Refine word choice and style guidelines for clarity and consistency; streamline common phrases and avoid condescending language.

Author: madeline-underwood

.github/copilot-instructions.md

@@ -131,9 +131,8 @@ Voice and Tone:
 ### Word choice and style
 - Use these preferred terms and phrases for consistency:
   - Numbers and units: Spell out numbers one through five (one, two, three, four, five), after this use numerals (6, 7, 8...). Use proper spacing for units: "1 GB", "23 MB/day" (not "1GB", "23MB/day"). Use "K" for thousands: "64K" (not "64k"). Use abbreviations for data rates: "Gbps" (not "Gb per second").
-  - Technical terms: "adapter" (not "adaptor"), "AI" (not "artificial intelligence" in most contexts), "backend" and "frontend" (not "back-end", "front-end"), "cloud native" (not "Cloud Native"), "serverless" (not "server-less"), "touchscreen" (not "touch screen"), "suboptimal" (not "sub-optimal"), "ITaaS" (not "ITAAS"), "license" (not "licence"), "analyze" (not "analyse").
-  - Common phrases: "To [action]" (not "Follow the steps below to [action]"), "for example" (not "e.g."), "that is" (not "i.e."), "because" (not "since"), "also" (not "in addition"), "to" (not "in order to"), "see" (not "refer to"), "use" (not "utilize" or "leverage"), "need" (not "require"), "can" or "might" (not "may"), "affect performance" (not "impact performance"), "remove" (not "eliminate", "extract", or "take away"), "set up" as verb, "setup" as noun, "turn on/off" (not "power on/off"), "copy" (not "rip"), "identify" (not "spot"), "therefore" (not "ergo"), "namely" (not "viz."), "avoid" (not "try not to").
-  - Avoid condescending language: Don't use "simply", "just", "obviously", "clearly" - what's simple to you might not be to the learner, and these words can make people feel stupid when they struggle.
+ - Common phrases: "To [action]" (not "Follow the steps below to [action]"), "for example" (not "e.g."), "that is" (not "i.e."), "because" (not "since"), "also" (not "in addition"), "to" (not "in order to"), "see" (not "refer to"), "use" (not "utilize" or "leverage"), "need" (not "require"), "can" or "might" (not "may"), "set up" as verb, "setup" as noun, "therefore" (not "ergo"), "namely" (not "viz."), "avoid" (not "try not to").
+  - Avoid condescending language: Don't use "simply", "just", "obviously", "clearly" - what's simple to you might not be to the learner.
   - Acknowledge when something can be tricky: Use phrases like "this step can be confusing at first" to validate learner experience.
   - Normalize errors: Use phrases like "if you see this error, here's how to fix it" to reassure learners that errors are part of the learning process.
   - User interface terms: "select" or "tap" (not "click" for mobile/touch interfaces), "keyboard shortcut" (not "key combination"), "Ctrl key" (capitalized), "double-tap" (not "double-click" for touch interfaces).