Technical Writing

Lecture 3
EE-16-A
Date: 28-9-20
 Technical Writing Style
To possess a sense of effective ways to present
sentences, paragraphs and tone helps writers to
produce documents that readers find clear and easy to
grasp.

The basic concept is to arrange material “top-down.”

o Put the main idea at the beginning (the top)
o Followed by explanatory details (the down)
Contd…
While writing, the writer should pay special attention
to language as it can cause confusion and hence
making it difficult for the reader to understand.

The writer must learn to recognize such kind of

contractions as indicators that the language needs to be
evaluated.
o Ex. Reconsider the sentence if there is repetition of words or
excessive use of “there are.”
 Write Clear Sentences for Reader
While composing sentences the writer should consider
following guidelines:
Place the
Main Idea
First
Use “There
Use Normal
Are”
Word Order
Sparingly

Avoid
Use Active
“Garden
voice
Path” System

Write
Employ
Sentences of
Parallelism
12-25 Words
 Contd….
Avoid Strings
Avoid Avoid
of Choppy
Nominalization Wordiness
Sentences

Avoid
Avoid Noun Use ‘you’
Redundant
Clusters Correctly
Phrases

Avoid Sexist
Language
Place the Main Idea First
To put the main idea first (at the top) is a key principle
for writing sentences.

The subject of the sentence should come first as it makes

the rest of the sentence accessible.

Readers relate subjects to their own ideas (their schema).

After readers know the topic, they are able to interact

with the complexities writers develop.
Contd…
Ex. “The writing of manufacturing processes, which
explain the sequence of a part’s production, and design
specifications, which detail the materials needed to
produce an object, are two types of professional
writing I will do.”
AND
“Two types of professional writing that I will do are
writing manufacturing processes, which explain the
sequence of a part’s production and design
specifications, which detail the material needed to
produce an object.”
Contd…
In the first example the main idea, “two types of
professional writing” comes near the end.

The sentence is difficult to understand.

In the second example, the main idea is stated first.

Thus making the rest of the sentence easier to
understand.
Use Normal Word Order
The normal word order in English is subject-verb-
object.

The reading becomes easier as it reveals the topic first

and then develops the idea. It also produces the clear
and concise sentences.
Contd…
Ex. “The ASTM definition describes the process by
which polymers break down.”
AND
“Polymers break down in a process described by the
ASTM definition.”
Use Active Voice
The active voice emphasizes the performer of the action
instead of receiver.

It helps readers grasp ideas easily because it adheres to

the SVO pattern.

When subject acts the verb is in an active voice

o Ex. “I wrote the memo.”
When the subject is acted upon, the verb is in passive
voice.
o Ex. “The memo was written by me.”
Contd….
To change the passive voice to active, the writer
should follow the following guidelines:

Move the person acting out of prepositional phrase.

o The test was conducted by the intern. (passive)
o The intern conducted the test. (active)

Supply a subject (a person or an agent).

o This method was ruled out. (passive)
o The staff ruled out this method. (active)
o I ruled out this method. (active)
Contd…
Substitute an active verb for a passive one.
o The heated water is sent into the chamber. (passive)
o The heated water flows into the chamber. (active)
 Activity 1
Change the following sentences in active voice

The jar is filled with sand.

Reading is enjoyed by Mary.

The town was destroyed by fire.

The room will be cleaned by John every Saturday.

Cheese was eaten by Sara.

Contd….
The food is not cooked by her.

I was given flowers by Peter on my birthday.

Your friend is being waited for by you.

The window pane has been broken by the children.

My car will have been sold by me

Contd…
The passive voice is sometimes more accurate.

It is used to shows that a situation is typical or usual

or to avoid an accusation.

o Robots are used in repetitive activities.

or
o Companies use robots in repetitive activities.
Contd….
o You violated the ethics code by doing that.
o The ethics code was violated by that act.

The passive voice can also be used to emphasize a

certain word.
o Milk samples are preserved by the addictive.
o The addictive preserves the milk samples.
Employ Parallelism
Parallelism is the matching of the forms of words, phrases,
or clauses within a sentence. Editing work for parallel
construction improves clarity and emphasizes points.

Parallelism, also known as parallel structure, is when

phrases in a sentence have similar or the same
grammatical structure.

In its most basic usage, parallelism provides a phrase with

balance and clarity. Parallelism also serves to give phrases
a pattern and rhythm.
In other words, it means using similar structure for similar elements.

Writers use parallel structures for elements with equal value in a

sentence (coordinate elements).

o Ex. One step (action) for (preposition) man (noun)…

one leap (action) for (preposition) mankind (noun).

o She likes cooking, jogging, and reading.

o She likes to cook, jog, and read.

o Technical writers create memos, proposals and manuals.

Contd…
Coordinate elements are connected by coordinating
conjunctions (fanboys), words, phrases, clauses.

Words, phrases, and clauses joined by a coordinating

conjunction (and, but, or, nor, for, so, yet) need to have
parallel grammatical construction.

o Ex. I like jogging and walking.

o We all need good nutrition and regular exercise.
Contd…
Words, phrases, and clauses joined by a correlative
conjunction (not only... but also, both... and, either... or,
neither... nor) need to have parallel grammatical construction.

o Ex. I like both to read books and to watch movies.

Words, phrases, and clauses joined by a comparative

expression (as much as, more than, less than) need to have
parallel grammatical construction.

o Ex. I enjoy going out to a movie as much as I enjoy renting a movie

and staying home to watch it.
Contd….
Words, phrases, and clauses in a series should be parallel in
grammatical construction.

o Ex. He is smart, honest, and very responsible.

Items in a bulleted list should also be parallel in their

grammatical form.

o Explore sample wiki sites

o Create an account on free hosting services
o Select a wiki name
o Choose privacy options
o Create and customize your wiki site
 Activity 2
Typical writing situations include proposals, the
sending of e-mails and how to update a system.

Yara loves running, to swim, and biking.

For dinner we like lamb chops and to fry Brussels

sprouts.

The theater also acts as a comedy club, jazz club,

casino, aqua theater, and karaoke bar.
Contd….
In this paper, we will reference the works of Churchill and
Sir Francis Bacon.

Olympic athletes usually like practicing, competing, and to

eat ice cream sandwiches.

Public transit such as buses or a train can help reduce air

pollution.

Driving a car requires coordination, patience, and good

eyesight.
Write Sentences 12-25 Words
An easy to read sentence is 12-25 words long.

Shorter and longer sentences are weak.

They are either too simple or too complicated.

However, longer sentences, especially those,

exhibiting parallel construction can be easy to grasp.
Contd…
Ex. “The problem is the efficiency policy, which has
measures that emphasize producing as many parts as
possible, for instance, 450 per hour, compared to a
predetermined standard, usually measured by the
machine’s capacity, say 500, for a rating of 90%.”
AND
 “The problem is the efficiency policy, which calls for
as many parts as possible compared to a
predetermined standard. If a machine produces 450
per hour and if its capacity 500 per hour, it has a
rating of 90%.”
Contd…
Second
First Sentence
Sentence
2 sentences, 19 and 21
40 words long
words long
Main idea is
Ignores the dictum of
introduced
putting main idea first
immediately
Easier to read and
It harder to understand
understand
Avoid “Garden Path” Sentences
“Garden path” sentence is a sentence that is
grammatically correct, but due to the way it’s divided
and structured, can seem ungrammatical or nonsensical.

People read by making guesses about what will come

next in a sentence.

They do not wait to understand a sentence until it is

done, so brain is predicting what comes next and
building structure as we hear or read it.
Contd…
Readers are actively interpreting the sentence word-
by-word, and building an interpretation by considering
each word as it arrives.

They look for cues that allow them to analyze sentence

structure or identify parts of speech.
Examples of “Garden Path” Sentences
The old man the boat.
The horse raced past the barn fell.
Until the police arrest the drug dealers control the
street.
The complex houses married and single soldiers and
their families.
The man who hunts ducks out on weekends.
Fat people eat accumulates.
Contd…
In the first sentence, brain sees the first three words
and assumes the subject of the sentence is an old man.

 Instead, the sentence is about a group of people, “the

old,” and their control of the boat, demonstrated with
the verb “to man.”

“Old,” in this case being used as a noun meaning “old

people” and not as an adjective modifying “man.”
Contd…
In the second sentence, at first glance, it appears that
“raced” is the main verb of this sentence. But it’s not.

“Raced past the barn” is being used as a sort of

adjective phrase to tell reader which horse is being
talked about— was it the horse tethered behind the
barn who fell, or the horse raced past the barn?
Contd….
In the third sentence, first inclination is probably to
take “until the police arrest the drug dealers” as a
single clause, but that leaves no subject in the
remaining “control the street.”

The correct answer: “Until the police (make the) arrest,

drug dealers control the street.”
Fixing A Garden Path Sentence
Since there are different types of garden path
sentences, there are also different ways to fix them.

Nevertheless, all approaches to fixing garden path

sentences revolve around the same key concept: one
need to remove the phrasing which leads to the
garden-path ambiguity in the first place.
Contd….
Add a comma in an appropriate location.

o The man who hunts ducks out on weekends

o The man who hunts, ducks out on weekends.

 Add words like that, who, which in an appropriate location.

o Fat people eat accumulates.
o The fat that people eat accumulates (e.g. in their bodies).

Sometimes writer need to include further minor modifications such

as adding an auxiliary verb (e.g. was).

o The horse raced past the barn fell.

o The horse which was raced past the barn fell.
Use ‘There Are’ Sparingly
Over use of indefinite phrase “there are” and its many
related forms (there is, there will be) weakens the
meaning by burying the subject in the middle of
sentence.

Sentences are more effective if the subject is placed

first.
Contd….
Ex. There is a change in efficiency policy that could
increase our profits. (ineffective)

AND

 Our profits will increase if we change our efficiency

policy. (effective)
Contd….
Use “there are” for emphasis or to avoid the verb exist.

• Ex. Three standard methods exist. (weak)

AND
There are three standard methods. (stronger)
Avoid Nominalizations
Nominalization is a type of word formation in which a
verb or an adjective is used as a noun.

Verbs are turned into nouns by adding suffix, such as, ‘-

ion,’ ‘-ity,’ ‘-ment,’ ‘-ness’ etc.

It weakens sentences by presenting the action as static

noun rather than as an active verb.

These sentences often eliminate a sense of agent thus

making the ides harder for reader to grasp
Contd….
True action should be expressed with strong verbs in a sentence

• Ex. The training policy for most personnel will have the requirement of the
completion of an initial one-week seminar. (static)

• The training policy will require most personnel to complete a one-week

seminar. (active)

• There will be costs for the installation of this machine in the vicinity of $
10,000. (static)

• We can install this machine for about $ 10,000. (active)

• The machine will cost $ 10,000 to install. (active)

 Activity 3
Correct the nominalization in the following sentences:

 Heating water to the boiling point causes evaporation.

 Optimization of our work force is a key goal of our company.

 We should take into consideration several factors.

 He must make a decision about what to do.

 They gave us information about the new research program.

Choppy Sentences
Choppy sentences are sentences that are too short and often repeat the
same words.

Too many short simple sentences can make writing appear

unsophisticated and ideas seem disconnected.

Due to choppy sentences, each idea appears as an independent

sentence.

The effect of such a string is to deemphasize the more important ideas

because they all are treated equally.

They should be combined to make longer sentences

Contd….
The writer should combine and subordinate ideas so
that only the important ones are expressed as main
clause.
o Ex. Both models offer safety belts. Both models have
counterbalancing. Each one has a horn. Each one has lights.
One offers wing-sided seats. These seats enhance safety.
(choppy)

o Both models offer safety belts, counterbalancing, a horn,

and lights. Only one offers wing-sided seats, which enhance
safety. (clear)
Fixing Choppy Sentences
Combine Sentences With Conjunctions

o Ex. Doonesbury cartoons satirize contemporary politics.

Readers do not always find this funny. They demand that
newspapers not carry the strip.

o Doonesbury cartoons laugh at contemporary politicians, but

readers do not always find this funny and demand that
newspapers not carry the strip.
Contd…
Link Sentences Through Subordination.

Link two related sentences to each other so that

one carries the main idea and the other is no longer
a complete sentence (subordination).
Contd….
Use the following connectors to show the relationship.

after, although, as, as if, because, before, even if, even though, if, if only, rather
than, since, that, though, unless, until, when, where, whereas, wherever, whether,
which, while

o Ex. The campus parking problem is getting worse. The university is not building any new
garages.

o The campus parking problem is getting worse because the university is not building any new
garages.

o The US has been highly dependent on foreign oil for many years. Alternate sources of energy
are only now being sought.

o Although the US has been highly dependent on foreign oil for many years, alternate sources are
only now being sought.
 Activity 4
Eliminate the choppiness in the following sentences.

She took dance classes. She had no natural grace or sense

of rhythm. She eventually gave up the idea of becoming a
dancer.

Bears emerge from hibernation in the spring. They wander

through wetlands. They feed mainly on grasses.

I like dogs. Dogs make good pets. Dogs are friendly and
loyal.
Avoid Wordiness
Ideas are most effective when they are expressed
concisely.

Eliminate redundancy and all unnecessary intensifiers

(such as very), repetition, subordinate clauses and
prepositional phrases.
o Ex. I found the site by use of keywords that are
nanotechnology and innovation. (unnecessary subordinate
clause)
o I found the site using the keywords “nanotechnology” and
“innovation.”
Contd….
Ex. It is made of very thin glass that is milky white in color.
(redundant intensifiers plus unnecessary subordinate
clause).

It is made of thin white glass.

Ex. The turning handle is a metal protrusion that can be easily

grasped hold of by the hand to turn the gears. (redundant)

The turning handle is a metal protrusion that can be easily

grasped to turn the gears.
Contd…
Ex. This search was done by a keyword search of the
same words using the search function of different
search engines. (unnecessary repetition plus overuse
of prepositions)

This investigation used the same keywords in different

search engines.
Avoid Redundant Phrases
More
Redundant Concise
Phrase Word/Phras
e
Due to the
because
fact

Employed
used
the use of

Basic
fundamentals
fundamentals
Contd…
Completel
Eliminate
y eliminate

Alternative Alternative
choices s

Actual
Experience
experience

Connected
Connected
together
Contd…
Final
Result
result

Prove
Prove
conclusively

In as few
words as Concisely
possible
Avoid Noun Clusters
Noun clusters are three or more nouns joined in a phrase.

They crop up everywhere in technical writing and usually

make reading difficult.

Try to break them up

o Ex. Allowing individual input variance of data process entry
will result in higher morale in the keyboarders. (noun cluster)

o We will have higher morale if we allow the keyboarders to enter

data at their own rate.
Use You Correctly
Do not use ‘you’ in formal reports.

Although it is used in informal reports

‘You’ should mean reader not ‘I.’

It should not be used as a very informal substitute for

‘the,’ or ‘a.’
Contd…
For example
o This is your basic hammer (used as substitute for ‘the’)

o I knew when I took the training course that you must

experience the problems firsthand. (incorrect as ‘I’)

o I knew when I took the training course that I needed to

experience the problems first hand.
Avoid Sexist Language
Language is considered sexist when the word choice
suggests only one gender even though both are
intended.

Careful writers rewrite sentences to avoid usages that

are sensitive and in most cases inaccurate.

Avoid clumsy phrases like ‘he/she,’ and ‘s/he.

Although an occasional ‘he or she’ is acceptable.
Examples
The clerk must make sure that he punches in. (sexist)

The clerk must make sure to punch in. (use an infinite)

The clerks must make sure that they punch in. (use the plural).

Everyone will bring their special dish to the company potluck.

(use the plural to refer to plural sense singulars)

Their refers to everyone which is singular but has a plural sense.