sentence Construction / Variables (Event Tags)

 

 

Thanks, Jim, I realise now I was looking in the wrong section. Unfortunately the mind isn't as nimble as it used to be