The word assume is often ambiguous and denotes that something might or might not be true. In general, avoid using assume in technical writing. The following are examples of situations where the word assume is acceptable:
Situation |
Examples |
Legal disclaimer |
Avaya assumes no liability for any errors. |
Command, script, or a similar technical context |
Run the following command to enable the AWS image to assume the new vmimport role:
aws iam create-role --role-name vmimport --assume-role-policy-document <file://trust-policy.json>
|
A person taking on a role or the privileges that come with a role. |
|
Some documents use hypothetical examples based on an assumption. Rephrase these examples without the word assume if you can do so without affecting the meaning or clarity.
Preferred |
Discouraged |
In this example, the cluster database and load balancer are running on North American and European clusters. |
This example assumes that the cluster database and load balancer are running on North American and European clusters. |
