MEANING OF TECHNICAL WRITING

1. a generic term for all written communication done on the job – whether in
industry, business, or other professional. It is associated with jobs in engineering,
architecture, computer science, medical and allied fields, accountancy, chemistry and
related fields, hotels administration, and other areas with specialized vocabularies.
(Gordon H. Mills & John A. Walter).
2. writing about scientific subjects and about various technical subjects associated with
science and technology.
3. characterized by certain formal elements, such as its scientific and technical
vocabulary, its use of graphic aids, and its use of conventional report forms.
4. ideally characterized by the maintenance of impartiality and objectivity, by
extreme care to convey information accurately and concisely, and by the absence of
any attempt to arouse emotion
MEANING OF TECHNICAL WRITING

5. writing in which there is relatively high concentration of certain

complex and important technique, in particular definition,
classification, description of mechanisms, and description of
processes.
6. involves the creation of useful documents that can be clearly
understood by readers.
7. performed by technical writers, who may be professionals or
amateurs.
8. often associated with online help and user manuals
MEANING OF TECHNICAL WRITING

9. which must be understood easily and quickly

10. a type of writing where the author is writing about a particular
subject that requires direction, instruction, or explanation
11. direct, informative, clear and concise language written
specifically for an identified audience. The content must be accurate
and complete with no exaggerations.
PURPOSE OF TECHNICAL WRITING

STATUS REPORT PURPOSE (document) +

AUDIENCE (technical supervisor) =
TONE (objective/impersonal)
PURPOSE OF TECHNICAL WRITING

1.Technical writing is used to request action

2. Technical writing is used to propose action
3. Technical writing is used to recommend action
4. Technical writing is used to inform
5. Technical writing is used to analyze events and their
complications
6. Technical writing is used to persuade and influence
decisions
IMPORTANCE OF TECHNICAL WRITING

1.Technical writing conducts business.

2.Technical writing takes time
3.Technical writing costs money
4.Technical writing is an expression of your
interpersonal communication skills.
Basic Principles of Effective TECHNICAL WRITING

1. Understanding the Reader

2. Knowing the Purpose of Each Technical Report
3. Knowing the Subject Matter
4. Writing Objectively
5. Using Correct Format
6. Adopting Ethical Standards
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
1. Clarity

a. Provide specific details.

When writing technical correspondence, you should supply
specific, quantified information

BAD: “Put enough air in your tires.” (How much air is “enough”?) Vague
word
GOOD: “Fill your tires to 32 pounds per square inch.”
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
1. Clarity
b. Answer the reporter’s questions.
A second way to write clearly is to answer the reporter’s questions—who, what, when, where, why
and how

BAD: “We bought a new machine to solve the problem.”

• Who is “we”?
• What is the “new machine”?
• When was the purchase made?

GOOD: “The marketing department bought a new laser printer (Php. 5,595.00) on June 10 for our
production room. This printer will produce double-side, color copies unlike our prior printer. ”
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
1. Clarity

c. Use Easily Understandable Words.

Another key to clarity is using words that your readers can understand easily.
BAD: “We are cognizant of your need for issuance of citations pursuant to
code 18-B1 CPR violations.”
GOOD: “We know you need to send citations because of code 18-B1
Continuing Property Record violations. ”
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
1. Clarity
d. Using Acronyms, Abbreviations and Jargons
Acronyms are simply abbreviations formed from the initial letters
of other words and pronounced as a word.
Common Acronyms Details
CPA Certified Public Accountant
IBR Integrated Bar of the Philippines
LET Licensure Examination for Teachers
NBI National Bureau of Investigation
DLSU De La Salle University
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
1. Clarity
e. Appropriateness
Words are appropriate when they are suited to your subject, audience, and purpose.
Choices to accommodate audience and purpose affect not only diction, but tone and
style.
Popular words include those words that are common to the whole populace, while
Learned words are those words which are more likely to be used by educated people and
in formal settings..
Popular Learned
agree concur
clear lucid
end terminate
move easily facilitate
think cogitate
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
Jargons are highly abstract, often technical diction that
shows fondness for learned words. These are words used
by a certain set of people with common interest or in the
same profession.
legal profession habeas corpus, preliminary injunction, subpoena, corpus delicti, status
quo

business world rebate, assets and liabilities, amortization, balance sheets, debtor,
inventory

medical world stethoscope, hypertension, sodium chloride

teaching profession lesson plan, grade sheets, inductive and deductive methods, class record,
intrinsic motivation
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
1. Clarity
f. Use verbs in the active voice versus the passive voice.
Technical writers want to communicate as efficiently as
possible, and active voice is more straightforward and is
stronger than passive voice.
Active Voice Passive Voice

The company requires staff to watch a The staff are required by the company to
safety video every year. watch a safety video every year.
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING

2. Conciseness. Conciseness provides detail in fewer words. Conciseness

is important for these reasons
Guidelines to Achieve Conciseness:
a.Limit Paragraph Length
As a rule of thumb, a paragraph in a technical document should consist of:
(a) No more than 4 to 6 typed lines; or (b) no more than 50 words.
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
b. Limit Word and Sentence Length
We can determine how foggy your paragraph is, by assessing it according to Robert
Gunning’s fog index.
The Fog Index
Count the number of words in successive sentences. Once you reach approximately
100 words, divide these words by the number of sentences. This will give you an
average number of words per sentence.
Now count the number of long words within the sentences that you have just
reviewed. Long words are those with three or more syllables. Discount the proper
names, long words that are created by combining shorter words, and three-syllable
verbs created by -ed or -es endings.
Finally, to determine the fox index, add the number of words per sentence and the
number of long words. Then multiply your total; by 0.4
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
Avoid Shun Words.

Shun Words Concise Version

came to the conclusion concluded or decided
with the exception of except for
make revisions revise
investigation of the investigate
consider implementation implement
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING

Avoid Camouflaged words.

Camouflaged Words Concise Version

make an amendment to amend
make an adjustment to adjust
having a meeting meet
thanking you in advance thank you
for the purpose of discussing discuss
OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION TECHNICAL
WRITING
Avoid Expletive Patterns
- there is, are, was, were, will be
- it is, was
OTHER OBJECTIVES OF COMMUNICATION
TECHNICAL WRITING
a.Omit Redundancies
b.Avoid Wordy Phrases
C. Accuracy
d,. Make Your Message Convincing
e. Avoid Misleading Euphemisms
f. Ethics
 What is Creative Writing?

 Also known as 'the art of making things up,' creative writing is a

vital part of modern society.
 Traditionally referred to as literature, creative writing is an art
of sorts
- the art of making things up. It's writing done in a way that is not
academic or technical but still attracts an audience.
 Though the definition is rather loose, creative writing can for the
most part be considered any writing that is original and self-
expressive.
 Creative writing is the artistic expression
through written word. It is used to express the
writer’s ideas and emotions in an artistic
manner. Unlike other forms of writing, it uses
a language that aims to entertain and
captivate the audience.
 The purpose…

 The purpose of creative writing is to both entertain and

share human experience, like love or loss.
 Writers attempt to get at a truth about humanity through
poetics and storytelling.
 If you'd like to try your hand at creative writing, just
keep in mind that whether you are trying to express a feeling
or a thought, the first step is to use your imagination.
Types of creative writing include:

 Poetry  Memoirs
 Plays  Personal essays
 Movie and television scripts
 Fiction (novels, novellas,
and short stories)
 Songs
 Speeches
 As you can see, some nonfiction types of writing
can also be considered creative writing.
 Memoirs and personal essays, for example, can be
written creatively to inform your readers about your
life in an expressive way.
 Because these types are written in first person, it's
easier for them to be creative.
 Techniques used in creative writing
include:
  Anecdotes
Character
 Metaphors and similes
developme
nt  Figures of speech
 Plot  Imaginative language
developme  Emotional appeal
nt  Heavy description
 Vivid
setting
 Key Differences

 In creative writing the most of the part is self-

created, although the idea might be inspired but in
technical writing the facts are to be obliged and the
note is delivered from leading on what previously
other greats have concluded.
 Most commonly, the creative writing is for general
audience or for masses but technical writing is for
specific audience.
The creative writing entertains people as it has
poetry or some illustrations or another idea,
whereas the technical writing causes boredom
as it follows the strong pattern based on facts
and is just to transfer the information to the
audience.
 In technical writing the specialized vocabulary, such
like scientific terms and other are used while in
creative writing, one can go with slang or evocative
phrases or even something which can be perceived
well by the audience.
 Humor, satire might be the useful essences in
creative writing but such thoughts or ideas have no
link with the technical writing.
 Imaginative Writing vs. Academic Writing

 Creative writing is different to academic writing. Writing

for websites is different to writing for newspaper
columns.
 Journal entries are different to writing press releases on
behalf of a brand. Writing purposes do vary. It’s
important that when undertaking any writing you have a
firm grasp on this concept.
 Technical Writing Creative Writing
Forms/Samples Research Journals, proposals, Poetry, fiction, drama
reports, guideline
Objective Aims to instruct and inform Aims to entertain the readers
the readers
Content Shows facts Reflects the writer’s
imagination
Audience With specific target audience Broader audience
Diction Formal Informal
Structure Systematic artistic
 Literary Writing Technical Writing
Purpose
1. It entertains or amuses the reader. 1. It provides useful information.
2. It suggests the writer’s message. 2. It directly informs the writer’s ideas or messages.
3. It imparts a lesson. 3. It gives instructions or directions.
4. It broadens a person’s outlook in life. 4. It serves as a basic for decision making.

Subject Matter
1. It focuses on man’s life or experience including the 1. It focuses on the subject related to business, industry, science
intricacies of the human heart. and technology.

Language
1. It makes use of figurative or imaginative vocabulary or 1. It employs specialized jargon which includes technical, or
language. scientific terminologies.
2. Words or expressions are beautifully interwoven so that 2. Literal
they are rhythmically sounded.
3. Direct

Content
1. Subjective 1. Objective
2. Opinionated 2. Neutral

Readership
1. General 1. Specific
Format
1. Informal 1. Formal
 Let’s look at the fundamental differences
between academic and creative writing.

 The Principal Difference

 Style is the chief difference between academic and creative writing.
 Creative writing need not adhere to any specific style parameters. Academic
writing is different.
 Academic writing needs to be structured and executed adhering to a series of
guidelines.
 Indeed, so stringent are these guidelines that academic institutions I n c l u
d e these guidelines as part of their curriculum.
 One kind of writing – academic writing – is rigid, procedural,
purposed purely to convey knowledge, data and information. It’s
orderly, organized and follows a formula. It is necessary. It can be
dull. Anyone can master it. Everyone should master it.
 The other kind of writing – creative writing – is inspired, artistic
and entertains with word pictures, concepts and deep meaning. It
is enjoyable to read. It touches us while teaching us. It’s an art
form. It’s not necessary to learn, but a joy to those who do.

 Academic writing will earn you A’s, creative writing
may get you published. Academic writing must be
taught, but rarely is; creative writing is optional, but
is almost always the focus of writing curricula.
 Overall, creative writing allows for more personal
expression whereas academic/scholarly writing
aims to explore an idea, argument, or concept.
 Academic writing requires more factual evidence
for support, and presents challenges such as the
pressure of time.
 They each have their own purpose
Sensory Details in Writing: Definition &
Examples

 The writer's ability to c r e at e

a gripping and memorable
story has much to do with
engaging our five senses.
 Sensory Details Definition

 Sensory details include sight, sound, touch, smell, and taste. Writers
employ the five senses to engage a reader's interest. If you want your
writing to jump off the page, then bring your reader into the world you are
creating. When describing a past event, try and remember what you saw,
heard, touched, smelled, and tasted, then incorporate that into your writing.

Sensory details are used in any great story, literary or
not. Think about your favorite movie or video game.
What types of sounds and images are used? What do
your favorite characters taste, smell, and touch?
Without sensory details, stories would fail to come to
life.
 When sensory details are used, your readers can personally
experience whatever you're trying to describe, reminding them of
their own experiences, giving your writing a universal feel. A
universal quality is conveyed when the writer is able to personally
connect with the readers.
 Another note about sensory details: there is no one sense that's
more important than another. It all depends on the scene you're
trying to create. However, imagery, the sight sense, is a common
feature in vivid writing.
Let's look at sensory details in action.
Compare the following two
passages
describing a trip to the grocery store.
 Here's a passage without sensory details:

 'I went to the store and bought some flowers. Then I

headed to the meat department. Later I realized I forgot to
buy bread.‘

 Now, does this pull you in? Of course it doesn't. There's nothing to bring you n
i to
the writer's world.
 Read this revised version with the addition
of sensory details:

 'Upon entering the grocery store, I headed directly for the flower department,
where I spotted yellow tulips. As I tenderly rested the tulips in my rusty
shopping cart, I caught a whiff of minty dried eucalyptus, so I added the
fragrant forest green bouquet of eucalyptus to my cart. While heading for the
meat department, I smelled the stench of seafood, which made my appetite
disappear.’

 See how the extra details made that scene come to life?
 Writing with the senses is an important part of writing well.
Adjectives bring writing to life and pull the reader into the text and
help activate his or her imagination.
 Sensory details help the reader feel like he or she was there
and create a more intimate connection to the narrator or writer
and a greater understanding of the text. Adjectives help set
mood and tone in the text and help establish a strong voice.
Which is more appealing to you:
A. Her hair is pretty and long.
B. Her shiny jet black hair reaches the waist.

A. Her perfume smells like chocolate but sweeter.

B. Her perfume smells good.
The words or phrases that describe the
content vividly are called sensory details.
Sensory details add power to writing.
Write a 3-paragraph essay about the
pictures. Make sure that you will use the
words that you listed down. Underline
them in your essay.
Language use in Creative Writing
I. What is Imagery?

 Imagery is language used by poets, novelists

and other writers to create images in the mind of
the reader.
 Imagery includes figurative and
metaphorical language to improve the
reader’s experience through their senses.
II. Examples of Imagery

Example 1
 Imagery using visuals:
 The night was black as ever, but bright stars lit up the sky in beautiful
and varied constellations which were sprinkled across the astronomical
landscape.

 In this example, the experience of the night sky is described in depth with color
(black as ever, bright), shape (varied constellations), and pattern (sprinkled).
Example 2

 Imagery using sounds:

 Silence was broken by the peal of piano keys as Shannon began

practicing her concerto.

 Here, auditory imagery breaks silence with the beautiful sound of piano
keys.
Example 3

 Imagery using
scent:
 She smelled the scent of sweet hibiscus wafting through the
air, its tropical smell a reminder that she was on vacation in a
beautiful place.

 The scent of hibiscus helps describe a scene which is relaxing, warm, and
welcoming.
Example 4

 Imagery using taste:

 The candy melted in her mouth and swirls of
bittersweet chocolate and slightly sweet but salty
caramel blended together on her tongue.

 Thanks to an in-depth description of the candy’s various flavors, the reader can
almost
experience the deliciousness directly.
Example 5
 Imagery using touch:
 After the long run, he collapsed in the grass with tired
and burning muscles. The grass tickled his skin and
sweat cooled on his brow.

 In this example, imagery is used to describe the feeling of strained

muscles, grass’s tickle, and sweat cooling on skin.
 a. Visual Imagery

 Visual imagery describes what we see: comic book images,

paintings, or images directly experienced through the narrator’s
eyes. Visual imagery may include:
 Color, such as: burnt red, bright orange, dull yellow, verdant green, and
Robin’s egg blue.
 Shapes, such as: square, circular, tubular, rectangular, and conical.
 Size, such as: miniscule, tiny, small, medium-sized, large, and gigantic.
 Pattern, such as: polka-dotted, striped, zig-zagged, jagged, and straight.
 b. Auditory Imagery

 Auditory imagery describes what we hear, from music to noise to

pure silence. Auditory imagery may include:
 Enjoyable sounds, such as: beautiful music, birdsong, and the voices of a
chorus.
 Noises, such as: the bang of a gun, the sound of a broom moving across the
floor, and the sound of broken glass shattering on the hard floor.
 The lack of noise, describing a peaceful calm or eerie silence.
 c. Olfactory Imagery

 Olfactory imagery describes what we smell. Olfactory imagery

may include:
 Fragrances, such as perfumes, enticing food and drink, and bo
l omn
ig
flowers.
 Odors, such as rotting trash, body odors, or a stinky wet dog.
 d. Gustatory Imagery

 Gustatory imagery describes what we taste.

Gustatory imagery can include:
 Sweetness, such as candies, cookies, and desserts.
 Sourness, bitterness, and tartness, such as lemons and
limes.
 Saltiness, such as pretzels, French fries, and pepperonis.
 Spiciness, such as salsas and curries.
 Savoriness, such as a steak dinner or thick soup.
 e. Tactile Imagery

 Lastly, tactile imagery describes what we feel or touch. Tactile

imagery includes:
 Temperature, such as bitter cold, humidity, mildness, and stifling heat.
 Texture, such as rough, ragged, seamless, and smooth.
 Touch, such as hand-holding, one’s in the grass, or the feeling of
starched fabric on one’s skin.
 Movement, such as burning muscles from exertion, swimming in
cold
water, or kicking a soccer ball.
 IV. The Importance of Using Imagery

 Because we experience life through our senses, a strong composition

should appeal to them through the use of imagery.
 Descriptive imagery launches the reader into the experience of a warm
spring day, scorching hot summer, crisp fall, or harsh winter.
 It allows readers to directly sympathize with characters and narrators as
they imagine having the same sense experiences.
 Imagery commonly helps build compelling poetry, convincing narratives,
vivid plays, well-designed film sets, and descriptive songs.
V. Imagery in Literature

 Imagery is found throughout literature n

i
poems, plays, stories, novels, and other
creative compositions.
Here are a few examples of imagery in
literature:

 Example 1 Excerpt describing a fish:

his brown skin hung in strips

like ancient wallpaper,
and its pattern of darker
brown
was like wallpaper:
shapes like full-blown roses
stained and lost through
age.
 This excerpt from Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “The Fish” is brimming with
visual imagery.
 It beautifies and complicates the image of a fish that has just been
caught.
 You can imagine the fish with tattered, dark brown skin “like ancient
wallpaper” covered in barnacles, lime deposits, and sea lice.
 In just a few lines, Bishop mentions many colors including brown, rose,
white, and green.
 Example 2

 A taste for the miniature was one aspect of an orderly spirit.

Another was a passion for secrets: in a prized varnished
cabinet, a secret drawer was opened by pushing against the
grain of a cleverly turned dovetail joint, and here she kept a diary
locked by a clasp, and a notebook written in a code of her own
invention. … An old tin petty cash box was hidden under a
removable floorboard beneath her bed.
 In this excerpt from Ian McEwan’s novel Atonement, we can
almost feel the cabinet and its varnished texture or the joint that
is specifically in a dovetail shape.
 We can also imagine the clasp detailing on the diary and the tin
cash box that’s hidden under a floorboard.
 Various items are described in-depth, so much so that the
reader can easily visualize them.
VI. Imagery in Pop Culture

 Imagery can be found throughout pop c u l t

ur e in descriptive songs, colorful plays,
and in exciting movie and television scenes.
 VII. Related Terms

Metaphor
 Metaphor is often used as a type of imagery. Specifically, metaphor is the direct comparison
of two distinct things. Here are a few examples of metaphor as imagery:
 Her smiling face is the sun.
 His temper was a hurricane whipping through the school, scaring and amazing his
classmates.
 We were penguins standing in our black and white coats in the bitter cold.
Onomatopoeia

 Onomatopoeia is also a common tool used for imagery. Onomatopoeia

is a form of auditory imagery in which the word used sounds like the
thing it describes. Here are a few examples of onomatopoeia as
imagery:
 The fire crackled and popped.
 She rudely slurped and gulped down her soup.
 The pigs happily oinked when the farmer gave them their slop to eat.
Personification

 Personification is another tool used for imagery. Personification provides

animals and objects with human-like characteristics. Here are a few
examples of personification as imagery:
 The wind whistled and hissed through the stormy night.
 The tired tree’s branches moaned in the gusts of wind.
 The ocean waves slapped the shore and whispered in a fizz as they withdrew again.
Thank you!