TECHNICAL

WRITING
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The course develops pre-service teachers’ technical and
scientific writing skills necessary for information and
communication across disciplines using global language in a
multilingual context. It will provide them extensive reading
background and considerable knowledge on the components
and characteristics that determine technicality of language
and concepts in a technical and scientific work. They will
analyse a variety of professional rhetorical situations and write
different technical reports to demonstrate their proficiency in
the written communication.
Course Learning Outcomes
• Analyse technical and scientific paper to
display necessary for information and
communication across discipline; and
• demonstrate proficiency in the written
communication by writing and revising
different technical reports using global
language.
 Things Prior to Technical Writing
• S-V agreement
• Sentence structure
• Fragments
• Run-ons
• Parallelism
• Misplaced and
• Dangling modifier
• paragraph
Subject-Verb-Agreement
Rule 1: The General Rule

A singular subject requires a singular

verb or s or –es form of the verb
while a plural subject requires the
base form of the verb or a plural
verb.
 Example:

My sister sleeps early.

The houses are made of cement and wood.

Rule 2: Intervening words/phrases
• “with, together with, as well as, in addition to, along
with, accompanied with, accompanied by, followed
by, in association with”

A singular subject, followed by a phrase beginning with

any of these expressions, takes a singular verb. A plural
subject, followed by any of these expressions takes a
plural verb.
Example:
Noel and Claudio, including their supervisor,
approve the system changes.

Mr. Jones, with his assistants, is appearing in

court this morning.
Rule 3

“ each, every, everyone, no one,

someone, anyone, somebody, anybody,
nobody, either, neither,” are all followed
by singular verbs.
Example:

Nobody excepts juniors is admitted to the

course.

Everyone has to complete the routine

reports before Saturday.
 Rule 4:“BOTH” TAKES A PLURAL
VERB
EXAMPLE:
BOTH PARTIES ARE WILLING TO SUBMIT THEIR
RESEARCH WORK FOR SECURITY.
BOTH SIGNATORIES HAVE BREACHED THEIR
OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE AGREEMENT.
RULE 5: “EITHER…. OR, NEITHER….
NOR”
THESE CORRELATIVES AGREE IN PERSON AND
NUMBER WITH THE SUBJECT CLOSER TO THE
VERB.

EXAMPLE:
NEITHER YOU NOR HE HAS MY PERMISSION.
NEITHER HE NOR YOU HAVE MY PERMISSION.
 RULE 6: NEGATIVE EXPLANATORY
PHRASE
WHEN A NEGATIVE EXPLANATORY PHRASE PRECEDES OR FOLLOWS THE SUBJECT
OF A VERB AND CONTAINS A NOUN DIFFERING FROM THE SUBJECT IN NUMBER,
ENSURE THAT THE VERB AGREES WITH THE SUBJECT AND WITH THE NOUN
APPEARING IN THE NEGATIVE EXPLANATORY PHRASE.

EXAMPLE:

THE CHAIRPERSON, NOT THE COMMITTEE MEMBERS, IS AN ADJUSTMENT.

THE TECHNICAL REPORTS, NOT THE STAFF APPRAISAL REPORT, ARE DIFFICULT TO
WRITE.
Rule 7:
RELATIVE PRONOUN CONSTRUCTIONS
IN RELATIVE PRONOUN CONSTRUCTION LIKE “ONE OF THOSE
WHO/WHICH, THAT” THE VERB FOLLOWING IS PLURAL.

EXAMPLE:
RICO IS ONE OF THOSE WHO ARE ALWAYS SHIFTING THE BLAME ON
OTHERS.
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOST DARING SOLUTIONS THAT HAVE BEEN
OFFERED.
 Rule 8:
SOME, PART, HALF, QUARTER AND OF
such constructions take either a singular or plural verb,
depending on whether the portion referred to is considered as a
unit or as representing the individual members of the unit.

Example:
HALF OF THE PROPERTY GOES TO HER.
SOME OF THE HERBICIDE HAS EXPIRED.
Rule 9:
A COLLECTIVE NOUN, ONE THAT REFERS TO GROUP OF, LIKE PERSONS,
TAKES SINGULAR VERB WHEN REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE GROUP AS
A UNIT; TAKES A PLURAL VERB WHEN REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE
INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS OF THE GROUP.

EXAMPLE:
THE COMMITTEE HAS DECIDED WHO IS BEST TO LEAD THEM NEXT
YEAR.
THE CLASS IS ORDERLY.
 Rule 10:
SINGULAR NOUNS PLURAL IN FORM
THE NAMES OF SCIENCES AND BRANCHES OF STUDY ENDING IN
THIS THOUGH PLURAL IN FORM ARE USED WITH SINGULAR VERBS
WHEN THE SENTENCE GIVES A DEFINITION OR MEANING OF THAT
SCIENCE OR BRANCH OF STUDY. HOWEVER, IF THE SENTENCE IS
USED WHERE NO DEFINITION OR MEANING OF THE WORD IS GIVEN,
THAT IS USED IN PLURAL SENSE.

EXAMPLE:
ATHLETICS IS THE PRACTICE OF PHYSICAL EXERCISE.
 Rule 11:
NOUNS OCCURING IN SETS OF TWO TAKE THE
SINGULAR WHEN THE NOUN PAIR IS PRESENT BUT
TAKE THE PLURAL WHEN PAIR IS ABSENT.
EXAMPLES:
THAT PAIR OF LEE JEANS IS EXPENSIVE.
MY GLASSES ARE MISSING.
 Rule 12

A NUMBER OF PARENTS (IS, ARE) COMING FOR

THE MEETING.
THE NUMBER OF SIGNATORIES (IS, ARE)
SUBSTANTIAL TO MERIT APPROVAL OF THE
MOTION.
A NUMBER NORMALLY TAKES THE
PLURAL .
THE NUMBER TAKES THE SINGULAR.
WHEN WE ARE TALKING ABOUT AN
AMOUNT OF MONEY OR TIME, OR A
DISTANCE, SPEED OR WEIGHT. WE
USUALLY USE A SINGULAR VERB.
Sentence Structure
 Simple sentence
The most basic type of sentence which contains only
one independent clause.

Example:
Filipinos have several superstitious beliefs.
Neither Bianca nor Samantha believes in bad luck.
 Compound sentence
Contains two or more independent clauses connected by commas,
semicolons, or coordinating conjunctions.

Example:
The priest nodded several times and he went on reading the
horoscope.

She turned to look at him; he waved his hand at her then avoided her
eyes.
Complex sentence
One independent and one or more dependent or subordinate
clause.

Example:
Her mother looked up at him in startled surprise while the
teardrops at the corner of her eyes sparkled under the light.

We prepared whatever the priest needed.

Compound-complex sentence
Two or more independent clauses with one or more
dependent or subordinate clause.

Before the priest was called, my mother seemed

hopeless, but everything changed when the ritual was
done.
 Ways of correcting comma splice
1. By using a period to write two sentences when the two clauses are not
related.
Comma splice:
 Human nature is seldom as simple as it appears to be, hasty judgements are
therefore often wrong.

2. Correct:
 Human nature is seldom as simple as it appears to be. Hasty judgements are
therefore often wrong.
 
2. By using a comma, followed by a coordinating conjunction to join the
two independent clauses.

Comma splice: 
It was one hour before her official time, the teacher was in school to
write her board work, put up her devices and check on the physical
arrangement of her classroom.

Correct:
It was one hour before her official time, but the teacher was in school
to write her board work, put up her devices, and check on the physical
arrangement of her classroom.
By using a semi-colon between the clauses in place of the comma and the
coordinating conjunction when a degree of separation seems necessary to the
clarity of both clauses.

Comma splice:
 Certain streets in Tondo are narrow and dark, sour, and sometimes foul smells
come out of the doorways and windows of the houses.
 Correct:
 Certain streets in Tondo are narrow and dark; sour and sometimes foul smells
come out of the doorways and windows of the houses.
4. By subordinating the lesser clause to the main clause.
Comma splice:
 Everybody was tense and nervous, Joseph alone
remained calm.
 
Correct:
When everybody was tense and nervous, Joseph alone
remained calm.
5. By using a semi-colon followed by the proper transitional
device.
Comma splice:
 
All annual reports are due by the end of May, late reports may
be accepted upon the discretion of the secretary general.
 
Correct: all annual report are due by the end of May; however
late reports may be accepted upon the discretion of the
secretary general.
Dangling Modifier
A dangling modifier is a phrase or clause that is not clearly and logically
related to the words it modifies.

Example:

When nine years old, my mother enrolled in medical school.

Dangling modifier
Parallelism
Parallelism – is placing equal ideas in words, phrases, or
clauses of similar types.

Example:

Bacong River is determined, persistent, and strong-

willed.

It flowed down the hills, through the barriers, and

towards the great end.
People who succeed are usually optimistic, goal-
oriented, and have determination.

I was impressed to see the stream again, to

observe its determination, and witnessing it reach
the great end.
Faulty Parallelism

• if the ideas are not written in the

same grammatical structure, faulty
parallelism occurs.