BITS Pilani Presentation Dr. Nilak Datta HSS Department, K K Birla Goa Campus

9/18/2019
BITS Pilani
K K Birla Goa Campus
Lecture 4
Date: 10-Aug-2019
Topic: Principles of Effective Writing
BITS Pilani Presentation (Part II) and The Art of Condensation
Dr. Nilak Datta
HSS Department, K K Birla Goa Campus Technical Report Writing
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TAZC312/POWABZC321/PEABZC313
BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus BITS Pilani, K K Birla Goa Campus
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Recapitulation of Lecture 3
• Principles of Effective Writing
• Patterns of Paragraphs
Work Integrated Learning Programmes
Division • Topic Sentence Placements
• Models 1, 2,3,4.
Technical Report Writing • Various aspects of Effective Writing
TAZ C312/ POWAB ZC321/ PEAB ZC313
Credit Units 3
Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

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TAZC312/POWABZC321/PEABZC313 TAZC312/POWABZC321/PEABZC313
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TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 1

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Major Objective Today : The second type

•To continue some unfinished aspects of The second type : Argumentative writing.
• Presents an opinion
effective writing • Argues in favor of that opinion
• Newspaper editorials
•To introduce the new topic “The Art of • News broadcasts (Think!)
Condensation”

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Four Types of Writing The third type

The first type : Informative writing or expository writing.
The third type : Combines personal and
• Provides information
• Makes observations impersonal matters.
• Presents ideas • Presents opinion
• Shows data
• Convinces others
• Debates opinions
• Creates connections with others

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The fourth type Context

The fourth type : Creativity, persuasion, and beauty.
Homonyms: Some words sound exactly like
• Persuades readers of the right course of action and thought
• Critically questions present courses of action and thought others. Example: to/too, accept, except
• Shows how beauty and truth can be found in ugliness and banality

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Context Homonyms (List)

 All Ready = fully prepared; Already =by this time
While it is not easy to provide an easy list of
 All together = all in one place; Altogether = thoroughly
writing "contexts”, we can avoid confusing  Ascent = the act of rising; Assent = to give permission
some words and prevent misunderstanding.  Device = a plan or to implement; Devise = to create

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Homonyms (List cont’d) Homonyms (List cont’d)

 Formally = conventionally (with pomp, ceremony, or ritual); Formerly =  Who’s = Contraction for “who is”; Whose = Possessive form of “who”
previously  Yore = Long past (archaic); your = possessive form of “you”; You’re =
 Its = Possessive form of IT; It’s = contraction for “it is” (Don’t = contraction contraction for “you are”
of Do Not)  Buy= purchase; By= next to; Bye bye =leave taking/goodbye
 May be = might be (verb); Maybe = perhaps (adverb)
 Respectfully = with respect (Respectfully yours); Respectively =in that
order (a, b, and c respectively)

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Homonyms (List cont’d) Homonyms (A short exercise)

 Stationary = standing still; stationery = writing paper
Their/ There/ They’re on their/ there/ they’re
 Than = in comparison, besides; Then =at that time, next, therefore
 Their =possessive form of they; There = in that place; They’re = way to the lake.
contraction for “they are”
 Were = past tense of “be”; Where = in which place
The dessert/ desert was mouthwatering.
The army does not look favorably on
desserters/ deserters .

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Important Point Use Parallel Construction

• This weekend, we can go to the beach or walking in the parks.
Let your sentences develop the [To the Beach should be paired with another prepositional
idea phrase, to the parks]
 This weekend, we can go to the beach or to the parks.

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Use Parallel Construction Use Parallel Construction

• When words, phrases, clauses match • I enjoy cricket more than playing chess.
grammatically, we get parallelism. Use similar [Cricket is a noun, but “playing chess” is a phrase]
 I enjoy cricket more than chess.
parts in a sentence with the same structure.
 I enjoy playing cricket more than playing chess.
Use verbs with verbs, nouns with nouns, and
phrases with phrases.

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Parallelism in pairs and lists Parallelism in Comparisons

• When two or more items in one series are connected by • Monthly payments for a leased car may be as low as paying
“and”, use a similar form for each item presented. for a loan loan payments.
 The strikers had tried shouting, threats, and pleading [The list • You may find that to lease leasing is a safer bet than buying.
mixes –ing forms with a plural. …shouting –threatening—
pleading]

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Parallelism in Comparisons Parallelism in Certain paired words

• Items being compared should use parallelism. Tip: These • When sentences use certain paired words (coorelative
sentences use “as” and “than” to make comparisons. conjunctions), the items used to join them must be parallel.
Ex: To admit a mistake is better than denying it. • Both…and/ neither…nor/ either…or/ rather…than/ not
 To admit a mistake is better than to deny it. only…but also
 Admitting a mistake is better than denying it.

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Parallelism Improves Your Writing! Choose Active Verbs

• Parallelism is a deliberate attempt to control repetition of • Passive verb: The pumps were destroyed by a
word forms.
surge of power.
• It creates a rhythm that gives your sentences energy and
swing. • Active verb: a surge of power destroyed the
pumps.

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Another Trick: Choose Active Verbs Choose Active Verbs

• Try to choose an active verb and pair it with a subject that • Use active voice unless you have a good reason for choosing
names the person or thing doing the action. Active verbs are the passive.
more emphatic than passive verbs. • Ex: Ramu caught the ball. ACTIVE
• Ex: The ball was caught by Ramu. PASSIVE

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Choose Passive Verbs only for special

Emphatic Word Order
reasons!
• The passive voice is appropriate if you want to emphasize the • Untangle Mixed Constructions.
recipient of the action rather than the actor. • Straighten out Logical connections.
• Forms of the verb “Be” (be, am, is, are, was, were, being, • Replace misplaced and dangling modifiers
been) are passive as they convey no action. • Remove distracting shifts in perspective.
• Ex: Many people were forced to leave their homes after the • Emphasize key ideas
flood.
• Vary your sentences

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Replace “Be” verbs if they make your

Untangle mixed constructions
sentence weak
• If a “be” verb makes your sentence weak, consider replacing • A mixed construction contains sentence parts that don’t fit.
it. Often a phrase following this weak verb will have a noun or Either your grammar or your logical order might be at fault.
an adjective. It contains a strong, active verb waiting to be Example:
used. USE IT. • When the nation elects Electing a prime minister is the most
• Ex: When M.K.Gandhi was resistant to resisted giving up his important responsibility in the Indian democracy.
seat in the first-class compartment, he became India’s first • The adverb clause “When the nation elects a prime minister”
civil rights hero. cannot be the subject of the verb “is”. “Electing” is a gerund
phrase, and it can function as the subject.

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Avoid
Untangle mixed constructions “is when” “is where” “reason…is because”
• The English language does not allow double subjects. It does • The reason the experiment failed is because conditions in the
not allow a noun and a pronoun to be repeated if they have lab were not sterile.
the same grammatical function. Note: The verb “is” should not be followed by an adverb clause
• Ex: My father he moved to Mumbai before he met my mother. beginning with “because”.
The reason the experiment failed is that conditions in the lab
were not sterile.
The experiment failed because conditions in the lab were not
sterile.

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Straighten out the logical connections Repair dangling modifiers
• Subject and Predicate should make sense together. False • A dangling modifier does not refer to any
predication happens when they don’t match.
word in the sentence. They are hard to detect.
• Ex: We decided that Mala’s welfare Mala would not be safe
living with her uncle. They are usually word groups that suggest but
• Mala, not her welfare, may not be safe. don’t name an actor.

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Repair dangling modifiers Remove Distracting Shifts
• Ex: Understanding the need to create checks • Avoid shifts from indirect to direct statements, questions or
quotations.
and balances on power, the framers of the Example:
Constitution divided the government into Ex: I wonder whether Joan knew of the theft and, if so, did she report
three branches. it to the police?
Revision: I wonder whether Joan knew of the theft and, if so, whether
Note: The framers of the Constitution (not the she reported it to the police .
Constitution itself) understood the need for [ Note: The revision poses both questions indirectly. Alternatively, both
questions can be posed directly.]
checks and balances.

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Remove Distracting Shifts Emphasize Key Ideas

• Make the point of view consistent in person and number. • Emphasize your point by expressing it in the
• Our class practiced rescuing a victim trapped in a wrecked car. We
learned to dismantle the car with the essential tools. You We were subject and verb of an independent clause.
graded on your our speed and your our skill in freeing the victim. These get the most attention from readers.

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Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination
• To coordinate single words or phrases, join them with a • 7 Coordinating Conjunctions and commas:
coordinating conjunction. ,and
• To coordinate independent clauses –word groups that express ,but
complete thoughts and can stand alone as a sentence –join them
with a semicolon or with a comma and a coordinating conjunction. ,or
,nor
,for
,so,
,yet

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• Example: Social networking Web sites offer ways for people to Example:
connect in the virtual world. They do not replace face-to-face forms • Social networking websites offer ways for people to connect in the
of social interaction. virtual world; however, they do not replace face-to-face forms of
Join with a comma and a coordinating conjunction social interaction.
Social networking Web sites offer ways for people to connect in the
virtual world, but they do not replace face-to-face forms of social
interaction.

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• Conjunctive Adverbs with semicolons: • Use a semicolon with conjunctive adverb or Transitional Phrase:
However
; moreover In addition
; furthermore In fact
;therefore In other words
In the first place
;however Meanwhile
Moreover
Nevertheless
Next

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• Use a semicolon with conjunctive adverb or Transitional • Use a semicolon with conjunctive adverb or Transitional Phrase:
Phrase: Now
Also Of course
As a result Otherwise
Besides Still
Consequently Then
Finally Therefore
For example Thus
For instance
Furthermore

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Provide variety Write a Conclusion

• Sometimes you need to provide variety to your sentences. It Conclusions often fade out because writers lose
helps the reader enjoy the process. control over what they write at the end. Use your
• Vary your sentence openings. conclusion to drive the main point home.
• Example: A few drops of sap eventually began to trickle into
1. Conclusions refers back to the main point.
the bucket.
• Eventually a few drops of sap began to trickle into the bucket. 2. Conclusions sum up the main point.
3. Conclusions might point to the next point to be
covered.

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Provide variety Revision

• Use a variety of sentence structures. Mix up simple, complex,
and compound sentences. Revise for Unity, Cohesion, and
• Invert sentences sometimes. Inversion does not follow the
normal Subject-Verb-Object pattern.
Coherence.
Example: A refrigerated case of mouthwatering cheeses is
opposite the vegetables section; a friendly attendant will cut
off just the amount you want.
Answer: Opposite the vegetables section is a refrigerated case of
mouthwatering cheeses; a friendly attendant will cut off just
the amount you want. [inverted the normal sub-verb-obj
order by moving the verb “is” ahead of its subject, “Case”]

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Revision: Things to Remember Stuff to think about

• Unity = all your points relate to the main point
Are your points unified? You need to work on Unity,
• cohesion = all your points are connected by
mechanical, linguistic links (first of all, after that, for Cohesion, and Coherence
instance)
Are your points cohesive?
• Coherence = all your supports form a whole, and one
sub-point leads to another.
Do your points cohere?

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Cohesion is achieved by…
1. Proper Pronoun use

2. Repetition of key words and phrases Important Point
3. Use of transitional tags
4. Use of parallel grammatical structure Let your writing be
readable

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Paragraph Readability Depends on the paragraph too..

• Revise for style and tone • Inductive pattern: Sentences move from
• Avoid Jargon and Clichés specific to general ideas. The core idea comes
• Use emphatic word order
at the very end like a conclusion.
• Vary the sentences (simple, complex, and
compound)
• Avoid circumlocutions
• Use parallel construction
• Avoid passive construction
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Style and Tone Depends on the paragraph too..

Style and tone work with different levels of formality. • Deductive pattern: Sentences move from
Formal writing used for contracts, ceremonies, literary writing (some
types), laws, policies. general to specific ideas. The core idea comes
Informal writing is casual and colloquial. It is found in emails, text at the very beginning. This is the opposite of
messages, social media posts, etc. the Inductive pattern.
Semiformal writing is a halfway house between the two.

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9/18/2019

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 1

Major Objective Today : The second type

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Four Types of Writing The third type

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 2

The fourth type Context

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Context Homonyms (List)

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 3

Homonyms (List cont’d) Homonyms (List cont’d)

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Homonyms (List cont’d) Homonyms (A short exercise)

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 4

Important Point Use Parallel Construction

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Use Parallel Construction Use Parallel Construction

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 5

Parallelism in pairs and lists Parallelism in Comparisons

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Parallelism in Comparisons Parallelism in Certain paired words

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 6

Parallelism Improves Your Writing! Choose Active Verbs

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Another Trick: Choose Active Verbs Choose Active Verbs

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 7

Choose Passive Verbs only for special

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Replace “Be” verbs if they make your

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 8

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Straighten out the logical connections Repair dangling modifiers

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 9

Repair dangling modifiers Remove Distracting Shifts

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Remove Distracting Shifts Emphasize Key Ideas

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 10

Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 11

Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination Emphasize Key Ideas: Coordination

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 12

Provide variety Write a Conclusion

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

Provide variety Revision

Technical Report Writing Technical Report Writing

TAZC312 Technical Report Writing 13

Revision: Things to Remember Stuff to think about