CAES1507 Professional and
Technical Written
Communication for Engineers
Session Five
Writing Effective Introduction
What should be included?

Remember two weeks ago….
Tradition vs
Novelty GAP
Objective?
Example of Introduction
EPF requested the R&D team to
develop a do-it-yourself kit for
middle school students which would
allow them to build a humane
mousetrap.
The objective was to create a kit
using ordinary household or easy-toobtain materials so that with a few
simple tools and instructions,
students could build a working
mousetrap.

Background –
Referring to the
request made by
EPS
(Past tense)

Objective of the
project Referred to the
request made by
EPS
(Past tense)
Example of Introduction
People
most
commonly
use
commercial mousetraps which will
not only trap but also kill the mouse.
Although mice are considered pests,
there are alternatives to traps which
kill or maim a mouse and cause
unnecessary suffering. In these days
of environmental awareness, a
humane mousetrap was requested so
that the trapped mouse could be
removed to a country park or other
such place or even kept alive as a
classroom biology specimen.

General
Background
information Tradition vs
Novelty
(Present/Future
Tense)

Requirement of
project
(Past Tense)
Example of Introduction
The R&D team has built and tested a
prototype mousetrap. The purpose of
this report is to present the design so
that it can be considered for mass
production.
The report explains the engineering
principles on which the mousetrap is
based, the design itself, how the kit
was assembled with its component
parts, the tests conducted on the
prototype, and then makes a
conclusion
and
offers
recommendations.

Purpose of the
report – What does
this report show in
general?
(Present tense)

Lead-in to report –
What does this
report include?
(Present tense)
Introductory MOVES


Background which will give the reader a
context for the project (Present Tense)
Objectives of the project – what the project
was trying to achieve (Past Tense)


Purpose of the report (Present Tense)


The purpose / objective of the project was…
The purpose of this report is….
Lead-in to the rest of the report (Present
Tense)
Task 3
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
are considered
be damaged
treats
has
discourage
wants
requested
had
had to be able
Task 3
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.
would come
would be activated
was trapped/had been trapped
had
was trapped
is
is
are
is
Identifying the MOVES
Mice are considered pests when
they come into the home.
Valuable clothes and furniture
may be damaged. A mousetrap
seems to be a solution, but the
traditional
mousetrap
which
treats the mouse cruelly and has
an
unpleasant
design,
may
discourage people from using on
in their home. No one wants an
ugly ‘killing machine’ in their
home.

Background
information
(NOT referring
to the project)
Present Tense
Identifying the MOVES
In view of these drawbacks, EPF
requested the R&D team to design and
build the prototype for an easy-toconstruct mousetrap kit which would
have more appeal. The mousetrap had
to be constructed of limited materials
such as paper card, tin cans, string and
marbles. It had to be able to catch and
hold the mouse in a humane way so
that no harm would come to the animal.
Light, sound or a computer would be
activated to indicate a mouse had been
/ was trapped. The mousetrap had to
be able to let the mouse go free after it
was trapped.

Information
linked to the
request made by
the EPF
Past Tense
Identifying the MOVES
The purpose of this report is to
explain the operations of the
prototype and the theory behind
the design.
The report is divided into five
parts. They are the Theory, Design,
Construction
Procedure,
Test
Procedures and Results, Conclusion
and Recommendations. A glossary
of technical terms and units used in
this report is in Appendix I.

Purpose of the
Report
Present Tense

Lead-in to
report
Present Tense
Task 4 Identifying the MOVES
Many handicapped people
use
amateur
radio
equipment
for
communication but often
do not have the strength
or coordination to aim
the
antenna
with
conventional
antenna
controllers.

Background
information/
Context
Present Tense
Task 4 Identifying the MOVES
This report describes the
usefulness,
design
and
manufacturing costs of a newly
designed
radio-antenna
controller that is operated by a
microprocessor.
It
also
compares this controller to
those currently produced by
Acme
Corporation.
The
information is presented to
determine
whether
the
invention of this device creates
a manufacturing opportunity for
Acme.

Purpose of the
Report (NOT
PROJECT)
Present Tense
Task 4 Identifying the MOVES
The report first outlines survey
information on handicapped radio
operators. Next the problems and
needs of handicapped operators
are discussed. The design of the
microprocessor-operated controller,
including
schematics
and
specifications
are
presented.
Finally, there is a comparison of
the design to controllers presently
manufactured by Acme Corp
including manufacturing costs of
the new design.

Lead-in to the rest
of the report
Present Tense
Brainstorm (5 minutes)

In groups, discuss the uniqueness of the
prototype you have in mind. If possible,
consider the way(s) in which your
prototype is superior to the traditional
approach of learning.
In-class Group Writing (5%)
Stage 1: Brainstorming (10 minutes)
Put yourself in the timeframe that THE PROJECT WAS
OVER:






What is the interactive toy?
What were you requested to do by EPF?
What were the objectives and details of the project?
What is the purpose of the report?
What are included in the report?
Brainstorm some verbs / nouns that describe the contents of the
report
Stage 2: Group Writing of Introduction (45 minutes)

Put down the names of the group members
on the page.

Email your Introduction to conttialai@hku.hk

Feedback will be given in Session 6
Homework

Continue to build your interactive toy