Technical
Writing
Communication is the intent
Identify Your Audience
WHY are they reading your report/ e-mail/
memo?
Why do they care?
THAT is what needs to be addressed in your
writing.
Identify Your Audience
Choose your words accordingly –
Don’t use precise engineering terms with
someone who doesn’t understand the
terminology – they will cause confusion.
Do use precise engineering terms with other
engineers – the lack of engineering terminalology
will cause confusion.
Identify Your Audience
• Job function
• Level of education
• Why are they interested in subject? What are
their goals?
• What does the audience need from you?
• What information will they need to access
first?
Write to Communicate
Define the unfamiliar
Italicize the first occurrence of unfamiliar terms
and define them immediately.
Ex. Retina is a light-sensitive tissue found at the
back of the eye that converts light impulses to
nerve impulses.
Write to Communicate
Avoid jargon, the vocabulary particular to a
work place.
The use of jargon will depend, in part, on the
familiarity of the reader.
Ex. For the first year the links with SDPC and
HAC were not connected, and all required OCS
input data were artificially loaded. The
CATCH22 and MERWIN were not available.
This might work fine for the IT personnel, but if
others are involved, it will need to be refined.
Write as if every word is
a five dollar bill!
Clutter is the disease of American
writing. We are a society
strangling in unnecessary words,
circular constructions, pompous
frills, and meaningless jargon.
“On Writing Well”
William Zinsser
Write as if every word is a
five dollar bill.
•
•
•
•
Never use two words when one word will do
Combine overlapping sentences
Use detail wisely
Never use a two syllable word when a one syllable
word works
• Avoid needless words
• Avoid be verbs
• Use active voice
Word Economy
Never use two words when one word will do.
Ex. The relationship between the frequently fluctuating nature of salt
water to fresh water in the Edgartown Great Pond is extremely
important to everyone including scientists, residents and
environmentalists on Martha’s Vineyard.
Ex. The fluctuating salinity of the Edgartown Great
Pond concerns many environmentalists, scientists,
and residents.
Word Economy
Never use two words when one word will do.
Ex. The existing nature of Mount St. Helens’ volcanic
ash spewage was handled through the applied use of
computer modeling capabilities.
Ex. We used computers to model the amount of
Mount St. Helens ash.
Word Economy
Never use two words when one word will do.
Ex. There are three things delaying progress.
Ex. Three things delay progress.
Word Economy
Never use two words when one word will do.
(already) existing
Never (before)
At (the) present (time)
None (at all)
(basic) fundamentals
Today (at this time)
(completely) eliminate
Period (of time)
(continue to) remain
Start (out
(empty) space
Write (out)
(still) persists
Introduced (a new)
Mix (together)
Word Economy
Never use two words when one word will do.
In the event that…
At this point in time…
With regard to…
In the first place…
Is of the opinion that…
Due to the fact that…
Make revisions…
Take into consideration…
With the exception of…
Make an adjustment of…
A majority of…
A number of...
For the purpose of…
Have the capacity to…
So as to…
Made the decision…
Word Economy
Combine overlapping sentences.
Ex. The water quality in Hawk River declined in
March. This decline occurred because of the heavy
rainfall that month. The extra water overloaded
Tomlin County’s water treatment facility.
Word Economy
Combine overlapping sentences.
Ex. The water quality in Hawk River declined in March. This decline
occurred because of the heavy rainfall that month. The extra water
overloaded Tomlin County’s water treatment facility.
Ex. Hawk River water quality declined in March
because rain overloaded the Tomlin County water
treatment plant.
Word Economy
Reduce long clauses to shorter phrases.
Wordy – The clown who was in the center ring was
riding a tricycle.
Revised – The clown in the center ring rode a tricycle.
Word Economy
Reduce phrases to single words.
Wordy – The clown at the end of the line tried to sweep
up the spotlight.
Improved – The last clown tried to sweep up the
spotlight.
Word Economy
Use details wisely.
Ex. The average house in the area has a radon level of
0.4 picocuries per litre.
Good example of writing to your audience. The
average reader is going to say, “What does that even
mean?”
Word Economy
Use details wisely.
Ex. The average house in the area has a radon level of 0.4
picocuries per litre.
Ex. The average house in the area has a radon level of 0.4
picocuries per litre, which is considered low by the EPA. Levels
between 20 and 2000 picocuries per liter are considered high,
and levels above 200 picocuries per liter are considered
dangerous. The average radon level in outdoor air is about 0.2
picocuries per litre.
This is important information for the reader, so it
should be included.
Word Economy
Use details wisely.
Ex. The number of particular hydrocarbon
combinations in our study is enormous. For example,
the number of possible C20H42 is 366,319, and the
number of C40H82 is 62,491,178,805,831.
On the other hand, this is overkill.
Word Economy
Use details wisely.
Ex. The number of particular hydrocarbon combinations in our study
is enormous. For example, the number of possible C20H42 is 366,319,
and the number of C40H82 is 62,491,178,805,831.
Ex. The number of particular hydrocarbon
combinations in our study is enormous: the number
of possible C40H82 is over 60 trillion.
Word Economy
Never use a two bit word when a nickel word
will do.
Category
Example
Improvement
Nouns
Utilization
Functionality
Use
Feature
Verbs
Facilitate
Finalize
Cause
End
Adjectives
Aforementioned
Individualized
Mentioned
Individual
Adverbs
Firstly, secondly,
Heretofore
First, second
Previous
Word Economy
Never use a two bit word when a nickel word
will do.
Utilize
Anticipate
Indicate
Initially
Morbidity
Terminate
Presently
Cognizant
Incredulous
Prohibit
Endeavor
Counterproductive
Domicile
Word Economy
Avoid needless words.
Ex. By writing the steps down ahead of time, it
allows you to budget your time to accomplish your
task.
Word Economy
Avoid needless words.
Ex. By writing the steps down ahead of time, it
allows you to budget your time to accomplish your
task.
Writing the steps down ahead of time allows you to
budget your time….
Word Economy
Avoid needless words.
Ex. In most cases you will find that in order to
maintain a status as a full time student, twelve class
credits must be maintained.
Word Economy
Avoid needless words.
Ex. In most cases you will find that in order
Typically, to maintain a status as a full time student
status, take twelve class credits must be maintained.
Word Economy
Avoid “to be” verbs.
• Is
• Are
• Was
• Were
• Has been
• Have been
Ex. These steps are to be repeated.
Repeat these steps.
Ex. She was talking as she walked.
She walked and talked.
In Writing…
Less is More
Earthquakes can occur at predictable intervals along a
given fault segment. Depending on the length and
slip in each mainshock, the exact interval can vary by
a factor of two. The southern segment of the San
Andreas fault has an interval of 145 years, plus or
minus a few decades.
Complete Fog Index and edit wordy examples.
(Modified from Purdue online writing lab)