Avoid strings of nouns

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Strings of nouns are hard to understand and sometimes even ambiguous.

Only use strings of nouns when they’re the names of systems and you don’t have the authority to simplify these names.

When a string of nouns is used as an adjective, use hyphens for clarification (see also Hyphens).

No:

the device adapter card port signals

(This is ambiguous. We can’t tell whether it refers to “signals of the port” or to “port signals of the card.”)

Yes:

the device-adapter-card port signals

Top:

the port signals of the device adapter card

No:

technical documentation writing principles

Yes:

principles of writing technical documentation

Yes:

Local Area Network

(You can’t change this technical term.)

 


Avoid stacks of modifiers