Technical Writing:

Style and Mechanics

COMMON ERRORS IN USAGE 4. Very large numbers are expressed in figures followed by the word million, billion, etc. For example: not
1,000,000,000, but 1 billion. This rule applies to general text only. Scientific information or tables may require full
 Run-on Sentences- occur when sentences are put together with no adequate sign given to mark a break numeric expression.
as if, they are only one thought.
a) Fused Sentences ABBREVIATIONS
o I was a madman in high school I would do anything on a dare. 1. Always avoid abbreviating words out of laziness.
b) Comma Splice 2. It should be used in reports when they are common knowledge to the reader if not, the term should be spelled out.
o I was a madman in high school, I would do anything on a dare.
CAPITALIZATION
 Wordiness- occurs when there are unnecessary words in a sentence Apart from beginning of sentences, and proper names, the only other times you need to use capitals are as follows:
o This paper is almost self-explanatory in itself. o Organizations and places (for example, the House of Commons);
o Michelle has several reasons for marrying the man and all her reasons are good. o Acts of Parliament (for example, the Act of Union);
 Parallelism Error- occurs when an enumerated information are not parallel in structure o Label formed from a proper name (hence Marxist, but not communist);
o Children need sympathy and to be understood. o North, South, East and West when they form part of a country name (South Africa);
o Anna loves to sing, to dance and cooking. o Titles when used with the name (hence the Duke of York, but not the duke);
 Misplaced Modifiers- occur when the modifier is not placed near the word/s meant to be modified o Certain periods of history (for example, the Black Death, Renaissance);
o On his way home, John found a gold man’s ring. o God.
o The waiter served a muffin to the woman that is well buttered.
 Dangling Modifiers- is usually an introductory phrase that modified the wrong word or because it lacks PUNCTUATION MARKS
the subject to be modified.  The End Marks (Period, Question, Exclamation Mark)
o When nine years old, my mother enrolled in medical school.  They are all end marks; that is, they are used at the end of a sentence.
o To be cooked well, you must steam vegetables.  All three marks of punctuation have the same function: to indicate a full stop.
 Pronoun Inconsistency  They all show the end of a complete thought.
o In our family, we had to learn to keep our bedrooms neat before you were given an allowance.  They can all prevent run-on sentences.
o Rollie refuses to eat “kinilaw” for he says it gives you indigestion.  Comma
o Mary and me are delighted to be here  Used when for three or more lists
o I know who stole the money. It was he! My favorite subjects are Math, Science, and English.
 Subject-Verb Inconsistency  Used before a coordinating conjunction that combines long independent clause
 Verb Tenses Inconsistency My grandmother is afraid she’ll miss out something, so she seldom sleeps early.
 Used for two adjectives (Cue: try to put ‘and’ in between the adjectives)
Correct: The old, ruined house… (The old and ruined house…)
CORRECT USAGE OF NUMBERS, SYMBOLS, AND PUNCTUATION MARKS Incorrect: She is a little, old lady. (She is a little and old lady.)
 Used for appositives and insertions
NUMBERS/SYMBOLS Anna, who is a doctor, is my friend.
1. Do not begin a sentence with a figure. Either write it as a word or recast the sentence.  Semi-colon
Not, "200 barrels were delivered." But, "Two hundred barrels were delivered."  Used for monster lists
"A total of 200 barrels was delivered." We had three professors in the group: Peter Tan, Professor of Biology; Pedro Yap, Professor of Mathematics;
and Pete Lee, Professor of Chemistry.
2. Spell out numbers under 10 but write all others as figures.  Used for closely related independent clauses where the coordinating conjunction is left out.
But, if the second number is the shorter, it may be spelled out instead. My grandmother seldom sleeps early; she’ afraid she’ll miss out something. (FOR is replaced by the
300 four-inch strips, 45 three-inch slots semicolon)
 Used in between independent clauses connected by conjunctive adverbs such as however, nevertheless,
3. Generally, symbols are avoided in the text of a report; however, they are justifiable in tables and diagrams. moreover, for example, and consequently.
Commonly accepted symbols are #, /, &. Cloning sheep is a good idea; however, cloning ex-spouses, English teachers, or Freddy Kruger is not.
Yet, in the descriptive or more general parts of a report, avoid such signs as (%) for percent, (/) for or, (#) for number,  Colon (There must be a sentence stop before it introduces a list, an explanation, or a rule)
(") for inches, and (¢) for cents. Use (+) and (-) with figures only.  Used to introduce a list
Correct: I’m going to tell you my favorite breakfast food: cornflakes, oat meals, and toasts.
Incorrect: My favorite breakfast food are: cornflakes, oat meals, and toasts.
 Technical Writing:
Style and Mechanics
 Used to introduce a quotation, especially a formal one or a long one.  Used to set off nonessential information. It gives the reader additional information that's by no means crucial.
The director quoted a line from America’s Declaration of Independence: “All men are created equal.”  Used to enclose additional information in a sentence by the writer.
 Used to introduce or follow up with an explanation. Isn't a thesaurus an ancient reptile with an excellent vocabulary (see Chapter 16)?
Our math tutor wants one thing from us: that we try our best.  Use parentheses to enclose numbers or letters.
 Used to introduce a rule. Recipe for a great day: (1) Drive to the mall; (2) Whip out the charge card; (3) Shop 'til you drop.
Remember: Cheating is not allowed during quizzes and exams.  Bracket
 Used after the salutation of a business letter; and to distinguish biblical citations, hours from minutes, and  Used for editorial clarification.
titles from subtitles.  Used before or after material which a writer adds when quoting another writer.
 Quotation “Sometimes I think it [my writing] sounds like I walked out of the from and left the typewriter running. –
 Use quotation marks to set off a speaker's exact words, to set off the titles of short works, and to set off a Gene Fowler
definition.  Used when materials are added by someone other than the writer.
 Used single quotation mark to punctuate a quotation within a quotation. Double and single quotation marks “Congratulations to the astronomy club’s softball team which put in, shall we say, a ‘stellar’ performance.”
are alternated in order to distinguish a quotation within a quotation within a quotation. [groans]
“I never read ‘The Raven’!”  Placed around editorial corrections.
“Did you hear him say ‘I never read “The Raven” ‘?” The French [Germans] relish sauerkraut.
 Periods and comma are always placed inside the quotation marks when it punctuates the quotation; it is place  Placed around the letters sic (Latin for “as such”); the letters indicate that an error, appearing in quoted
outside when it punctuates the main sentence. material, was created by the original speaker or writer
I almost croaked when he asked, “That won’t be a problem for you, will it?” “No parent can dessert [sic] his child without damaging a human life.”
Did the teacher really say, “Finish this by tomorrow”?  Apostrophe
 Semicolons or colons are place outside quotation marks  Used to show letter or number omission, or contraction
I wrote about Wallace Stevens’ “Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird””; “Sunday Morning” was too deep Don’t ’85 good mornin’ do’s and don’ts (not don’t’s)
for me.  Used to pluralize numbers, letters, and words
 Dash A’s 8’s and’s
 Used to show a sudden change of thought.  Used for possessive forms.
An archaeologist—of course I don't mean you—is a person whose career lies in ruins. Dallas’ sports or Dallas’s sports
 Used for insertions Kiss’s last concert; my boss’s generosity (1-syllable)
All three of them – Bob, Jeffrey, and Jason – did well in college.  For plural forms, just add an apostrophe; for plural forms not ending with s, add s and apostrophe.
 Used to emphasize a word, series, phrase, or clause. Joneses’ great-granfather; bosses’ office’ children’s books
The writer is by nature a dreamer – a conscious dreamer.  When possession is shared by more than one noun, use the possessive form for the last noun in the series
 Used to set off an introductory series from the clause that explains the series. VanClumpin, and VanDiken’s fish (own the same fish)
Health, friends, and family – we are not sufficiently thankful for these. VanClumpin’s, and VanDiken’s fish (owns different fish)
 Hyphen  For compounds and indefinite pronouns, add the possessive ending at the last word
 The hyphen, in contrast, is used to show a break in words. Mother-in-law’s mouth (sing) mothers-in-law’s mouths (plu)
Sec-tion Secretary of state’s wife secretaries of state’s wives
 Used to join a capital letter to a noun or participle Everyone’s; anyone’s; somebody else’s
 U-turn A-center T-shirt  Used with an adjective which is part of an expression indicating time or amount.
 Used to form new words beginning with self, ex, all, great, and half. It is also used to join a proper noun, a Yesterday’s news; a day’s wage; a month’s pay
proper adjective, or the official name of an office. It is used with the suffix elect.  Do not use in showing possession in things
Ex-mayor, self-esteem, all-knowing, pro-American, post-Depression, mid-May, president-elect, governor- Incorrect: The table’s legs…
elect, great-grandson, half-baked
 Used to avoid confusing or awkward spelling. WRITING STYLES
Re-cover ( not recover) the sofa shell-like (not shelllike)
 Used to join two or more words which serve as a single adjective (a single-thought adjective) before a noun. 1. Audience Recognition-
Slow-moving tank mud-caked shoes five-year-old child  Know who are the readers and why they will read it
 Use hyphens in fractions and in compound numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine. - They need to read the material (assignment, reports to be made, etc.)
one-half, sixty-six - They want to read the material (to be informed of an ailment or reject a theory)
 Parentheses - They already know something ( for lectures given by them)
- They read for information, not for pleasure
 Technical Writing:
Style and Mechanics
 Always assume that the readers are intelligent but uninformed
 Three kinds of readers: d. Avoid passive voice
a. High tech peers- know as much about a subject matter as you Passive Voice Active Voice
b. Low tech peers- knows something about the subject matter. The computer was purchased by Tom. Tom purchased the computer.
a. Lay readers- are the common readers
2. Scientific attitude- strictly impersonal and objective e. Avoid usage of nouns over verbs
 Use words that appeal to the intellect (objective and factual) Wordy Concise
 Use the third person pronoun He used to help in the specification of new software… He used to help specify new software…
- I set up the testing equipment in the laboratory and ran three tests before I reached the conclusions stated in
this report There are many factors that contribute… Many factors contribute…
- The testing equipment was set up in the laboratory and three tests were run before the conclusions stated in I will make a recommendation… I will recommend…
this report were reached.
 Use plural constructions of pronouns to avoid gender bias f. Avoid jargons, slangs and colloquialism
3. Clarity- Make sentences say what you mean (specificity) g. Use present tense whenever possible
 Express thought clearly h. Main ideas should appear at the beginning
 Give specific details i. Paragraph length should consider the unit of thought and readers’ eye relief
 Use precise words (Express not impress!)
 Avoid vague words (e.g. several, many, 5. Accessibility- highlighting information and page lay-outing
 Prefer simple, familiar and concrete words  Highlighting techniques:
4. Brevity and Conciseness Graphics Boldface texts Bullets
A. Sentence/ Paragraph structure and length Italics Numbered lists Underlining
 The shorter, the better Headings and sub-headings Varied font size and font style
a. Avoid long words
 Show parallelism to enumerated information
Long Words Short Words
cognizant know 6. Accuracy- correctness in grammar, mathematical and electronic expressions, etc.
endeavor try
domicile home
morbidity death BASIC WRITING SKILLS
terminate end
 Paragraph
b. Avoid wordy sentences
 Essentials of a Good Paragraph
A. Unity- oneness of purpose or content
B. Emphasis- stress, importance, prominence
Wordy Sentence Less Wordy Sentence  By Position
-We collaborated together on the projects. -We collaborated on the project.  By Repetition
-This is a brand new innovation. -This is an innovation.  By Proportion
-The other alternative is to eat soup. -The alternative is to eat soup. C. Coherence- order, holding together
 Chronological Order- time order
 Spatial Order- angle of vision
c. Avoid prepositional phrases  Logical Order- degree of importance
-
Wordy Sentence Less Wordy Sentence LISTS OF TRANSITIONAL DEVICES
-He drove at a rapid rate. -He drove rapidly. addition again, also, and, and then, besides, equally important, finally, first, further,
-I will see you in the near future. -I will see you soon. furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too
-I am in receipt of your e-mail message requesting an -I received your e-mail message requesting a pay comparison also, in the same way, likewise, similarly
increase in pay. raise. concession granted, naturally, of course, no doubt, of course, in fact, naturally
 Technical Writing:
Style and Mechanics
certainly, conceding that, surely, without a doubt 2. Amplified definition
contrast although, and yet, at the same time, but at the same time, despite that, even so, even  Origins and Word derivation
though, for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, instead, nevertheless, Ex: The word research comes from a French word “cerchier”, which means “to search”…
notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, otherwise, regardless, still,  Analysis/ Description of details
though, yet Ex: A comprehensive writing outline has three parts: the title, the purpose statement, and the body of the
emphasis certainly, indeed, in fact, of course, and, further, finally, also, furthermore, after all, in outline…
addition, moreover, first, second, besides. Indeed, to conclude, too, in fact, to sum up,  Cause and Effect
in other words, as a result, accordingly, again, nevertheless, in the end Ex: Juvenile delinquency is an antisocial misdeed in violation of the law by a minor. This behavior is
example or after all, as an illustration, even, for example, for instance, in conclusion, indeed, in caused by many social and emotional factors such as…
illustration fact, in other words, in short, it is true, of course, namely, specifically, that is, to  Comparison and Contrast
illustrate, thus, truly, if that is, unless, namely, when, in case, such as, in particular,  Denotation refers to dictionary meanings while connotation is about context meanings.
provided that  Location
summary all in all, altogether, as has been said, finally, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, Ex: The tamaraw, a small wild buffalo is the only one of its kind in the world. It is found in the mountains of
in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, Mindoro…
to put it differently, to summarize  Examples
time sequence after a while, afterward, again, also, and then, as long as, at last, at length, at that  Negation – telling what it’s not
time, before, besides, earlier, eventually, finally, formerly, further, furthermore, in Ex: Self-reliance is not dependence upon others for a living. It’s not simply waiting for manna from heaven. It
addition, in the first place, in the past, last, lately, meanwhile, moreover, next, now, means determination and more hard work today!
presently, second, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, still, subsequently,  Avoid these following ways of defining:
then, thereafter, too, until, until now, when  Circular definition – merely repeating the term (e.g. Personality refers to the personal traits of a person
Spatial sequence adjacent to, next to, nearby, across from, on the opposite side, above  Figurative Definition – giving of associative meaning to the word (e.g. The president of the company is
below, under, beyond, to the right (or left), in the background (foreground) similar to a post of a house
Cause/Result because thus, for as a result, so, consequently, therefore, for this reason  Definition with “is when” and “is where”(e.g. A university is where many specialist teach); it is
ungrammatical for a linking verb should be followed with a predicate noun or adjective

D. Topic Sentence- central thought, controlling idea B. Description of a Mechanism- expository writing that coveys useful information about a mechanism (what it is,
what is its purpose, what it looks like, what is it all about); it is a description with photographic accuracy.
 Beginnings and Endings 1. Initial Presentation- what the mechanism is, what is its purpose, what it looks like, lists of its parts (in general)
A. Beginning 2. Part-to-part Description- detailed description of the parts (functions, physicality, relationship to other parts,
etc.)
 Straightforward Approach
3. Conclusion of the Description- explain how the mechanism works and how is it used
1. Writer’s first point of discussion
2. Main idea of the piece
C. Description of a Process- conveys information on how something is done; it lets reader’s do thing himself by
3. Purpose of the writer
following a series of steps
4. Objective opinion of the writer towards the subject
1. Introduction
 Blanket Beginnings
2. Materials/ Equipment Needed
1. Quotation
3. Steps/ Process
2. A related principle/theory
3. Summary
D. Classification- is the process of arranging any series of objects in groups to make their differences and
4. Inclusion of a classification or division
similarities clear, and to demonstrate systematic order. It constitutes the second part of formal sentence
B. Ending
definitions
 Summary - Should be formal and systematic. (should state objective and quantifiable characteristic)
 Repetition of the idea in the opening statement Ex: Model home: homey, comfortable: two-room, etc.
 Recommendation 1. Make clear of what is being classified
2. Choose and state a single, useful basis or guiding principle for the classification and stick to it (take one basis
 Aids in Organizing Technical Writing to discuss, e.g. classify teachers according educational background)
A. Definition 3. Name all species according to the given basis
1. Formal definition- specie(term) + genus(class) + differentia(distinct characteristic)
Ex: A square + is a geometric figure + having four equal parallel sides that arebeing right angles
 Technical Writing:
Style and Mechanics
4. Make sure that there is no overlapping with the species (in classifying teachers according to academic rank –
instructors, professors, associate professors, and full professors - is separate and distinct but adding details like
performance and efficiency may result to overlapping

E.Interpretation- is a type of opinion that is close to facts and principally answers the question. “what does it
mean?”
- is communicating what was found out by means of applying logic to opinion close to facts
- any interpretation is valuable in any insights it gives. While it is true that an interpretation cannot discuss a
subject completely, they are best understood as statements closest to fat in which the writer
explains a subject in the light of his own reading, his own experiences, and his own principle of
selection.
- another value would be that interpretation is most useful in ascertaining possible causes of an effect