Active voice

[digib]

I posted something here yesterday and can't seem to locate the answer.

My question....

When it comes to writing computer manuals, I wrote, "Click the xxx button. The xxxx screen is displayed."

I was then told to use the active voice - in other words, "Click the xxxx button. The xxxx screen displays." I believe this to be incorrect due to the intransitive usage of the word displays. In my opinion, if faced with a sentence saying, "the xxxx screen displays." my immediate response would be "displays what?". My boss does not want me to use the word appears.

Secondly, I have been told that after a full stop and before the next sentence begins, I am to have two spaces. Whilst I agree that at one stage this was the acceptable norm, why is it that Microsoft Word would insert just a single space if one were to start the following sentence straight after the full stop e.g. The man sat on the chair.He stood up.

Many thanks for your answers.

 

[Tdol]

1 It's common enough to use verbs in that way. Copuld you use 'opens' instead, though?
2 That's an option in the Grammar Settings; it will ignore the spacing or go for one or two spaces.

 

[Niigatablue]

I agree, you have the correct grammar.

However, I would recommend everyone to be careful with Microsoft Word. Their grammar check is terrible.