Objectives in Technical Writing Lecture 3&4 Objectives in Technical Writing

Objectives Clarity Conciseness Accuracy Organization Ethics

CLARITY Provide specific detail Answer the reporter’s questions Use easily understandable words Use verbs in the active voice

CLARITY 1) Provide Specific detail Supply specific quantified information, avoid vague or abstract adverbs and adjectives e.g some or recently. State exact meaning

CLARITY 2)Answer the Reporter’s questions Who, what, when, where, why and how 3) Use Easily Understadable Words i)Avoid Obscure Words: Write to express not to impress

Using Acronyms, Abbreviations, and jargon Acronym: single word created from the first letters of multiple words -Scuba(self contained underwater breathing apparatus) -radar(radio detecting and ranging) -NASA(National Aeronautics Space Agency)

Abbreviations: -FBI(Federal Bureau of Investigations) -IBM(International Buiness Machines) -L.A(Los Angeles) -U.E.T Jargon: heaters(for fast balls in Baseball)

Guess the meaning of the following abbreviations and jargons: CIA???? Spaghetti??? FIFO???

Solution: -Parenthetial Definitions i.e CIA(Cash in advance) -Glossary

Active Voice versus Passive Voice

CONCISENESS Provide thorough details in fewer words -conciseness saves some time -it aids in comprehension

How to achieve Conciseness 1)Limit Paragraph Length 2)Limit word and Sentence Length 3)Avoid Camouflaged Words 4)Avoid the Expletive Pattern it allows you some time to understand the contents separately it gives you a room to breathe

1)Limit Paragraph Length “Please Prepare to supply a readout of your findings and recommendations to the officer of the Southwest Group at the completion of your study period. As w discussed, the undertaking of this project implies no currently known incidences of impropriety in the Southwest Group, nor is it designed specifically to find any. Rather, it is to assure ourselves of sufficient caution, control, and impartiality when dealing with an area laden with such potential vulnerability. I am confident that we will be better served as a company as a result of this effort”.

Limit Paragraph Length No more than 4 to 6 typed lines No more than 50 words Short paragraphs are manageable Cut long paragraph at logical places

Improved version Please Prepare to supply a readout of your findings and recommendations to the officer of the Southwest Group at the completion of your study period. As w discussed, the undertaking of this project implies no currently known incidences of impropriety in the Southwest Group, nor is it designed specifically to find any. Rather, it is to assure ourselves of sufficient caution, control, and impartiality when dealing with an area laden with such potential vulnerability. I am confident that we will be better served as a company as a result of this effort.

2)Limit word and Sentence Length Excessively long words and sentences add haze to the writing. Fog index should not be greater than 13 Robert Gunning’s Method for Fog Index Take a full passage that is around 100 words (do not omit any sentences). Find the average sentence length (divide the number of words by the number of sentences). Count words with three or more syllables (complex words), not including proper nouns (for example, Djibouti), familiar jargon or compound words, or common suffixes such as -es, -ed, or -ing as a syllable. Add the average sentence length and the percentage of complex words Multiply the result by 0.4 Example:

Fog Index and Reading Level By Grade 17 College Graduate 16 College Senior 15 College Junior 14 College 13 12 High School Senior 11 High School Junior 10 High School sophomore 9 High School Freshman 8 Eighth Grade 7 Seventh grade 6 Sixth grade

Interpretation of Fog Index 22% americans graduate Writing at college level means that you are ignoring 78% of the readers

Calculating Fog Index Passage from the Wikipedia article on "logorrhoea" The word logorrhoea is often used pejoratively to describe prose that is highly abstract and contains little concrete language. Since abstract writing is hard to visualize, it often seems as though it makes no sense and all the words are excessive. Writers in academic fields that concern themselves mostly with the abstract, such as philosophy and especially postmodernism, often fail to include extensive concrete examples of their ideas, and so a superficial examination of their work might lead one to believe that it is all nonsense.

Example Passage from the Wikipedia article on "logorrhoea" The following paragraph has a Gunning Fog Index of 16.6. The word logorrhoea is often used pejoratively to describe prose that is highly abstract and contains little concrete language. Since abstract writing is hard to visualize, it often seems as though it makes no sense and all the words are excessive. Writers in academic fields that concern themselves mostly with the abstract, such as philosophy and especially postmodernism, often fail to include extensive concrete examples of their ideas, and so a superficial examination of their work might lead one to believe that it is all nonsense.

Analysis There are 86 words in three sentences. The 11 italic words are considered complex. 0.4 ((86 / 3) + 100 (11/86)) 0.4 x ( 28.67 + 12.79) Fog index = 16.6

Assignment Question1 As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the United Kingdom from the 18th century, and of the United States since the mid 20th century, it has become the lingua franca in many parts of the world, and the most prominent language in international business and science. It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language in the European Union and many Commonwealth countries, as well as many international organisations.

Assignment Question2 Passage from the Wikipedia article on "The English Language" As a result of the military, economic, scientific, political, and cultural influence of the United Kingdom from the 18th century, and of the United States since the mid 20th century, it has become the lingua franca in many parts of the world, and the most prominent language in international business and science. It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language in the European Union and many Commonwealth countries, as well as many international organisations.

Ways to Lower High Fog Index Use the Meat Cleaver Method of Revision Avoid Shun Words Avoid Camouflaged Words Avoid the Expletive Pattern Omit Redundancies Avoid Wordy Phrases

Meat Cleaver Method Cut the sentence in half or thirds Example: To maintain proper stock balances of respirators and canister elements and to ensure the identification of physical limitations which may negate an individual’s previous fit-test, a GBC-16 Respirator Request and Issue Record will need to be submitted for each respirator requested for use.

Meat Cleaver Method….contd Version2: Please submit a GBC-16 Respirator Request and Issue Record for each requested respirator. We then can maintain proper respirator and canister elements stock balances. We also can identify physical limitations which may negate an individual’s previous fit-test.

Avoid Shun Words Example: 1) “to ensure the identification of physical limitations” Identify physical limitations 2) “I want you to take into consideration the following” Consider the following . Comprison: 66% reduced

Some Examples Shun word Concise Version Came to the conclusion Concluded or decided With the exception of Except for Make revisions Revise Utilization of Use Consider implementation implement

Avoid Camouflaged words The keyword is burried in the middle of surrounding words(usually helper words or unneeded words) e.g with the exception of----------except

Some camouflaged words For the purpose of discussing discuss Arrive at an agreement agree At a later moment later Make an amendment to amend Have a meeting meet

Avoid Expletive Pattern Avoid “there is” , “it is” pattern Example: “There are three people who will work for Acme” ……….9 words Revised Version: Three people will work for Acme…………………...6 words Omitted 3 words or 33% Example 2: It has been decided that ten engineers will be hired. Revised: Ten Engineers will be hired

Omit Redundancies During the year of 2000 In the month of December Needless to say We collaborated together on the project This is a new innovation

Avoid Wordy Phrases Due to the fact that …………because Enclosed please find…………enclosed is In the near future……………..soon

Accuracy 1)Let someone else read it 2)Use the gestation approach 3)Read backwards 4)Read one line at a time 5)Read long words syllable by syllable 6)Use Technology 7)Check figures, scientific and technical equations, and abbreviations 8)Read it out Loud 9)Try scattershot proofing 10)Use a dictionary