Engineering Better Writing
A Workshop on
Grammar and Style
for Engineering Majors
What is written without
effort is in general read
without pleasure.
-Samuel Johnson
Punctuation Patterns
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1. Independent clause.
2. Independent clause ; independent clause .
3. Independent clause ; therefore, independent clause.
4. Independent clause , and independent clause.
5. Clause/phrase/word, nonessential
clause/phrase/word, clause/phrase/word.
6. If dependent clause, independent clause.
7. Independent clause if dependent clause.
8. Independent clause : A, B, and C.
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From Muriel Harris’s Teaching One to One: The Writing Conference. NCTE 1986
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1. Independent clause.
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Ugobe is a privately owned company
located in Eagle.
2. Independent clause ; independent clause .
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These SLA prototype parts tend to swell
approximately five thousandths of an inch
on average and have a high snap-fit
failure rate; snap-fit parts tend to fail via
low-cycle fatigue after approximately four
snaps.
3. Independent clause ; therefore, independent
clause.
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There has been concern raised as to
whether or not the part fluctuation is
based on a percentage or is a set value;
therefore, the part needs to have
comparable features of different sizes.
4. Independent clause , and independent clause.
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The approach to the project is well within
the limits set, and the experiments have
been set up to come well within budget.
5. Clause/phrase/word, nonessential
clause/phrase/word, clause/phrase/word.
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PLEO, the baby dinosaur, is one example
of the interactive robotic life forms created
by Ugobe.
6. If dependent clause, independent clause.
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If resources were unlimited, different
prototyping machines could be used to
result in better tolerances.
7. Independent clause if dependent clause.
Different prototyping machines could be
used if resources were unlimited
8. Independent clause : A, B, and C.
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Other factors may cause changes on the
shape of the cured resin: resin sensitivity,
laser output, beam diameter, and laser
scanning speed.
Exercises
All exercises from
http://www.writing.engr.psu.edu/
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1. Although the shock sphere is still
strong at the end of the fireball's life,
the sphere is no longer strong
enough to heat the air to
incandescence.
2. At that point the shock sphere is
no longer strong enough to heat the
air to incandescence; however, the
sphere is still very strong.
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3. At the end of the fireball's life, the
shock sphere is no longer strong
enough to heat the air to
incandescence.
4. Both sites produce the same three
sources of energy: coal, oil, and
natural gas. Both sites, however, do
not produce these sources in the
same proportions.
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5. The plant shutdown was more than just
another company having to close its
doors—Bolens was a way of life for
hundreds of families in the small town
where the company was located.
6. Both designs produce the same three
pollutants (nitrogen oxides, sulfur
dioxides, and hydrocarbons) in roughly the
same proportions; therefore, both designs
have similar effects on the environment.
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7. Because both designs produce the
same three pollutants (nitrogen
oxides, sulfur dioxides, and
hydrocarbons) in roughly the same
proportions, both designs have
similar effects on the environment.
8. An oval shape is necessary in the
die cavity; otherwise, the flow of
metal from the hammering would be
restricted.
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9. Not only does fresh ventilation
reduce moisture levels in animal
pens, but it also improves the health
and longevity of livestock.
10. Primary bodies are those that are
outside the zone of protection. Thus,
they are susceptible to the effects of
a direct lightning stroke.
The gas that contributes most to the greenhouse
effect, is carbon dioxide [Houghton, 1990].
Carbon dioxide cannot be seen, smelled, or
tasted. In fact, its not even considered a
pollutant. Plants use carbon dioxide in
combination with chlorophyll, water, and
sunshine for photosynthesis, which is a process
essential to life. Besides aiding in
photosynthesis, it also absorbs the earth's
radiation. This gas occurs naturally in the
atmosphere, however, man has dramatically
increased the concentration of carbon dioxide
over the last twenty years.
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The gas that contributes most to the
greenhouse effect is carbon dioxide [Houghton,
1990]. Carbon dioxide cannot be seen, smelled,
or tasted. In fact, it's not even considered a
pollutant. Plants use carbon dioxide in
combination with chlorophyll, water, and
sunshine for photosynthesis, which is a process
essential to life. Besides aiding in
photosynthesis, carbon dioxide also absorbs the
earth's radiation. This gas occurs naturally in the
atmosphere. However, man has dramatically
increased the concentration of carbon dioxide
over the last twenty years.
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1. Although design flaws in the Titanic were
realized soon after its sinking in 1912, the
reasons for the severe damage inflicted by the
iceberg remained a mystery until the Titanic’s
discovery in 1985.
2. Once the earthquake has subsided, you are
not yet out of danger. Often the electricity has
gone out and it is dark. However, a lit match or
any open flame may cause a gas explosion.
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3. At this time, the Department of Energy
is considering only Yucca Mountain as a
possible storage site for nuclear waste.
For that reason, this report will not
consider other sites.
4. Scientists have problems assuring that
the viral vectors apply themselves to the
correct cells. When implanted, vectors
tend to migrate throughout the body and
miss targeted cells more often than not.
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5. Measured were reductions of up to 80 percent in heat
and mass transfer coefficients. These large reductions
occurred because of outgassing .
6. The objectives of the Viking mission were to obtain
high-resolution images of the Martian surface, to
characterize the structure and composition of the
atmosphere and surface, and to search for evidence of
life.
7. Either the decoder was faster than the worst case
specified by the manufacturer, or the HC11 held the data
longer than the minimum time specified by Motorola.
Sample Paper
Final Drafting
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Take a break from writing before beginning to
proofread.
Print a proofreading draft with extra space in margins
and between sentences.
Create a personalized editing checklist based on your
previous writing.
Read the paper aloud to someone else.
Have someone else read aloud while you follow along.
Physically cover up all but the line you are reading.
Read backward, sentence by sentence.
Final Drafting
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Circle commas to see if they are used correctly.
Circle all the verbs, then check for tense, agreement,
voice, mood, etc.
Use “find/replace” function on your word processor to
search for likely misspellings or wrong words
(their/there).
Always spell check your paper. (But don’t rely solely on
it.)
Use grammar-check software. (Warning: This software
won’t catch all errors and is frequently incorrect.)