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	Thu, 19 Mar 2020 12:07:35 -0400
From: Tom Lane <tgl@sss.pgh.pa.us>
To: Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>
cc: PostgreSQL-documentation <pgsql-docs@postgresql.org>
Subject: Re: "Cannot" vs "could not"
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Comments: In-reply-to Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us>
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Bruce Momjian <bruce@momjian.us> writes:
> We use "cannot" and "could not" quite often in source code and error
> messages:

Yup.

> Is there any sense that we should have more consistency in our message
> wording?

There is specific guidance about it in our error message style guide:

https://www.postgresql.org/docs/devel/error-style-guide.html

(see under "Present vs. Past Tense").  I believe we largely conform
to that guideline, though of course exceptions sneak in from time
to time.

			regards, tom lane