Writing In The Discipline

Lahpai Zau Lawn

Writers are…
• Like the dancers
• Like the chef
• Like the athletes
• Like the muscle builders

Reading is breathing in, writing is breathing out.

No breath in…No breath out….
Writing Principles
• Patterns of Organization
• Writing Style
• Grammar and Mechanics
Writing Style
• Depending on
⮚The audience
⮚The situation

▪ It is changeable.

❖If it is documentation
✔Needs to be formal
✔Devoid of any emotion
Writing Mechanics
• Writers work will influence their readers’ reaction. Kupush (1995)
• A written report will be regarded as flawed or faulty and viewed with
skepticism if it contains numerous mechanical writing errors-even if
the report is has a wealth of technical scientific business and creatice
information.
• Mechanic are extremely important piece of the writing
Writing Mechanics
• Abbreviations and Acronyms
• Capitalization
• Italics
• Numbers
• Punctuations
• Spelling
• Word Division
Abbreviation and Acronyms
• Abbreviations in business report should be used with caution because
it may give an impression of rushing or perhaps not really caring.
• A word formed from the initial letters of a name– of companies,
departments, organizations, agencies can save a lot of space in a
report
• Examples: KBC, WIFI, KIO
• One helpful rule is to always spell out the name in full the first time it
is used
• Kachin Theological College and Semenary (KTCS)
Abbreviations are commonly used in the
following areas.
1.Titles before and after names: Dr. Sin War Nawng, Mrs. Mabu May
Ram, Lahpai Brang Sang Awng, Ph. D.
2.Number when used with a figure: No. 8
3.Companies and organizations with abbreviation used in letterhead:
Brain Co.
4.Common Abbreviation: 6 a. m., 10 p. m., ASAP
CAPITALIZATION
• A common dilemma or difficulty is deciding when to capitalize letters and to use
lowercase.
• Capitalize the first letter of:

1. The first word of a sentence

⮚Love is blind.
2. The first word of direct quotation
⮚“Practice makes perfect.”
3. The first word following a colon
⮚Love yourself: Forgive yourself.
CAPITALIZATION
4. The Names of things such as:
People Dr. Nhkum Zau Gun
Titles of People Ah Gu Awng
President and Vice President the President
Days and Months Sunday, July
Holidays Christmas, Halloween
Geographical Places Asia, Kachinland
Buildings, Rooms, Lakes, Innlay Lake, Jaw Masat
Rivers, Mountains Htingnu, Mali Hka, Jaw Bum

Section of the Country, but not Northern Myanmar, South East

the Directions Asia
Italics
• Indicate names of books, magazines, newspapers, plays, and movies
Sai Lam Kata Na Lupwa is the best drama I have ever seen.
• Mix foreign words with English words.
She greeted her, “kaja nga ai kun?”
• Place emphasis or highlight a word.
He is innocent amidst all the students.
• Refer to a word as a word.
The word thy is not use in modern English
• Use as the replacement of underscore.
Numbers
• Spell out one to ten
• Figures for larger numbers
• Use figures to express dates and hours
• Use figures to express sums of money
• Use figures to express chapter and page numbers
• Use figures to express decimals, percentage, dimensions, weights, and
temperatures.
• Use words to express numbers that are indefinite or approximate
Punctuation
Used correctly adds clarity; when used incorrectly it
confuses or distorts the meaning.
( ) Parenthesis ; semicolon

? question “ “ quotation

. Period … ellipsis

‘ apostrophe ! Exclamation

: colon - Hyphen

, comma / slash

_ dash
Punctuation
• Apostrophe
⮚Show possession: Naw Di’s
⮚Indicate omissions in contractions: Today’s my birthday.
⮚Indicate plurality of numbers, letters, and words:
Mind your p’s and q’s.
The paper is full of or’s and nor’s.
Punctuation
• Colon
Use it before a list of items or series of words, whether listed in the sentence
or on separate lines.
The following are the Stages of the Relationship Development Process:
Awareness, Exploration, Expansion, and Commitment.

The following are the Stages of the Relationship Development Process:

Awareness
Exploration
Expansion
Commitment.
Punctuation
• Comma:
• Use a comma to separate words, phrases, and clauses
• Use a comma between two adjectives.
• Use a comma to separate two main clauses
• Use a comma to set off introductory phrases.
Punctuation
• Dash:
• Use a dash to indicate a sudden change of thought.
• The meeting was due yesterday-but the students were out for a mass
work.
• “I was in KTCS when-don’t you know the KTCS?”
• Use it to replace comma, parenthesis, colon
Punctuation
• Slash:
• Use a diagonal or slash in fractions, with abbreviations.
• 16/3/2008; 62/3; https://,
• Use it to mean one of the two
• Brang San Awng/ Sin Lum Awng will get married in 2019.
Punctuation
• Ellipsis:
• Use it to indicate the omission of parts of a quotation
• If at the end of the sentence, use four dots
• Many of the third year guys are baby eating eagles…to help the
juniors.
• Baby eating eagle means having a very younger girlfriend or
boyfriend….
Punctuation
• Exclamation:
• Use it to indicate excitement, emotion or a command.
• Oh my God! She says No!
• Don’t touch her!
• Period:
• At the end of a sentence, in abbreviation and decimals
• Question:
• Use it for asking a question.
Punctuation
• Parenthesis:
• Use it to set off nonessential explanatory words, phrases, or
sentences;
• The teachers stern (sexy) look reduced him to silence.
• Quotation:
• Use it to enclose a direct quotation.
Punctuation
• Quotation:
• Use it to enclose a direct quotation.
• Period and comma go inside; colons, dashes and semi-colons go
outside
• Exclamation points and question marks go inside, if they are part of
the quoted material and outside if they are not.
• Dr. Hanson(1912) stated that “The great rivers are fed by hundreds of
smaller streams.”
• Did she say, “Yes!”?
• She asked him “ How old are you?”
Punctuation
• Dr. Hanson(1912) stated that “The great rivers are fed by hundreds of
smaller streams.”
• Did she say, “Yes!”?
• She asked him “ How old are you?”
• Use it to enclose titles, words, or phrases borrowed from others or
used in a special way.
• The “Hkamsha Ginjaw” is now open.
• A “magical step” drives me crazy.
Punctuation
• Semi-colon
• Use it to join two independent clauses, by not using and, but, or….
• Dr. Zinghang Lat Nawng is slow; he is bright; the President of KTCS.
• Use it to connect two main clauses by using a conjunctive adverbs
such as, however, nevertheless….
• Some guys are ugly; however, they have gentle heart.
• Use it to clarify series of words and phrases,
Punctuation
• Semicolon
• Some guys are ugly; however, they have gentle heart.
• Use it to clarify series of words and phrases requiring other internal
commas
• The bord of trustees consists of Rev. Labya Paul Naw Tawng,
Chairman; Dr. Zinghang Lat Nawng, President; Dr. Maru Brang Seng,
Vice President; Dr. Nhkum Zau Gun, Academic Dean; and Sr. Lahtaw
Zau Ja, Registrar.
Punctuation
• Hyphen:
• Use it in compound surnames, to separate numbers in telephone and
when two adjective work together to modify a noun
• Lungjun-Lahpai La Ring 09-3135-6732-9129 well-written essay

• Use it in word division at the end of a line and when lines fall short or
are too long
• manage-
ment
Spelling
• Use correct spelling
• Check dictionary to be sure
• Accept Except All ways Always
Access Excess Affect Effect
Ad Add Any way Anyway
Addition Edition Are Our, hour
Allowed Aloud Cease sieze
Spelling
Cite Site, sight Council Counsel
Knew New Their There
To Too, two Weak Week
Weather Whether Later Latter
Personal Personnel Stationary Stationery
Suit Suite Incidence incidents
Emigrate Immigrate Expand Expend
Complement Compliment Desert Dessert
Word Division
• Dividing at the end of a line can troublesome
• Follow the given guidelines
1. Avoid dividing at the first line and last line
2. Divide only between syllables—thus, one syllable words cannot be
divided.
3. Keep a single-vowel syllable: formu-lation, not form-ulation
4. Do not divide a word of five of fewer letters
Cable, idea, into, icon
Word Division
5. Do not divide if only one letter is left on the first line
a-
board
6. Do not divide if only two letters will appear on the next line
Careful-ly
7. Divide compound words between the two words
Sales-person, desk-top
Patterns of Organization
• Chronological
• Sequential
• Spatial
• Compare and Contrast
• Advantages-Disadvantages
• Cause- Effect
• Problem Solution
• Topical