1. Technical Writing Style
Lecture-5
( ) By: Syed Abrar Hussain Shah

2. Today… Guideline for Writing Clear Sentence
Guideline for writing Clear Paragraph
Guideline for Revising for Clarity
Guidelines for Organizing Clearly

3. Guideline for Writing Clear Sentence
Use Normal Word Order
Write Sentences of 12 to 25 Words
Use Active Voice
Use Parallel Structure
Put Main Idea First

4. 1- Use Normal Word Order
The normal word order in English is subject-verb-object.
That order usually produce the clearest, most concise sentences.
Clear:
Patients write memos to doctors.
Wordy:
Memos to doctors are kinds of writing done by patients.

5. Write Sentences of 12 to 25 Words
An easy-to-read sentence is 12 to 25 words long.
Shorter or longer sentences are weaker because they become too simple or complicated.

6. Use Active Voice
The active voice is more direct than the passive voice.
Active Voice:
Aslam started his business.
Passive Voice:
Business was started by Aslam.

7. Use Parallel Structure
Using parallel structure means using similar structure for similar elements.
Faulty:
Management guarantees that the old system will be replaced and to consider the new proposal.
Parallel:
Management guarantees that the old system will be replaced and to consider the new proposal will be considered.

8. Put Main Idea First
Place the sentence’s main idea -its subject- first.
When you do so you provide the context to what follows.

9. 2- Guideline for writing Clear Paragraph
Put the Topic Sentence First
Structure Paragraphs Coherently

10. Put the Topic Sentence First
In technical writing, almost all paragraphs begin with a topic sentence, followed by several sentences that explain the central idea.
Researchers have discovered that readers comprehend a paragraph more quickly if the general or topic idea is placed first. (Slater)
This structure, called deductive, gives your paragraphs the direct, straightforward style preferred by most report readers.

11. Structure Paragraphs Coherently
In a coherent paragraph, each sentence relates clearly to the topic sentence or controlling idea, but there is more to coherence than this.
If a paragraph is coherent, each sentence flows smoothly into the next without obvious shifts or jumps.

12. 3- Guideline for Revising for Clarity
Avoid String of Choppy Sentences
Avoid Wordiness
Avoid Redundant Phrases
Avoid Abstract and General Terms
Use There Are Sparingly
Avoid Nominalizations
Avoid Noun Clusters
Use You Correctly

13. 4- Guidelines for Organizing Clearly
Use Context-Setting Introductions
Place Important Material First
Use Preview Lists
Use Repetition and Sequencing
Use Structural Parallelism

14. Use Context-Setting Introductions
Your introduction should supply an overall framework so that the reader can grasp the later details that explain and fill it.
You can use an introduction to orient readers to the context of the document in one of three ways:
To define terms,
To tell why you are writing, and
To tell the document’s purpose.

15. Place Important Material First
The beginning of a section or paragraph is an emphatic spot.
Placing important material first emphasizes its importance.
This strategy orients readers quickly and give them a context so that they know what to look for as they read further.

16. Use Preview Lists
Preview lists contain the key words to be in the document.
You can use lists in any writing situations to indicate organizations.

17. Use Repetition and Sequencing
Repetition means restarting key subject words or phrases from the preview list.
Sequencing means placing the key words in the same order in the text as in the list.

18. Use Structural Parallelism
Structural parallelism means that each section of a document has the same organization.

19. Thanks a lot…