TECHNICAL

WRITING
Style and Language
Alona F. Villareal
PUP-MBAENG507 -Student
Sunday 11:00am to 2:00pm
TECHNICAL
WRITING
Style and Language
Alona F. Villareal
PUP-MBAENG507 -Student
Sunday 11:00am to 2:00pm
Alona F. Villareal
Alona F. Villareal
Alona F. Villareal
Writers’ styles are determined by
the way writers think and
transfer their thoughts to paper
i.e., the way they use words, sentences,
images, figures of speech, and so on.

A writer’s style is the way his or her

language functions in particular
situations.

Alona F. Villareal
 Standard English can be divided
into two broad categories of style.

Alona F. Villareal
Usually a work of specialist writing to other specialist
Writing that embodies laws or regulation
Vocabulary is specialized and precise
Writers tone is impersonal and objective
Does not use contractions, slang or dialect
Sentence construction may be elaborate
Active voice are use whenever possible as well as
sentence variety and subordination

Alona F. Villareal
Relaxed and colloquial way of writing
Can be found most on personal email or business correspondence,
nonfiction books of general interest as well as on a mass-circulation
magazines
Less distance between reader and writer because the writer’s tone is
more personal
Vocabulary is made up of very familiar words
Approximates the cadence and structure of spoken English while
conforming to the grammatical convention of written English

Alona F. Villareal
 Use of language that is more
formal, technical, or
showy than necessary to
communicate information
to the reader.

Alona F. Villareal
Writers easily slip into affectation through the
use of long variants words

1. Created by adding prefixes and suffixes to simpler words

e.g., orientate for orient; utilization for use

2. Unnecessarily formal words - such as penultimate for next to last

3. Created words using “ese” - e.g., managementese

4. Used of outdated words - such as aforesaid

5. Elegant Variation

Alona F. Villareal
Causes of Affectation
1. Impression - Some writers use pretentious language in an attempt to impress the
reader with fancy words instead of evidence and logic.

2. Insecurity - Writers who are insecure about their facts, conclusions, or arguments
may try to hide behind a smoke screen of pretentious words.

3. Imitation - Perhaps unconsciously, some writers imitate the poor writing they see
around them.

4. Intimidation - A few writers, consciously or unconsciously, try to intimidate or

overwhelm their readers with words, often to protect themselves from criticism.

5. Initiation - Writers who are new to a field often feel that one way to prove their
professional expertise is to use as much technical terminology and jargon as possible.

6. Imprecision - Writers who are having trouble being precise sometimes find that an
easy solution is to use a vague, trendy, or pretentious word.

Alona F. Villareal
 REALITY

An indirect reference of something that exist

i.e., literary allusion in a novel

ILLUSION
a fleeting or temporary false impression
i.e., magic tricks are optical illusion

Delusion
a belief in something despite evidence to
contrary (a belief based on self deception))

FANTASY
Alona F. Villareal
 1. Don’t act like a Scrooge!
(Literature – A Christmas Carol)

 Is a figure of speech that makes a brief, 2. She was a Good Samaritan

indirect reference to a person, place or when she helped the older lady.
event (Bible)

 Is related to past or current history, 3. Chocolate is my Achilles Heel!

culture, literature or politics (Greek Mythology)

 Does not include detail about the 4. He studies all the time and is a
reference regular Einstein!
(Historical figure)
 Often used in comparison through a
metaphor or simile

Alona F. Villareal
Alona F. Villareal
1. Ambiguous pronoun reference

2. Incomplete comparison and

missing or misplaced modifiers
(including dangling modifiers)

3. Imprecise word choice

(including faulty idioms)

4. Various forms of awkwardness

Alona F. Villareal
 I got a dig bick.
Awkwardness the quality of being awkward
(embarrassment, self-consciousness, discomfort, uneasiness)
You that read wrong.
Any writing that strikes readers as awkward —
that
t his,
a tasaforced
w k w a ror
d unnatural
w h e n y o—
u impedes
r e a d t htheir
a t wunderstanding.
rong too
and said “moment” after awkward.

This is awkward.

Alona F. Villareal
 Eliminating Awkwardness
 Strive for clarity and coherence during revision.
 Check for organization to ensure your writing develops logically.
 Keep sentence construction as direct and simple as possible.
 Use subordination appropriately and avoid needless repetition.
 Correct any logic errors within your sentences.
 Revise for conciseness and avoid expletives where possible.
 Use the active voice unless you have a justifiable reason to use the passive voice.
 Eliminate jammed or misplaced modifiers and, for particularly awkward
constructions, apply the tactics in garbled sentences.

Alona F. Villareal
Refers to words and expressions that offend because they make
inappropriate assumptions or stereotypes about gender, ethnicity,
physical or mental disability,Race
age,and
or sexual orientation.
Ethnicity
Biased language, which is often used unintentionally, can defeat your
purpose by damaging your credibility. Sexual Orientation

Alona F. Villareal
 One of the most difficult biases to avoid, because gender-
based language is ingrained in most societies.

 Using “man” or male-based titles for occupations and

generalization is a sexist social norm.

Alona F. Villareal
Race and
 Some expressions about different racial and ethnic groups
Ethnicity
are considered demeaning and offensive

Alona F. Villareal
 Some words and phrases regarding age are considered
condescending.
 The most prominent stereotype states that with seniority comes
not only wisdom but also the failing of a person’s strength and wits
(senile.)
 Likewise, the prejudices against youth and their “impulsiveness”.

Alona F. Villareal
Health and  Disability does not define a person. Some people
Disabilities
prefer words such as “special”, “challenged” and
“differently abled”, but others find them discriminatory.

Alona F. Villareal
 Sexual Orientation

 Nowadays, sexual orientation can either empower or degrade a person.

For instance, drawing attention to a politician’s homosexual orientation in a

lawsuit report is irrelevant, but including this information in an LGBT-focused case
is justified.
The latter situation is offensive since it implies that the politician’s orientation
affected his decisions while an individual’s sexual preference has no effect on his
mental faculties, not everyone shares this belief. The politician might experience
discrimination, and worst scenario, get fired.

Alona F. Villareal
“Clarity is power.
Clarity is essential The more
to effective clear what
communication
exactly
with it is you
your readers. want, achieve
You cannot the more
your
purposeyour brain
or a goal likeknows how
persuasion to clarity.
without
get there.”
-Author Unknown-

Alona F. Villareal
A logical method of development and an outline.
Coherence and unity
Clear Transition
Proper emphasis and subordination
Pace
Point of view
Precise word choice

Alona F. Villareal
 Clichés are expressions that have been used for so long
that they are no longer fresh but come to mind easily
because they are so familiar.

 Clichés are often wordy as well as vague and can be

confusing, especially to speakers of English as a second
language.

Alona F. Villareal
 When you are making a comparison, be sure
that both or all of the elements being
compared are clearly evident to your reader.

Alona F. Villareal
 The things being compared must be of the
same kind.

Alona F. Villareal
 Be sure to point out the parallels or differences
between the things being compared. Do not
assume your reader will know what you mean.

Alona F. Villareal
 A double comparison in the same sentence
requires that the first comparison be
completed before the second one is stated.

Alona F. Villareal
 Do not attempt to compare things that are
not comparable.

Alona F. Villareal
 The comparison method of development can
help readers in an audience understand a
difficult or an unfamiliar subject by relating it
to a simpler or more familiar one.

Alona F. Villareal
Determine the basis of comparison
whole by whole method
part by part method

Alona F. Villareal
Whole by whole method
 all the relevant characteristics of one item are
examined before all the relevant
characteristics of the next item.

Alona F. Villareal
Part by part method
 help readers consider the various characteristics of
all the item being compared
 could accommodate further comparison
(such as temperature ranges, special warnings, and
common use, in the example)

Alona F. Villareal
Use of Tables

 Advantage - provides a quick reference, allowing

readers to see and compare all the information

 Disadvantage - cannot convey as much related

detailed information as a narrative description

Alona F. Villareal
Conciseness means that extraneous
words, phrases, clauses, and sentences
have been removed from writing
without sacrificing clarity or appropriate
detail.

Alona F. Villareal
1. Modifiers that repeat an idea implicit or
present in the word being modified contribute to
wordiness by being redundant.

Alona F. Villareal
2. Coordinated synonyms
that merely repeat each other.

Alona F. Villareal
3. Excess qualification

Alona F. Villareal
4. Expletives, relative pronouns, and relative
adjectives, although they have legitimate purposes

Alona F. Villareal
5. Circumlocution (a long, indirect way of expressing things)

Alona F. Villareal
 Achieving Conciseness
 Use subordination to achieve conciseness..
 Avoid affectation by using simple words and phrases.
 Eliminate redundancy.
 Change the passive voice to the active voice and the indicative mood to the
imperative mood whenever possible.
 Eliminate or replace wordy introductory phrases or pretentious words and phrases.
 Do not overuse intensifiers, such as very, more, most, best, quite, great, really, and
especially. Instead provide specific and useful details.

Alona F. Villareal
A shortened
 Often usedspelling
in speechof and
a word or phrase
informal writingwith an
apostrophe substituting
 They are generally not for the missing
appropriate letter or
in reports,
letters.
proposals, and formal correspondence

FULL FORM CONTRACTIONS

is not isn’t
might have might’ve
I will I’ll

Alona F. Villareal
 Defining key terms and concepts is often
essential for clarity.
 Terms can be defined either formally or
informally, depending on your purpose, your
audience, and the context.

Alona F. Villareal
 Is a form of classification.
 Define a term by placing it in a category and then
identifying the features that distinguish it from other
members of the same category.

Alona F. Villareal
 Explains a term by giving a more familiar word
or phrase as a synonym.

Alona F. Villareal
 State definitions positively; focus on what the
term is rather than on what it is not.

Alona F. Villareal
 Avoid circular definitions, which merely restate
the term to be defined and therefore fail to
clarify it.

Alona F. Villareal
 Avoid “is when” and “is where” definitions. It fail
to include the category and are too indirect.

Alona F. Villareal
1. Extended definition
2. Definition by analogy
3. Definition by cause
4. Definition by components
5. Definition by exploration of origin
6. Negative definition

Alona F. Villareal
1. EXTENDED DEFINITION
 When you need more than a simple definition to explain an idea.
 Explores a number of qualities of the item being defined.
 It developed depends on the audience and on the complexity of the
subject.
 Readers familiar with a topic might be able to handle a long, fairly
complex definition.
 Readers less familiar with a topic might require simpler language and
more basic information.

Alona F. Villareal
1. EXTENDED DEFINITION
The easiest way to give an extended definition is with specific
examples. Examples give readers easy-to-picture details that
help them see and thus understand the term being defined.

Alona F. Villareal
2. DEFINITION BY ANALOGY
 Can help the reader understand an unfamiliar term by showing its
similarities with a more familiar term

Alona F. Villareal
3. DEFINITION BY CAUSE
 Some terms are best defined by an explanation of their causes.

Alona F. Villareal
4. DEFINITION BY COMPONENTS
 Sometimes a formal definition of a concept can be made simpler
by breaking the concept into its component parts.

Alona F. Villareal
5. DEFINITION BY EXPLORATION OF ORIGIN

 Under certain circumstances, the meaning of a term can

be clarified and made easier to remember by an
exploration of its origin

 Medical terms, because of their sometimes unfamiliar Greek

and Latin roots, benefit especially from an explanation of
this type.

Alona F. Villareal
5. DEFINITION BY EXPLORATION OF ORIGIN

 Tracing the derivation of a word also can be useful when you

want to explain why a word has favorable or unfavorable

associations, particularly if your goal is to influence your reader’s

attitude toward an idea or activity.

Alona F. Villareal
6. NEGATIVE DEFINITION

 in some cases, it is useful to point out what something is not to

clarify what it is.

 A negative definition is effective only when the reader is familiar

with the item with which the defined item is contrasted.

Alona F. Villareal
 Refers to a sentence or phrase in which the person
being spoken or written to is explicitly named.
 It is often used in presentations and in e-mail messages.
 Person’s name in a direct address is set off by commas.

Alona F. Villareal
 Use of an additional negative word to reinforce
an expression that is already negative

Alona F. Villareal
 Barely, hardly, and scarcely cause problems
because writers sometimes do not recognize that
those words are already negative.

Alona F. Villareal
 Not unfriendly, not without, and similar constructions are
not double negatives.
 Because in such constructions two negatives are meant to
suggest the gray area between negative and positive
meanings.

Alona F. Villareal
 The correlative conjunctions neither and nor may appear
together in a clause without creating a double negative,
so long as the writer does not attempt to use the word not
in the same clause.

Alona F. Villareal
 Negative forms are full of traps that often entice
writers into logic errors.

Alona F. Villareal
 The sentence can be corrected by stating
the idea in more positive writing.

Alona F. Villareal
 Emphasis is the principle of stressing the most important
ideas in your writing.

 Position  Repetition
 Climactic Order  Intensifiers
 Sentence Length  Direct Statements
 Sentence Type  Long Dashes
 Active Voice  Mechanical Devices

Alona F. Villareal
1. POSITION

 Place the idea in a conspicuous position.

The first and last words of a sentence, paragraph,
or document stand out in readers’ minds.

Alona F. Villareal
2. CLIMATIC ORDER

 List the ideas or facts within a sentence in

sequence from least to most important.

Alona F. Villareal
3. SENTENCE LENGTH

 Vary sentence length strategically.

 A very short sentence that follows a very long
sentence or a series of long sentences stands out
in the reader’s mind, as in the short sentence that
ends the following paragraph.

Alona F. Villareal
4. SENTENCE TYPE

 Vary sentences by using a compound sentence,

a complex sentence, or a simple sentence.

Alona F. Villareal
5. ACTIVE VOICE

 Use the active voice to emphasize the performer

of an action: Make the performer the subject of
the verb.

Alona F. Villareal
 6. REPITION
 Repeat key terms, as in the use of the word remains
and the phrase come and go in the following
sentence.

Alona F. Villareal
 7. INTENSIFIERS
 Although you can use intensifiers (most, much, very)
for emphasis, this technique is so easily abused that
it should be used with caution.

Alona F. Villareal
 8. DIRECT STATEMENTS
 Use direct statements, such as “most important,”
“foremost,” or someone’s name in a direct address

Alona F. Villareal
 9. LONG DASHES

 Use a dash to call attention to a particular word or

statement.

Alona F. Villareal
10. Mechanical Devices.

Use italics, bold type, underlining, and

CAPITAL LETTERS—but use them sparingly
because overuse can create visual clutter.

Alona F. Villareal
Written English includes two broad
categories: standard and nonstandard.

Alona F. Villareal
 STANDARD ENGLISH

 Used in business, industry, government, education,

and all professions.
 It has rigorous and precise criteria for
capitalization, punctuation, spelling, and usage.

Alona F. Villareal
 NONSTANDARD ENGLISH

 Does not conform to such criteria.

 It is often regional in origin, or it reflects the special
usages of a particular ethnic or social group
 vigorous and colorful

Alona F. Villareal
 NONSTANDARD ENGLISH

 As a means of communication its usefulness is

limited to certain contexts and to people whom
already familiar and comfortable with it in those
contexts

Alona F. Villareal
 NONSTANDARD ENGLISH

 Rarely appears in printed material except for

special effect
 Characterized by inexact or inconsistent
capitalization, punctuation, spelling, diction, and
usage choices

Alona F. Villareal
 Colloquial English

 Is spoken English or writing that uses words and expressions

common to casual conversation.
(e.g., “We need to get him up to speed.”)

 Appropriate to some kinds of writing (e.g., personal letters,

notes, some e-mail) but not to most workplace writing

Alona F. Villareal
 Dialectal English
 Is a social or regional variety of the language that is
comprehensible to people of that social group or region
but may be incomprehensible to outsiders

 Dialect, which is usually nonstandard English, involves

distinct word choice, grammatical forms, and
pronunciations.

Alona F. Villareal
 Localisms
 A localism is a regional wording or phrasing.
e.g., a large sandwich on a long split roll is variously known throughout the
United States as a hero, hoagie, grinder, poor boy, submarine, and torpedo.

 Such words normally should be avoided in workplace

writing because not all readers will be familiar with the
local meanings.

Alona F. Villareal
 Slang
 Is an informal vocabulary composed of figures of speech
and colorful words used in humorous or extravagant ways

 There is no objective test for slang, and many standard

words are given slang applications.

 Most slang is short-lived and has meaning only for a narrow

audience.

Alona F. Villareal
 Slang
 Sometimes, however, slang becomes standard because
the word fills a legitimate need.

 Nevertheless, although slang may be valid in informal and

personal writing or fiction, it generally should be avoided in
workplace writing.

Alona F. Villareal
Slang

SLANG MEANING
chill relax
Skyscraper and date go on a date
someone who works or
wonk
studies excessively

Alona F. Villareal
 Is an inoffensive substitute for a word or phrase that could
be distasteful, offensive, or too blunt.

OFFENSIVE / TOO BLUNT EUPHEMISM

died passed away
used previously owned or preowned
fire or terminate employees lay off or restructure

Alona F. Villareal
  Is a word that fills the position of another word,
phrase, or clause. It and there are common
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. Itexpletives.
and there are common expletives.

Alona F. Villareal
  Sometimes necessary to avoid awkwardness, but
they are commonly overused, and most
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. Itsentences
and there are common can be better stated
expletives. without them.

Alona F. Villareal
  In addition to its grammatical use, the word
expletive
is a word means
that fills the position of anotheran
word,exclamation
phrase, or or oath,
clause. It and there are common expletives.
especially one that is obscene.

e.g., “Damn it!” an exclamation that people

sometimes say when they are angry or in pain

Alona F. Villareal
  Is an imaginative expression that often compares
two
is a word things
that fills that
the position areword,
of another basically
phrase, or not alike but have at
clause. It and there are common expletives.
least one thing in common.

 Can clarify the unfamiliar by relating a new

concept to one with which readers are familiar

Alona F. Villareal
  They help establish understanding between the
specialist
is a word and
that fills the position the word,
of another nonspecialist
phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.

 Can help translate the abstract into the concrete;

in the process of doing so, they can also make
writing more colorful and graphic.

Alona F. Villareal
  Must be consistent to be effective
wordShould
is a  that fills the not
positionovershadow
of another word, phrase,the
or point the writer is
clause. It and there are common expletives.
trying to make.
 Better to use no figure of speech at all than to use
a trite one

Alona F. Villareal
  Avoid figures of speech in global communication
is a wordand
that fillsinternational
the position of another correspondence
word, phrase, or because
clause. It and there are common expletives.
people in other cultures may translate figures of
speech literally and be confused by their
meanings

Alona F. Villareal
 1. Analogies
 Is a comparisons that show the ways in which two
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause.objects or concepts
It and there are common expletives. are similar, often used to
make one of them easier to understand.

Alona F. Villareal
 2. Hyperboles

 Are gross exaggerations used to achieve

is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
an effect or emphasis.

Alona F. Villareal
 3. Litotes

 Are understatements, for emphasis or effect,

is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
achieved by denying the opposite of the
point you are making.

Alona F. Villareal
 4. Metaphors

 Point out similarities between two things by

is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
treating them as though they were the
same thing.

Alona F. Villareal
 5. Metonyms

 Use one aspect of a thing to represent it, such

is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
as the blue for the sky and wheels for a car

Alona F. Villareal
 6. Personification

 Attributes human characteristics to nonhuman

is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
things
clause. It and or abstract
there are common expletives. ideas.
 We might refer, for example, to the birth of a
planet or apply emotions to machines.

Alona F. Villareal
 7. Similes

 Are direct comparisons of two essentially unlike

is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause.things, linking
It and there are them with the
common expletives. word like or as

Alona F. Villareal
  Is writing that suffers from an overdose of traits
guaranteed to make it stuffy, pretentious, and wordy
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
 Overuse of big and mostly abstract words,
affectation (especially long variants), buzzwords,
clichés, euphemisms, inappropriate jargon, stacked
modifiers, and vague words

Alona F. Villareal
 Is writing that attempts to sound official
(officialese), legal (legalese), or scientific;
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
it tries to make a “natural elevation of the
geosphere’s outer crust” out of a molehill

Alona F. Villareal
  Is a group of words that has a special meaning apart from
its literal meaning
 Idioms are often constructed with prepositions that follow
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause.adjectives (similar
It and there are common to), nouns (need
expletives. for), and verbs (approve
of ).
 Some idioms can change meaning slightly with the
preposition used, as in agree to (“consent”) and agree with
(“in accord”).

Alona F. Villareal
  Often provide helpful shortcuts.
 In fact, they can make writing more natural and vigorous.

is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or

clause. It and there are common expletives.

Alona F. Villareal
  Avoid them, however, if your writing is to be translated into
another language or read in other English-speaking
countries.
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
 Because no language system can fully explain such usages,
a reader must check dictionaries or usage guides to
interpret the meaning of idioms. See also English as a
second language and international correspondence.

Alona F. Villareal
  Are adverbs that emphasize degree, such as
very, quite, rather, such, and too.
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause. It and there are common expletives.
 Although intensifiers serve a legitimate and
necessary function, unnecessary intensifiers
can weaken your writing

Alona F. Villareal
  Eliminate those that do not make an
obvious contribution or replace them with
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
specific
clause. It and there are commondetails.
expletives.

Alona F. Villareal
  Some words (such as perfect, impossible, and final)
do not logically permit intensification because, by
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
clause.definition, they
It and there are common do not allow
expletives. degrees of comparison.
 Although usage often ignores that logical restriction,
to ignore it is to defy the basic meanings of such
words.

Alona F. Villareal
  Is a highly specialized slang that is unique to an
occupational
is a word that orword,
fills the position of another a professional
phrase, or group.
clause. It and there are common expletives.

 Is at first understood only by insiders; over time,

it may become known more widely.

Alona F. Villareal
  If all your readers are members of a particular
occupational group, jargon may provide an
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
efficient
clause. It and means
there are common expletives.of communicating.

 However, if you have any doubt that your entire

audience is part of such a group, avoid using
jargon.

Alona F. Villareal
 EXAMPLE OF JARGONS
BP – Medical shorthand for blood pressure
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
Debugging
clause. - discovery
It and there are common expletives. and correction of errors in
software
AWOL – Absent without leave

Alona F. Villareal
  Is a noun form of a verb that is often combined with vague and
general (or “weak”) verbs like make, do, give, perform, provide.
 Avoid
is a word nominalizations
that fills the when
position of another word, youorcan
phrase, use specific verbs that
clause. It and there are common expletives.
communicate the same idea more directly and concisely.

Alona F. Villareal
  If you use nominalizations solely to make your
writing sound more formal, the result will be
is a word that fills the position of another word, phrase, or
affectation.
clause. It and there are common expletives.

 You may occasionally have an appropriate use

for a nominalization when you want to slow the
pace of your writing.

Alona F. Villareal
 THE END
THANK Y OU
…NOT YET