Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TYPES OF REPORTS
1. Newspaper reports
2. Eye witness reports
a. Report on a bullying incident
b. Report on a traffic accident
3. Reports of findings
a. Report on the bad conditions of the school canteen
4. Reports of recommendations
a. Which student to take up the post of Head Prefect?
5. Proposal reports
a. Where should the Outdoor Club have its year end expedition?
Factual
What is the difference between fact, inference and opinion?
A fact is something real that is provable, observable, and measurable. An inference is a
conclusion based on reasoning. An inference can either be accurate or inaccurate. It becomes
sound or believable if supported by facts. An opinion is a personal belief or judgement that is
not founded on proof or certainty. For instance:
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Objective
Objective reports are fair and impartial, not influenced by emotion or opinion. One key to
being objective is to avoid words whose connotations change the tone of the report.
SUBJECTIVE OBJECTIVE
The woman was brutally pushed by the
teenager.
The hooligan attacked the disgustingly
filthy old hag.
Activity: Identify whether each of the sentences below is written from an objective or
subjective stance. Then, try to rewrite the sentence from the opposite stance (if the
sentence was subjective, try to make it objective, and vice versa.)
1. Nikes trademark logo is Just do it.
O/S
Rewritten:
2. Shakespeares plays are irrelevant these days as they are difficult to understand. O / S
Rewritten:
3. The habitual use of drugs creates physical addiction.
O/S
Rewritten:
Objective reports also do not favour one side or another, even if you are writing a report for a
murder case! Report objectively and factually. The higher authority (discipline master, police
etc.) will have the capability to come to their own conclusion, so you do not have to decide
for them.
Additionally, objective reports should not be overly dramatic. Unlike a narrative, the use of
emotive language and literary devices (such as metaphors, hyperbole, and irony) are not
encouraged.
FLOWERY LANGUAGE HOW CAN IT BE IMPROVED?
It was a clear and beautiful morning. The
sunlight filtered into the classroom through
the windows, giving everything a golden
glow. The English teacher was conducting
a most entertaining lesson on report
writing when suddenly a loud shout
punctured the silence of the lesson.
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Well-organised
Poorly organised reports can leave readers feeling lost and confused, so its important that
reports be well-organised.
The best way to organise information will depend somewhat on the type of report and
complexity of the situation. A simple incident report might work best if organised in
chronological order. An investigation report, on the other hand, might flow better if
organised by type of violation/offence.
When in doubt, follow the bulleted points provided in the question!
Organise your answer such that each point is covered by one paragraph.
(Comparison /contrast)
On one hand On the other hand
3. Eliminate unnecessary words and phrases to make your report more concise
It may seem contradictory to say that a report should be both complete and concise.
However, being concise does not mean leaving out important details. Rather, it means
using words economically and omitting words that do not add value. Your report should be
free of the excessive wordiness that interferes with readability.
Activity: For example, how should you revise the following phrases?
Modern students of today
Refer back
Plan ahead
Attached together
Join together
Red in colour
Basic essentials
Small in size
Use the active voice when the actors identity is more important than the action.
Active:
The butler did it.
Passive:
It was done by the butler
Use the active voice when you want to be direct and emphatic.
Active:
Management expects the staff to follow the rules.
Passive:
It is expected by the Management that the rules will be
followed by the staff.
Passive:
CPR was being performed by the patients wife prior to our arrival.
Active:
...
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FORMAT
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For recap purposes, lets define again what active/passive voice is:
Active:
Passive:
ACTIVE PASSIVE
To focus readers attention on the actor, not what
is being acted upon.
In the above example, the active voice would be preferred if the writer wanted to focus readers attention on
Captain Ahab. The passive voice would be preferred if the writer wanted to focus readers attention on the
whale, or on the fact that it is pursued relentlessly.
When it is important that readers know exactly
who did (or said) what to whom.
Active: When U.S. troops invaded Iraq, they
inadvertently killed many civilians.
Passive: When Iraq was invaded, many civilians
were killed inadvertently.
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PRACTICE
Directions: Rewrite the passive voice sentences as active voice sentences.
Passive: The dog was hit by the car.
Active: _________________________________________________________________________
Passive: The house will be built by the construction crew in five months.
Active: _________________________________________________________________________
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