TECHNICAL WRITING
STYLE
WRITING CLEAR AND
CONCISE SENTENCES
Writing clearly and concisely means choosing your words
deliberately and precisely, constructing your sentences carefully to
eliminate deadwood, and using grammar properly. By writing
clearly and concisely, you will get straight to your point in a way
your audience can easily comprehend.
Why should I write clearly and concisely?
To succeed in your communication, you need to keep your
audience’ attention, and your audience needs to read through
documents effortlessly and with understanding. If your writing is
difficult to follow, your readers may lose interest (and patience).
How do I write clearly and concisely?
Several techniques can help you learn to write clearly and
concisely in order to motivate your audience to read and respond
favorably to your communication.
Choose your words purposely
The words you choose can either enhance or interfere with your
meaning and your audience’s comprehension. Follow these
guidelines to develop a strategy for choosing the most effective
words for your communication task.
Write in active voice.
Correct: This week, the committee decided to vote on the issue.
Incorrect: A decision to vote on the issue was made by the
committee this week.
WORDINESS
Using more words than you need complicates your sentences and buries your points. Here
are two of the most common phrases to avoid and how you can revise them out of your
writing:
Due to the fact that
EXAMPLE: Many people prefer Marvel Comics, due to the fact that they explore more
characters in their canon.
REVISED: Many people prefer Marvel Comics to DC Comics because they explore more
characters in their canon.
In order to/for/that
EXAMPLE: Marvel fans watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. in order to expand their knowledge
of the Marvel canon.
REVISED: Marvel fans watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. to expand their knowledge of the
Marvel canon.
Wordy Phrase Stronger Choice
I came to the realization that I realized that
She is of the opinion that She thinks that
Concerning the matter of About
During the course of During
In the event that If
In the process of During, while
Regardless of the fact that Although
For the simple reason that Because
It is often the case that Often
I made contact with I called, wrote
At that point in time Then
With the exception of Except
The use of (can be omitted)
A number of Some, many
EXPLETIVE CONSTRUCTIONS
When you use “there is/are” or “it is” at the beginning of your sentence, it is weak and
wordy, and often unnecessary. These phrases delay the meaning of your sentence, and
just end up filling space rather than contributing meaningfully to your reader
understanding you. In other words, these phrases direct your reader to the later parts of
your sentence when you could just reword it to begin with those parts in the first place.\
There is/are
EXAMPLE: There are many examples why Marvel is the stronger comic.
REVISED: Many examples support why Marvel is the stronger comic.
It is
EXAMPLE: It is clear that DC has superior superheroes in its canon.
REVISED: DC has superior superheroes in its canon.
REPETITION
Another way to confuse your reader or lose focus on your points is to double
up on descriptions or other phrases that convey the idea multiple times.
Repetition can work well if used purposely, but haphazardly it can make your
writing ineffective and boring. Here are two of the most common repetitive
phrases and how you can revise them to improve your writing:
Both
To revise ‘both’ it can usually just be omitted from your sentence.
EXAMPLE: My favorite superheroes are both Batman and Iron Man.
REVISION: My favorite superheroes are Batman and Iron Man.
Repetitive Phrase Stronger Choice
She was in an elated state of mind. She was elated.
They are connected together. They are connected.
They have many traits in common to both. They share many traits.
The houses are in close proximity. The houses are nearby.
He has no emotional feelings. He has no feelings.
Each and every person should come. Everyone should come.
Round in shape. Round.
Tall in stature. Tall.
Red in color. Red.
Basic fundamentals. Basics.
True fact. True.
(words like “very” and “really”
should be omitted in favor of
Very unique.
descriptive adjectives and
adverbs)
WRITING CLEAR
PARAGRAPHS
A paragraph consists of several sentences introduced by a topic sentence. The topic
sentence expresses the paragraph’s central idea and the remaining sentences develop,
explain, and support the central idea. You should generally place the topic sentence
first and structure paragraphs coherently, making each sentence expand on the idea of
the topic sentence.
Put the Topic Sentence First
In technical writing, almost all paragraphs begin with a to c sentence, followed by
several sentences that explain its 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. To follow this guideline,’ state
the central idea of each paragraph in a topic sentence at the beginning of a paragraph.
Then follow with details that support and clarify the central idea, as in this example:
Structure Paragraphs Coherently
Coherent structure means that each sentence’ amplifies the point of the topic
sentence. You achieve coherence by the words you choose and by the way
you place sentences in paragraphs. You can indicate coherence by using
words in four ways: by repeating terms, by placing key terms in the dominant
position, by indicating class or membership.
Repeat Terms
Repeat terms in order to emphasize them. In the following example, “path” is
repeated in the second sentence in order to provide further details. Because
fluid doesn’t compress, its only path is between the gears and the
housing. This path is least resistant it allows the fluid to flow in that direction
easily. Use the Dominant Position Placing terms in the dominant position
means to repeat a key term as the subject or main idea of a sentence. In the
following short paragraph, “contrast” is the dominant term.
Don't make paragraphs too long or too short
Long paragraphs are visually intimidating. Very long paragraphs form a dreaded "wall
of text" that readers ignore. Readers generally welcome paragraphs containing three to
five sentences, but will avoid paragraphs containing more than about seven sentences.
When revising, consider dividing very long paragraphs into two separate paragraphs.
So don’t make paragraphs too short. If your document contains plenty of one-sentence
paragraphs, your organization is faulty. Seek ways to combine those one-sentence
paragraphs into cohesive multi-sentence paragraphs or possibly into lists.
Answer what, why, and how
Good paragraphs answer the following three questions:
What are you trying to tell your reader?
Why is it important for the reader to know this?
How should the reader use this knowledge? Alternatively, how should the reader know
your point to be true?
For example, the following paragraph answers what, why, and how:
REVISING FOR CLARITY
A complete sentence may not necessarily be a clear sentence. To achieve clarity, writers
must consider the characters and their actions. Characters are people or concrete
elements that initiate actions or trigger events, but they may also be abstract (e.g.,
happiness, freedom). Actions describe what characters do or what events they trigger.
Compare the following sentences:
A) There is fear among students that there will be fewer class sections offered by the
university.
B) Students fear that the university will offer fewer class sections.
While sentence A is a complete sentence, it is not as clear and direct as sentence B. In
sentence B, the characters (e.g., students and university) are the subjects of their clauses;
their actions (e.g., fear and will offer) are the verbs.
Avoid strings of prepositional phrases
Notice that the above revision eliminates clunky strings of prepositional phrases (of
the failure, of our schools, of cultural background, on learning).
Consider another example:
Original: A revision of the program will result in increases in our efficiency in the
servicing of our customers.
Revised: If we revise the program, we can serve our customers more efficiently.
Strings of prepositional phrases are often red flags for nominalizations.
Avoid Wordiness
Generally ideas are most effective when they are expressed concisely. This guideline
does not mean that you should write sentences in telegram style with all the short
words deleted. But it does mean that you should eliminate all excess wording. Watch
especially for redundancy, unnecessary intensifiers (such as “very”), unnecessary
repetition, unnecessary subordinate unnecessary prepositional phrases.
BREAKING DOWN THE STEPS
FOR
You can follow three simple REVISION
steps to help you identify unclear or dense
sentences and revise for clarity.
Step 1: Diagnose
Identify the subjects and verbs of the sentence. See if you have to read at least
six or seven words before you get to a verb. If so, the reader may have a
difficult time following who or what is doing the action.
Keep an eye out for passive verbs (e.g., The report was submitted by the
committee) and expletive constructions (e.g., there are, it is). These downplay
the characters as well as actions. (Note: In scientific writing, the passive
voice is often used to keep the focus on the experiment and its results rather
than on the experimenters.)
Step 2: Analyze
Figure out who or what the characters are. (Remember, sometimes characters can be abstract nouns.)
Find the actions that those characters perform.
Check to see if the characters and actions match the subjects and verbs, respectively
Step 3: Revise
Make the characters the subjects and their actions the verbs of the sentence.
To link parts of sentences, you can use coordinating and subordinating conjunctions.
Coordinating conjunctions (e.g., and, but, so, for, nor, or, yet) are used to join words,
phrases, and clauses that are equally important.
Subordinating conjunctions (e.g., because, if, when, although, while, that, etc.)
connect sentence parts that are not of equal importance and help to stress a certain
idea.
ORGANIZING CLEARLY
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 contents of the document in one of three ways: to define
terms, to tell why you are writing, and to tell the document’s purpose .
Define Terms
You can include definitions of key terms and concepts, especially if you are
describing a machine or a process.
Training is the process of preparing an individual to perform in a certain
manner in a predictable situation. The training process has four steps: needs
assessment, program development delivery and evaluation.
Tell Why You Are Writing
Although you know why you are writing, the reader often does not. To orient
the reader to your topic, mention the cause of your writing. This method
works well in memos and business letters, The following is a good start:
At our recent committee meeting, you raised a number of questions about
our new word processors. I couldn’t answer all your questions then, but I
have checked with our computer personnel, and I can now provide you with
the information you requested.
Place Important Material First
The beginning of a section or a paragraph is an emphatic .spot, Placing
important material first emphasizes its importance. This strategy orients
readers quickly and gives them a context so that they know what to look for
as they read further. Put statements of significance, ‘definitions, and key
terms at the beginning. The following two sentences, from the beginning of a
paragraph, illustrate how a writer used a statement of significance followed
by a list of key terms.
Order Purpose
To explain the history of an event or a topic
To tell a story or relate an experience
Chronological Order
To explain how to do or make something
To explain the steps in a process
To help readers visualize something as you want them to
see it
Spatial Order
To create a main impression using the senses (sight, touch,
taste, smell, and sound)
To persuade or convince
Order of Importance
To rank items by their importance, benefit, or significance
