THE LANGUAGE OF TECHNICAL WRITING
1. Practice conciseness
Conciseness which means expressing oneself in the fewest number of words at the same time retaining completeness in meaning is possible through the following methods: A. Shortening words/phrases Word Phrases
Shortened Forms
Afford an opportunity
permit
Along the lines
like
An additional
another
At a later date
later
At a rapid rate
past
A great number of times
often
Am in receipt of
received
Arrive at an agreement
agree
As soon as possible
by 8:00 a.m.
As a consequence
because
At the present time
now
By means of
by
Come to end
end
Despite the fact that
although
Due to the fact that
because
During the course of
during
Enclosed please find
enclosed
For the part of
for
Give consideration considerat ion
consider
In order to purchase
to buy
In the advent of
before
In the amount of
of
In the event that
if
In the final analysis
finally
In the proximity of
near
In the first place
first
In accordance with
according to
In the near future
soon
Prior to
before
Subsequent to
after
With regard to
about
B. Substituting long and complex words with short simple Long / Complex Words
Short / Simple Words
Advantageous
helpful
Alleviate
lessen
Approximately
about
Commence
begin
Demonstrate
show
Discontinue
stop
Employ
use
Endeavour
try
Fabricate
make
Finalize
end
Initiate
begin
Maintain
keep
Modification
change
Numerous
many
Prioritize
rank
Procure
buy
Remittance
pay
Sufficient
enough
Supersede
replace
Terminate
end
Transmit
send
Undertake
try
Utilization
use
C. Avoid nomina lizations or the use of “camouflaged or shun words” (words ending in – sion or –tion), replace them with active words. Nominalizations
Active Words
Come to conclusion
conclude/decide
With the exemption of
except for
Make revisions
revise
Implementation of
implement
Investigation of the
investigate
Take consideration
consider
Assessment of
assess
Cancelation of
cancel
Classification of
classify
Development of
develop
Utilization of
use
D. Omitting clichés, hackneyed, trite, old-fashioned, worn-out expressions Cliché
Fresh / natural language
According to our records
our records shows
At all times
always
As plain as day
clear
Attached hereto
attached
Enclosed herewith
enclosed
At your convenience
by the end of ________
At an early date
(specify the date)
Needless to say
obviously
By leaps and bounds
very fast
Take pleasure
are happy
Thanking you in advance
We take this opportunity
I shall appreciate (say immediately what you wish to tell the reader) (state your intension immediately)
Hoping to receive
I hope to receive
This is to request
(state your request immediately)
This is to inform you
We beg to advice
We can say that
As per your request
as you request
It has come to my attention
I understand that
Prior to receipt of
before we receive
Enclosed please find
We are enclosing
Your letter of recent date
letter of May 2
Of the above date
June 2
I deem
I think
Trusting this will
I trust this...
With your kind permission
May I
Favour us with a reply
please, reply
E. Avoiding redundancies or words that say the same meaning Don’t say
Say
During the year of 2012
In 2012
In the month of July
In July
The sum of 300 pesos
300 pesos
Like for example
like or for example
New invention
new
Collaborated together
worked together
Plan in advance
plan
The reason why
why
True facts
facts
Past experience
experience
Regular monthly status report
monthly
Few in number
few
This is the way how to
This is the way or this is how
I mean to say
I mean or I say
Color green
green
F. Avoiding expletives or sentences with no true subjects like sentences beginning with There is, There are, Here is, It is, It has been, and many more Don’t say
Say
There are many customers at the lobby.
Many customers are at...
There is a sharp tool on that table.
A sharp tool is on that...
There will be a meeting tomorrow.
A meeting will be...
It is requested that you stay.
You are requested to...
Here is the answer or Mr. Lee.
The answer of Mr. Lee is...
G. Cancel or drop extra words Do not say: 1. Allowing the agent’s request means the slowing of all confidential documents.
2. I think that the checking of all records is important. 3. It is necessary for the customers that they have to surrender the receipts to the officer in charge of the day in order to get a refund. Say: 1. Allowing the agent’s request means showing confidential documents.
2. I think checking of all records is important. 3. The customers have to surrender the receipts to the officer to get a refund.
2. Express your ideas in active voice rather than in passive voice
Sentences in active voice stress the doer of the action; In passive voice, the receiver of the action. At times, some prefer to use passive voice to prevent the frequent use of “I” because the repeated use of this personal pronoun somehow indicates self-centeredness, monotony, or repetitiveness. Between these two voices of verbs, many technical writers find the use of active voice better because this clearly recognizes the identity of the person answerable for the act. According to Vanhauss(2005), technical writing should be an “action oriented style,” rather than be one with a great deal of “hidden words.”
3. Use non-sexist instead of sexist language by expressing yourself in the following ways:
A. Using plural pronoun s instead of single pronoun
Do not Say:
1. The technician has to show his I.D. card to the guard. 2. Each reporter should submit his monthly report on time. Say:
1. The technicians have to show their I.D. cards to the guard. 2. Reporters should submit their work on time.
B. Using second person point of view instead of third person point of view Do not Say:
1. She presented her proposal report on time. 2. The customer showed his receipt to the guard. Say:
1. Present your proposal report on time. 2. Show your receipt to the guard.
C. Using expressions like He or She – him or her. Avoid using a slash mark – He/She – him/her. Others however find He or She – him or her wordy, hence, they prefer using the plural form – their, or the second person point of view – you Do not Say:
1. The customer explained her point to the manager. 2. The X-ray technician affixed his signature to the document. 3. She is willing to pay any amount for his choice.
Say:
1. The customer explained his or her point to the manager. 2. The architect affixed his or her signature to the document. 3. He or she is willing to pay any amount for his or her choice.
4. Avoid using words that explicitly favour one gender Do not say:
Say:
Businessman
business person
Chairman
chairperson
Craftsman
artist, crafts person
Layman
layperson
Manpower
personnel
Policeman
police officer
Salesman
sales person
Congressman
congress person
Spokesman
spokes person
Security man
security person
Mankind
humanity
Milkman
milk person
Repairman
repair person
Fireman
fire fighter
Sportsman
sports person
Camera man
camera operator
Career girl
artist, designer
5. Avoid using jargons, gobbledygook, horse-and-buggy, or verbal dead words
These expressions are long, pretentious, ang high-sounding; words that have no significant or necessary place in the sentence. Appearing complex, they work to hide the true meaning of the term or make the writer sound learned or professional. Eliminate these vague expressions by substituting them with simple and easier terms. One good rule of thumb in technical writing is: Write to express, not to impress. This means that you have to write the way you speak or use in your day-to-day interactions with people.(Guffey, 2005)
Jargons are technical terms commonly used by people belonging to the same field of profession. Exclusively used by a specific set of persons like the lawyers, the physicians, the engineers, or the businessmen, these terms do not sound familiar or understandable to ordinary persons in society. Seemingly, the use of these terms works to exclude laypersons from knowing what are happening in a company of experts or specialists or of people belonging to one field of profession. Examples:
Legal profession
-
habeas corpus, subpoena, status quo, preliminary injunction, corpus delicti
Business world
-
rebate, assets and liabilities, amortization, mortgage, balance sheet, investment
Medical world
-
stethoscope, hypertension, different diagnosis, formaldehyde, silver nitrate, metrectomy
Computer world
-
user-friendly, on-line adapter, debug, open shop, quick-access storage, scramble time
Teaching profession
-
lesson plan, grade sheet, intrinsic motivation, systemic-functional grammar, communicative competence
6. Give careful attention to words and phrases that are commonly misused and misspelled Examples:
a. Accept – to take something seriously Except – to exclude a rule or statement from a list Let him accept those tools except the one with a red mark. b. Adapt – to adjust or to be in harmony with somebody Adopt – to make a person own a thing belonging to another person If you are familiar with their culture, you can easily adapt yourself to their cultural practices and will eventually make you adopt every aspect of their lifestyle in your long exposure to this cultural group.
c.
Affect – a verb used to mean having an influence on another person or thing Effect – a result from a cause
The manager’s resignation will not affect the company’s business reputation, but may have an effect on the economic standing of his family.
d. Already – by this time or before a particular moment All ready – state of being fit or balanced for an immediate action or use The company secretary has already sent a notice of meeting to all members who seem to be all ready in discussing salient points in the general assembly.
e. Between – a preposition for only two person, thing, or places Among – a preposition for three or more persons, places, or things Among all the imported products, the Japan-made item placed between two big boxes appear qualitative.
f. Counsel – a person serving as a legal adviser Council – a body or group of persons to discuss a material or legal aspect of thing Please, make sure that your counsel will attend the meeting of the AB Council tomorrow.
g. Credible – believable Creditable – quite good; more than just satisfactory A credible company has many business methods and techniques in making their products credible to all kinds of
h. Dessert – (noun) sweet food served at the end of a meal Dessert – (noun) large area of land with not enough vegetation Desert – (verb) to abandon; to break off from; to give up I experienced having the best dessert in the Sahara dessert that many want to desert because of its extra-dry condition.
i. Differ from – not the same in observation Differ with – not the same in opinion As to size, the two differ from each other; as to their usefulness, the prospective buyers of the machine differ with one another.
j. Emigrant – a person going out of the country Immigrant – a person going into a country not his own
Emigrants from the Philippines prefer to live as immigrants in the United States of America.
k. Lie – an intransitive verb which means to be in a reclining or horizontal position Lay – a transitive verb which means to place Lay your tools on that long bench where you often choose to lie down during your free time.
l. Loose – (adjective) not fastened of firmly fixed Lose – (verb) to fail to see something; to become unable to find Giving that tiny tool a very loose position in that compartment will make you lose such device easily.
m. Practical – useful at all times (for persons and things) Practicable – can be practiced or applied (for things only) Such kind of work schedule is practicable during summer, but not practical for one coming from a rural area.
n. Principal – main chief or first of importance Principle – basic truth or rule One of the principal objectives of the newly appointed principal of the elementary school is to apply the principle of “first come; first serve basis” among the grant -in-old recipients.
o. Respectfully – giving full respect or consideration to someone Respectably – doing something that will earn other people’s respect Respectively – referring to series of things following a certain arrangement The engineer respectfully told the guests to present their standpoints on the machines respectably to the CEO, the HRD Director, the Chief Accountant, and several branch managers respectively seated at the conference table.
