English – Eliminate Phrases that Start With "in" from your Technical Documents

© 2010 Ugur Akinci
There are a number of filler phrases in English that start with “in.” You can improve the readability of your technical documents by eliminating such phrases and using much shorter equivalents.
For example:
ORIGINAL: “Switch to another frequency IN CASE the reception is weak.”
BETTER: “Switch to another frequency if the reception is weak.”
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ORIGINAL: “IN ADDITION TO grounding the lid, make sure to ground the back panel as well.”
BETTER: “AFTER grounding the lid, you must ground the back panel too.”
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ORIGINAL: “IN AN EFFORT TO purge the database, you should reinstall the D1 patch.”
BETTER: “Reinstall the D1 patch to purge the database.”
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ORIGINAL: “Use R56 resistor IN CONJUNCTION WITH transistor T33.”
BETTER: “Use R56 resistor with transistor T33.”
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ORIGINAL: “IN THE COURSE OF opening the front valve keep an eye on the pressure dial and make sure it remains under 1,000 lbs.”
BETTER: “When you open the front valve make sure the pressure dial reading remains under 1,000 lbs.”
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ORIGINAL: “IN VIEW OF THE FACT THAT switch S1 is in the OFF position, the system will not shut down automatically.”
BETTER: “Since the S1 switch is in the OFF position, the system will not shut down automatically.”