Mechanical
Engineering 489
Technical
Communication
foR
Engineers
TECHNICAL
COMMUNICATION FOR ENGINEERS
Department
of Mechanical Engineering
Technical Communication for
Engineers
Tuesday and Thursday
11:30 – 12:20
Craig Gunn
2443
355-5160 (office)
336-9032 (home)
gunn@egr.msu.edu
In the office Monday –
Friday
(and a great deal at
night)
Course
Objectives:
·
To provide a vast amount
of information on communicating in the real world
·
To provide strategies
for evaluating the writing and speaking that one performs
·
To create a sense of
teamwork and networking
·
To focus on the issues
of communication
·
To help in the
preparation for real world communication experiences
·
To provide the
strategies and skills for career success
·
To provide a basis for
good communication
A listing of the
activities that we will accomplish this semester is attached. Everyone starts
with a 4.0. This class is not designed to test how well I can give you a grade.
I do not give grades; YOU DO! As you will find in other things that I write,
“There is no reason to score any less than a 4.0!” My reward from the class is
that you all do well and carry some, if not all, of the information with you to
future courses and activities.
So:
·
Please plan to
participate – that may only be the act of listening, but that is
participation.
·
Make every effort to be
on time. Lateness disturbs a lot of people; therefore, I will keep desks open by
the door for the latecomers. Tell me if the class before ours is far away so
that I am prepared.
·
Make an effort to look
at everything that you hand in. If you have problems with creating good text,
have a friend look it over. Get comfortable with people making comments on what
you write and say.
·
If you can’t get an
assignment in on time, make an effort to provide a reason. This is not an
excuse; it a logical reason for lateness. On the job, you will find that a
reason may not lessen the consequences, but it may put the lateness into
perspective.
·
If you have questions or
concerns; stop by the office, call, or get on the email and let me know what is
happening.
·
Realize that this is
professional training for a career in ?????? This is the time to investigate and
discover all the things that will make your future life a fantastic experience.
·
Look at the SIRS form
that I provide on the first day. If everything is going the way it should then
no problems. If you have concerns, provide feedback.
Table
of Contents
Foreword
- Overview/schedule/grading/philosophy/reading list
Section
1) General background of communication.
2) Looking at the varieties of writing/Readable
style
3)
4) Audiences/ Language
5) Team Communication/Professional Production
6) Flowing Text/Structure of Text and Ideas
7) Grammar
8) Putting the Presentation Together
9) SPRING BREAK.
10) Editing and Scientific Writing
11) Conciseness/directions, process information, and
mechanism.
12) The job market/communication in the real world
13) Variety topics as needed
14) Creative problem solving
15) Time for giving presentations
16) References (examples and how to do them)
17) The Handbook
FOREWORD
Overview/schedule/grading/philosophy/reading
list
The
course is divided into 15 weeks, more or less. Instead of stating what is going
to happen on a particular day of the semester or half semester, I have separated
everything into 15 compartmentalized units, which may be combined for the half
semester. These units will revolve around specific topics, but they can be
shifted, changed, or adapted to the whims and wishes of the class. Flexibility
is needed in the area of communication, and I see nothing wrong in moving to
areas that may have more of an impact upon the individuals who are taking the
course.
General
Statement of Purpose
The general purpose of ME 489 is to help you develop those communication
skills that are needed by members of the mechanical engineering profession.
Learning to communicate requires a great deal more than simply following the
rules laid down in a grammar book. As a professional you are required to
communicate to many different kinds of audiences. These include your fellow
professionals, non-specialists, and interested individuals who may have a
working knowledge of your area but little more. Organizations may require your
writing to convince others of your work or of your potential. These audiences
will vary from writing activity to writing activity. Not only that but a variety
of people may read your writing for differing purposes and consideration must be
made for the different levels of expertise, the different situations that
influence what you write, and the reasons for which it is
read.
Professional writing becomes an activity that is varied and complex. You
are communicating with many people at many different levels and one particular
method will not work in every case. Learning to follow certain examples does not
enable a writer to communicate clearly the majority of the time. It is necessary
to gain a feeling for the audiences that you will write for and the messages
that will need to be conveyed.
This course covers the elements of writing best suited for the audiences
of the real world. This audience includes your fellow writers in the class as
well as me. It also takes into consideration the lay audience outside the
university. The mechanical engineering staff is also a listening ear to the
words that you write since they are evaluating your writing within their
courses. If time permits we will also use outside readers from some of the local
schools (students).
This course is designed as a place for you to get feedback on the
material that you produce. You will need to respond to the writing of others and
the comments that they make about your text. There is a vital need to question
writing that is not clear and an equal responsibility to praise work that is
crystal clear.
MY
PHILOSOPHY
I will work with you to the best of my ability to give the widest range
of experience within the semester. I realize that writing does not always come
easily. It perhaps was never meant to do so. We must each delve and discover
what words mean to us and then seek the patience to shape those words into the
communication that will most enhance the messages that we wish to convey.
Everyone who makes an effort at this activity will make progress toward a
greater ability to communicate with professionalism. A great deal of writing
will take place because the more that you write, the greater the chance for
improvement. We all need the practice of writing. By writing and revising we
will all find our communication becoming clearer. In the mechanical engineering
field you take an idea, look at it from many sides, and then work out the means
to come to a solution of a problem or the creation of a new design, process, or
direction. Writing is the same process of moving from the discovery of an idea
to its final expression.
As you work your way through the text that you have in front of you I
think that it is important to know where the text is coming from. The author
feels that communication is not a separate entity. It does not exist in a vacuum
of academia or classroom. Communication is a vital, integral, and powerful
element that cannot be separated from any activity known to the human race. I
believe that there are three constants on the earth - we are born, we die, and
we communicate. All else revolves around these core concepts. With that in mind
it is important to realize that everything that we do communicates something
about our abilities and us. When we talk we express our knowledge or lack of it,
our ability to decipher ideas from chaos, and the capability that we have of
pondering ideas and coming to conclusions that are based somewhere beyond simply
an emotional response.
The text may take liberties but what its main concern is to give you a
look at what you must consider as an intertwined part of your
existence.
No matter what you do in the working world, there are some basic ideas
that must be constantly adhered to. These do not involve the format that you
use, or the quality of paper, or the type of font that your computer generates.
The basics involve what you will do with every text that you write and every
oral presentation that you make. These basics revolve around clarity, language,
structure, flow, your audience consciousness, and your ability to read.
The
following items may seem sophomoric and for some simply a waste of good time. On
the other hand, if you really look closely at each of the exercises you will see
what their real importance is - a flexing of the mental powers that we sometimes
fail to use. In your future careers as engineers or whatever you become there
will be a strong need to be mentally able to shift, adjust, and especially
think. Within that realm, some of the ways of flexing the mental muscle involve
doing things that the mind is not used to or does on a regular basis. These
activities can revolve around crossword puzzles, word searches, anagrams, or
logic puzzles. Anything you can do to strengthen and widen the scope of your
mental power will make you a better communicator. Therefore, here are the titles
of the before class activities that I will hand out to work on before we plunge
into class discussion.
BEFORE
CLASS HANDOUTS FOR FIRST MINUTES IN THE ROOM
30
SEPARATE ITEMS (for
each class period in this order or whatever order happens to fit the group –
perhaps also Whack Pack items will be passed out)
1. Brain Teasers
2. Crazy
3. Daffy
Definitions
4. Two Glasses of
Port
5. Slow Therefore
Early
6. Wolf in Sheep's
Clothing
7. Mutually Faster
8. Two Rhymes of
Age
9. College Students and
10. 7
Animals
11.
The String and the Salt Shaker
12.
Speed Test
13.
Two Tombstones
14.
Photograph
15.
Visualizing Puzzles
16. A
Mind Reading Trick
17.
Mysterious Banana
18.
Predict Weather
19.
Well-Known Book
20.
Matter of Life or Death
21.
Which Tribe
22.
Many Ships
23.
Free Throw
24.
Murderer/Victim
25.
School Assembly
26.
Football Team
27.
Play Ball
28.
Play Monopoly
29.
Walking Part Way Home
30.
Five Prize Horses
Most
everyone is interested in ultimate answer to the Universe, but before that
GRADES are the most important item, So...
GRADING
Grades
for the course will accumulate as points (100 possible for the
term).
Completion of all original versions
10 points %
Revision of the three-(3) short papers
20 points %
The 10 page report revision
20 points %
Presentations
20 points %
Class participation, attendance
20 points %
The short assignments (reading et al)
10 points %
______________________________________________________________________________
Also
of importance (and will be discussed in more detail as we progress) is the ever
present need to serve as a feedback mechanisms for those writers and speakers
around you. With that in mind, here are some considerations to take when asked
to look at someone else's text.
A)
READ FOR FLOW - DOES THE MOVEMENT THROUGH THE SECTION APPEAR TO PROGRESS EASILY
OR DOES IT APPEAR CHOPPY AND HARD TO FOLLOW.
1. ARE THERE THINGS MISSING THAT YOU FEEL CAUSE A
DISTRACTION
2. ARE SENTENCES SET UP SO THAT INFORMATION MOVES FROM THE
OLD OR KNOWN INFORMATION TO THE
NEW INFORMATION.
3. ARE THERE SUITABLE TRANSITIONS TO ALLOW FOR EASY
B) DO
YOU NOTICE WHERE THE WRITER HAS REPEATED WORDS THAT COULD EASILY BE DROPPED OR
REWORDED.
C)
HAVE THE WRITERS GIVEN YOU WHAT IS ASKED FOR.
D)
COMMENT ON DEFICIENCIES AND ON THINGS THAT YOU NOTICE AS POSITIVE; WHAT MAKES
YOU FEEL INFORMED AS A READER.
E)
LOOK AT IDEAS IN THE PARAGRAPH; DO THEY MOVE IN A LOGICAL
ORDER.
F) DO
THE PARAGRAPHS HAVE CENTRAL IDEAS AND SUPPORTING SENTENCES.
ASSIGNMENTS
1 - Memos
1)
Lansing State Journal Reply
2 - Popular interest
papers
1) 5 pages
on your area to a group of older interested but not that knowledgeable
people
2) 5 pages
on your area to 7 or 12 year olds
3 - Professional
paper
1) 5
pages directed at an audience of your peers in your area of
study
4 - Set of instructions,
directions, process
1)
Take some element in your topic that needs one of the
above
5 -
Resume
1) A
real one of your own to send out
7 – Statement of
Purpose
1)
Where you’ve been, are now, and are going to be
8 - Unstructured assignments - your
topic
a) Your assets and limitations as a writer
b) Talk to professional people in your area / how much writing do they
do/ what are their
concerns or suggestions when it comes to writing or communication
c) How do you write - what is your process in producing
text
d) Take a piece of technical writing and write a short synopsis in
layman's terms
e) Analyze a piece of technical writing in your area / what do you notice
about it / look at
everything you can think of
f) Construct tables, figures, and flowcharts to go with either a paper or
a presentation
g) Take a word from your area and give it an extended definition
h) Pick several (3) simple items from your area and write one paragraph
descriptions
of them
8 - Formal Report - 8-10
pages
1) Directed to conference, convention, symposia of fellow
Mechanical Engineers - They all know the basics, but be careful.
9 –
Presentations (dictated by the
numbers of people in the class)
HOUP/PEARSALL
Chapter
1 Overall View of Technical
Reporting
2
Composing
3 Writing for Your
Readers
7 Achieving a Readable
Style
8 Graphical Elements of
Reports
9 Formal Elements of
Reports
12 Correspondence
13 Instructions
14 Proposals
15 Progress Reports
16 Feasibility reports
17 Empirical Research Reports
The topics that I have
come with for the 15 separate sections are comprised of the
following: (Again, the summer
session will combine these units and adjust for the time
constraints)
1) General background of
communication, you, and the weeks ahead Memos, Myths, and technical
communication
2) Looking at the
varieties of writing and the ways that we can use what we have already learned
to make our technical writing better. Forms of writing already studied. Grammar
as friend. Readable style.
4) Looking at the
audiences that confront us at every turn. Corresponding with this diverse
audience base. Teamwork. Sexist language.
5) Making our work flow.
Getting the text to function with transitions. Seeing the structure of text and
ideas. Playing around with outlining. The elements of reports.
6) Peer editing.
Proofreading. Getting the most of out of a reader. Editing your text. Using the
tools of previous lessons.
7) Time spent in the
grist mill of grammar. learning to know why you do something and not because
"It's the rule!" Playing with grammar and seeing how it works not just how it
tells me to react. The presentation scene. The whys and wherefors of creating a
good presentation.
8) The world of language
and its importance in the world of the engineer. Bending and shaping the text to
fit the situation. The art of scientific writing. A study of scientific
text.
9) SPRING
BREAK
10) Delving into the
world of multimedia. Taking a look at figures, tables, slides, movies, pictures,
overheads.
11) Conciseness in the
engineer. Creating the appropriate abstract. Supplying customers with the
appropriate directions, process information, or mechanism instructions for their
needs.
12) The job market. The
needs of the communicator in the real world. Cover letters, thank you responses,
personal statements, writing samples, and resumes.
13) Sweeping up the
floor and getting in what ever we can that is left. (Much too much to cover, but
now you have the challenge to continue on digging and improving your skills as a
communicator. Reference texts, varieties of reports not covered (feasibility
reports, progress reports).
14) Creative problem
solving. A week spent in looking at problems and how to solve
them.
15) Time for giving
presentations. Getting up in front of the class and showing your
expertise.
16)
Referencing
17) Team
Communication
18) Professional
Publication
Full Semester - Section
1
General background of
communication, you, and the weeks ahead Memos, Myths, and Technical
Communication
(The section pages will
be predominantly blank.This will give you some white space to write down
concerns or items that you would like discussed or expanded or perhaps
deleted.
Section #1
Outline
---
Brain Teaser
Fill out info cards
The Course Pack
beginning
SIRS Forms
Design Notebooks
1st Day
Questionnaires
Overheads on Writing and
Cartoons
Student Bloopers
ASSIGNMENTS
The memo -- 3
INTRODUCTION
assignments/grades/outline
of course/SIRS/minute presentations/intros. pictures/
design
notebook/drawing the
block
Design
Notebooks
These notebooks give you a chance to have a central location for
information regarding your ideas on design. They can be expanded to reflect your
ideas on a myriad of subjects within the engineering area. With changing input
and new foci you can use the notebook to develop your changing views on a
topic.
DESIGN NOTEBOOK -
H
The
cartoons
language to fit the audience
clear explanations
know your audience
what do they think of me
shaping the response
How do you and your audience perceive things
Some things to think
about when you are creating your text
Does the language that you use fit the audience that you are writing
to.
a. Do you know how this audience communicates?
b. Do you need to find out more about how they
communicate?
Is what you are saying clear to the reader?
a. Will these readers draw different conclusions than you
do?
b. Are there words, phrases, or sections that could be interpreted
in
a variety of ways?
Get to know your audience
a. Are there things that they prefer?
b. Do they expect any unique items?
c. How do they feel about the things you are writing
about?
Shape your response to cover as many of the audience needs as you
can
a. By knowing your audience you may be able to defuse problem
areas.
b. Take into consideration any constructions you can use to
bring
your reader into a positive frame of mind.
Think about the way that you and your audience perceive the things
around
you.
a. Do engineers see things in the same way?
b. Do managers see things differently?
c. What language do you and they use?
WHY SPEND TIME
COMMUNICATING?
Y1. Allows you to
see what you know.
Y2. Provides you
with a basis upon which to seek new information.
Y3. Clearly indicates to
you gaps in information.
Y4. Gives you a
foundation upon which to build.
Y5. Your future will be
filled with it.
Y6. Job fulfillment will
depend on it.
R1. Presents information to
your readers.
R2. Provides a basis upon
which to judge your knowledge.
R3. Indicates your interest
and abilities in an area of
knowledge.
R4. Gives readers an
opportunity to expand their knowledge.
CONVENTIONS
THINGS THAT YOU ACCEPT WITHIN YOUR SPHERE:
EMPLOYEE, UNDERLINE ONLY YOUR MAGAZINE,REMOVE PERIODS,
WHAT TECHNICAL WRITING
IS:
TRUTHFUL (THE
FORD PINTO WILL NEVER CATCH FIRE)
DISINTERESTED (IT
WOULD HURT MY FEELINGS IF YOU DIDN'T)
LOGICALLY DEVELOPED
(2,3, 14, 15, 23, 123, 235)
NO EMOTION (THE
TEARS ROLLED DOWN HIS CHEEKS, BUT HE DIDN'T
KNOW WHY HE CRIED)
NO UNSUPPORTED OPINIONS (I
THINK THAT THE MOON IS MADE OF GREEN CHEESE.)
SINCERE (AMELIA
EARHART ALIVE ON SOUTH SEA
HITLER - WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO A 500 POUND BABY - I WAS THE
BRIDE
OF AN ALIEN.)
NOT ARGUMENTATIVE (YOU
HAD BETTER BELIEVE THIS OR I'LL BEAT
THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF YOU)
NOT DIRECTLY PERSUASIVE (
HAVE I GOT A DEAL FOR YOU)
DOES NOT EXAGGERATE (
THE MONSTER WAS AS BIG AS THE STATE OF
WRITING TECHNIQUES
#1
brainstorming
composing
a) Your assets
use what you know
b) How do you write
memos
Why does anyone want to
communicate anyway?
One of the many important issues to remember about written communication
is that no reader ever criticizes a piece of text without drawing inferences
about the writer. The writer must always consider the question "What will the
reader think of this / me?" The interesting thing is that readers will generally
think negatively about a person before they make statements about a poor paper.
You are always thought of in the context of how you communicate. It is,
therefore, important to always make the best effort to create the most
professional text that you can.
Readers do not comment on papers they evaluate and criticize the
writers.
You have to make sure
that what you produce reflects upon
you in the most positive way.
WHEN YOU WRITE
1. What do you expect of your
readers?
2. What information do put you into the
text?
3. How do approach the
text?
4. Do you think about sentence
structure/paragraphs/verbs/subjects?
5. How do you pick
words?
6. What criteria do you use for these
choices?
7. What is the most important element in
the text?
8. If you edit/rewrite -- what goes
through your mind?
9. What do you expect from the
text?
10.What do you learn
from the text you produce?
11. What have you
learned from classes that stressed writing?
12. What are the first
things you think about when you begin to write a text?
13. What are the
strongest areas in your writing ability?
14. What bothers you
most about writing?
15. Where have you seen
changes in your style over the past few years?
16. What do you see as
the most important element in developing your writing
ability?
17. What is lacking in
your particular style?
18. Who influences you
most when you write?
19. Could you describe
the way that you go about producing a text? (think of as many details as
possible.)
20. Are you a good
communicator? Why or why not?
Please respond to the
following memos.
The first two are for
your interest only. The last one is assigned work. Be aware that the audience
does change. Think about the person who is getting your answer and imagine what
his/her agenda might be. Play with the language that you use and the ideas that
you are presenting.
GUNN/HOTTON CONSULTANTS
To:
From: Craig Gunn -
consultant
Date:
Re: Memo received
from Euro-Disney
You
have expertise in both your area of engineering and the particular interest that
you have chosen as your focus for your communication assignments. With these in
mind it is felt that you can adequately address issues that cross the desk of a
normal consulting firm. The following memo has been received in our office at
Gunn/Hotton Consultants ( the firm that has hired you because of your
outstanding talents.) Please read it and address its
concerns.
To:Gunn/Hotton Consultants
From:Francois De LaBarge - General manager Euro Disney /
Date:
Re:Increased interest in and income for Euro-Disney
With
the current state of affairs at our operation of Euro-Disney, it is vital for
the continued progress of this theme park that an added dimension of technology
be added to the choices now given. Although many people feel that parks of this
nature require "fun and games," we feel that it is much more important to both
educate the park visitors and cater to their more intelligent mental processes.
It is with this thought in mind that I ask you to present to us a sampling of
the variety of areas that your engineers might provide to our visitors. We would
like a simple and short reflection on the areas of interest and why they are
important to people who must see technology as a positive and productive
activity.
I
cannot respond to the memo because I would be unable to talk about your areas of
interest. Please give me a copy for review by next
Tuesday.
Thanks.
GUNN/HOTTON CONSULTANTS
To:
From: Craig Gunn
Date:
Re: Memo from Dr.Carl
Castensen, Assistant Dean College of Engineering,
I
have received a memo from Dr.Carl Castensen. He is very interested in the
writing activities of engineers. He has asked me to supply him with information
on the areas of interest that engineers engage in at the undergraduate level. He
is particularly interested in topics that might be useful for graduate research
at
GUNN/HOTTON CONSULTANTS
To:
From: Craig Gunn
Date:
Re: Angry letter to
the Editor in the Lansing State Journal
Sorry
to give you this on so short a notice, but it does need someone to respond. I am
leaving for a conference in
Dear Editor:
Who
do engineers think they are anyway. What rite do they have to tell us what to
do. They make too much money anyway. The world would be better if the world
never
had
no engineers. I am unanimous in that feeling.
Fred Smullins
321 Baranger Lansing,Mi
Be
Positive and good luck! See you next week.
Thanks.
Chapter
2
Looking at the varieties
of writing and the ways that we can use what we have already learned to make our
technical writing better. Forms of writing already studied. Grammar as friend.
Readable style.
Chapter 2
Outline
Brain Teaser
H
Fill out info cards -
get names for the ones not named
H
Cartoons
Restate writing answer
sheets
Forms of Writing -
Technical and not
Five Overheads
Mention past reading
assignments
Writing Scientific Papers and Reports
Myths of Writing - Overhead
Memorandums - The Format
The Technical Memo
(Memorandums Lots of Overheads)
Organizing to
Write
Overhead
ASSIGNMENTS
1. Take your topic of
interest - pick some aspect of it and write five pages to an audience of people
who are interested but don't know a great deal about the
topic.
2. Keep working on
questions
DISCUSS
VARIETIES OF WRITING
fiction/non-fiction
how these look and sound
emotional
differ from and are the
descriptive
same as tech writing and
argumentative
useful to it.
persuasive
text investigation
1. THE MANY FORMS OF PROSE
2. POETRY
3. MUSIC
4. SCIENTIFIC TEXT
5. ADVERTISING
6. JOURNALISTIC WRITING
7. SPEECHES
READABLE TEXT - 131
HOUP
MYTHS OF
WRITING
The following are
truths
1. WRITING CREATES
EXPERIENCES AND EXPLORES IDEAS.
2. WRITING HELPS TO
DEVELOP THE THOUGHTS OF THE WRITER.
3. THINGS ARE WRITTEN
FOR THE WRITER'S EXPLORATION.
4. WRITING CAN CREATE
IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES THAT NEVER COULD HAVE
EXITED THE
MIND.
5. WRITING IS NOT
PERMANENT, IT CAN BE CONSTANTLY CHANGED.
6. WRITING CAN BE DONE
ALL OVER THE PLACE.
7. EVERY KIND OF TEXT
HAS ITS OWN CONVENTIONS.
8. WRITERS ARE NOT
SPECIAL.
9. WRITERS NEED TO READ
AND WRITE.
10. WRITING IS NOT
LEARNED FROM INSTRUCTION.
11. ONE LEARNS TO WRITE
BY
12. YOU MAY NOT BE ABLE
TO WRITE IN A CLASSROOM.
13. THOUGHT COMES FROM
WRITING.
14. WRITING IS OFTEN
HARD WORK.
15. WRITING IS ALMOST
NEVER RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.
16. WRITING HAS A SET
ORDER.
17. FIXED PREWRITING
DOES NOT EXIST.
18. WRITING DOES NOT
REQUIRE SITTING DOWN.
19. WRITING CAN BE
NOISY.
20. WRITING CAN BE DONE
IN AND BY CROWDS.
21. WRITING CAN BE
MESSY.
22. ALL WRITERS ARE
DIFFERENT.
23. YOU CAN'T TEACH
UNLESS YOU ENJOY AND PRACTICE WRITING.
24. PRIMARY PURPOSE -
ONE'S OWN JOY AND SATISFACTION WITH WHAT IS WRITTEN - AND IN
Organizing to
write
Intended Reader:
What information is needed.
What interests does reader have.
How can writer capitalize on what is known about
reader.
Purpose:
What is the writer writing.
Why is the reader reading.
Message:
Writer must compose a synopsis that defines and limits
the
topic to be addressed. This will need to be reviewed after the
writing begins.
Organization:
A written outline is needed to organize the
message.
Assign a length to each segment in the paper.
Communication:
Use illustrations to enhance the message, but do not rely
solely
upon them.
The Process of
writing
Write without hesitation or concern for quality.
Get ideas on paper as quickly as possible.
Set a pace.
Revision will be essential.
Take a look at the
following text and see how the sentences are constructed and the flow of ideas
moves from sentence to sentence and paragraph to
paragraph.
Polluted Ground Water, Sinking Land Price of
Progress
by Dr. Sunao Ogose
Ground water and the hot spring water that comes from the geothermal
heating of ground water are also a precious underground resource. If the hot water and steam created by
the geothermal heating of deep ground water at high temperatures is withdrawn at
the surface, this also becomes an important geothermal
resource.
Boiling point
Most of the ground water in
In addition, the special characteristics of ground water - its
temperature changes less than that of surface water, it generally contains many
minerals and carbonic acid so is more tasty than surface water, and it generally
has a lower pollution level than surface water - are even more evident in
confined than unconfined ground water.
For this reason, confined ground water accounts for most of the ground
water that has been developed to meet the nation's increased demand for water,
especially water for living purposes.
Compared with unconfined ground water, however, confined ground water
flows extremely slowly; it actually consists of unconfined ground water that has
trickled down to its present zone over a long period of time. For this reason, if the pumping rate for
confined ground water at a certain place exceeds the confined ground water's
rate of replenishment, the recharge storage will decline by that
amount.
Reckless construction
Unfortunately, deep wells have been recklessly constructed and confined
ground water pumped up in excessive quantities in numerous places, as a result
of which the recharge storage has declined and in some cases even faces the
critical possibility of depletion.
When confined ground water is removed in large amounts, new movements of
ground water occur to make up for the quantity loss and decreased pressure. Unconfined ground water near the surface
also passes through the semipermeable bed to the deeper area to supplement and
create new confined ground water.
As a result, if the aquifer of the unconfined ground water has a high
degree of compressibility and is formed from soft ground, dehydration of the
aquifer leads to land sinking. In
addition, when ground water is pumped up in large quantities in coastal areas
and a decline in quantity and pressure occurs, the infiltration of sea water can
lead to the ground water's salinization.
In the past, land sinking has been especially conspicuous in large
industrial belts, such as the Nobi Plain, the southern Kanto Plain and the Osaka
Plain. It also has occurred on a
large scale in natural gas fields of the dissolved-in-water type, like Niigata
Plain. To preserve ground water
resources and prevent land sinking, regulations have been placed on the pumping
of ground water in accordance with local conditions. As a result, the sharp land sinking that
occurred previously has not been seen in recent years.
In places where pumping regulations have not been implemented because of
the difficulty of providing alternative water resources, land sinking continues
as before. Meanwhile, the
salinization of ground water is especially conspicuous in coastal industrial
belts, where large quantities of water are pumped for industrial
use.
The problem is that the implementation of pumping regulations does not
mean that sunken land will return to its original level. Moreover, ground water does not easily
return to its original condition once it has been salinized. Consequently, these two aspects of
ground water pollution are exerting an immense adverse impact on regional
development.
Civil engineering
perils
Recently the civil engineering and construction industries have come to
occupy a central role in
For example, the construction of subways in cities like Tokyo and
Yokohama, because it involves the cutting up of the ground water basin, has led
to ground water depletion and land sinking on quite a large scale in some
places. In addition, tunnel
construction for railways and roads has caused ground water depletion and land
sinking not only in major urban areas but also in many mountain
villages.
At geothermal electric power generating stations, the extraction of large
quantities of hot water and steam from deep underground by means of productive
wells can bring about abnormal changes at nearby spas, which can experience a
decline or depletion of their hot spring water. Such an example has actually occurred in
The development of Hishikari Mine in Kagoshima Prefecture saw the
discharge of a large quantity of spring water inside the mine, as a result of
which Yunoo Spa, which is situated down stream of this spring water, experienced
not only reductions or even depletions of its hot spring water but also the
fastest rate of land sinking ever recorded in Japan. Some wooden buildings in this spa resort
were completely destroyed, as if they had been hit by a strong
earthquake.
Appropriate
development
Although exact figures are not available, the amount of ground water
withdrawn in
In addition, the pollution of ground water has advanced considerably in
recent years, affecting not only unconfined but also confined ground water. Pollution caused by coagulants used in
underground construction and organic solvents used in factories has become
especially serious. Maintenance of
the quality of ground water is extremely
important.
CHAPTER
3
Looking at the audiences
that confront us at every turn. Corresponding with this diverse audience base.
Teamwork. Sexist Language
AUDIENCE
Here we have a number of letters and
the responses to them. The letters show that neither of the writers knew what
the other was talking about. They represent the inability to communicate because
of lack of audience concern or knowledge an dan inability to hear the problems
that are being stated by the writer.
TO: U.S BUREAU OF
STANDARDS
DEAR SIR:
IS IT OKAY TO USE HYDROCHLORIC ACID TO CLEAN DRAIN
PIPES?
SAM, THE PLUMBER
______________________________________________________________
TO: SAM, THE
PLUMBER
SIR:
THE EFFICACY OF HYDROCHLORIC ACID IS INDISPUTABLE, BUT THE CHLORINE IS
INCOMPATIBLE WITH METALLIC PERMANENCE.
U.S.BUREAU OF STANDARDS
______________________________________________________________TO:
U.S BUREAU OF STANDARDS
DEAR SIRS:
THANK YOU FOR LETTING ME KNOW THAT IT IS OK TO USE HYDROCHLORIC ACID TO
CLEAN DRAIN PIPES.
SAM, THE PLUMBER
______________________________________________________________TO:
SAM T.PLUMBER
SIR:
WE CANNOT ASSUME RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE PRODUCTION OF TOXIC NOXIOUS
RESIDUES WITH HYDROCHLORIC ACID AND SUGGEST THAT YOU PERUSE AN ALTERNATE
PROCEDURE.
U.S.BUREAU OF STANDARDS
______________________________________________________________
TO: U.S.BUREAU OF
STANDARDS
DEAR SIRS:
GLAD TO KNOW THAT YOU AGREE WITH MY IDEA.
SAM,THE PLUMBER
______________________________________________________________TO:
SAM T.PLUMBER
SAM,
DON'T USE HYDROCHLORIC ACID. IT EATS THE HELL OUT OF
PIPES!
______________________________________________________________
OR
"THE SPONTANEOUS AND
ENERGY-RELEASING INTERACTION OF ATMOSPHERIC CONSTITUENTS WITH THE MOLECULAR
STRUCTURE OF THE MATERIAL CAUSES TO BE PRODUCED A TIME-VARYING CONDITION OF
UNSTABLE STRUCTURAL EQUILIBRIUM DISTRIBUTED SPATIALLY OVER THE CYLINDRICAL
SURFACE.
TRANSLATION: "RUST EATS THE HELL OUT OF
PIPES"
The following items reflect the way
in which a piece of information can be used for a variety of audiences and
purposes.
You should look at each piece of
text and decide what audience it is written for and why you have made that
decision. Decide why the text is written the way it is. Consider the structure
and the language and the order of
information.
Account #1
Death occurred from the effects of asphyxia, cerebral anemia, and
shock. The victim's hair was used
for the constricting ligature.
Local marks of the ligature were readily discernible: there was some
abrasion and a slight acchymosis in the skin. There were no obvious lesions in the
blood vessels of the neck.
Cyanosis of the head was very slight and there were no pronounced
hemorrhages in the gales of the scalp.
Very great compression was effected almost immediately, with compression
of the arteries as well as of the veins, and the superior laryngeal nerve was
apparently traumatized with the effect of throwing the victim into profound
shock...
The lungs revealed cyanosis, congestion, over aeration, and subpleural
petechial hemorrhages...
Account #2
State of
Twenty-First Judicial District Court
The Grand Jurors of the State of
That One Hubert Feenstra late of Washtenaw County, on the 23rd of January
in the year of Our Lord One Thousand Nine Hundred and eighty-one, with force and
arms, in Washtenaw County, aforesaid, and within the jurisdiction of the
Twenty-First Judicial District Court of Michigan, for the Washtenaw County, did
unlawfully, feloniously, with malice aforethought kill and slay one Porphyria
Bliek by strangulation.
Contrary to the form and the Statutes of the State of
....District
Attorney for the 21st
Judicial
District of Michigan
Account
#3
Ms. Porphyria Bliek, 21, daughter of Mr. and Mr/s. R.J. Bliek, of
According to member of the Bliek family, Feenstra had paid attentions to
Ms. Bliek for several years in 1979, before she left
The slain woman disappeared last evening at approximately eleven o'clock
from a dinner party given at her parents' home in honor of the approaching
wedding. The family became alarmed
when it was discovered that she was not in her room.
The family instituted a search, and during the course of their search
knocked at the cottage of Ms. Ford, who has employed Feenstra as handyman over
recent years, at five in the morning.
Receiving no answer, they forced the door and discovered Feenstra sitting
with the dead girl in his lap. She
had apparently been strangled. It
appeared that, from the condition of the body, death might have occurred at
about midnight.
Feenstra, who has been charged with murder, could give no coherent
account of what happened.
Account
#4
The dead girl, beautiful and peaceful in death, her scarlet lips slightly
parted as though whispering a caress to her lover, her blue eyes gentle and
unquestioning as a baby's, lay in the murderer's arms like a child who has been
rocked to sleep. Her golden hair
falling in profusion about her shoulders all but concealed the cruel welt of red
about her throat. The murderer,
clutching his still burden to him, like a mother holding an infant, appeared
dazed. As the police cam in, he
rose to meet them, still carrying his precious burden in his arms. The officers had almost to force him to
relinquish her. He could not answer
questions -- could merely clutch the closer to his breast all that remained of
the girl that he loved better than life, and mutter, "I loved her, I loved her,"
like a man in a dream.
A few hours later when I saw him in the sordid surroundings of the 10th
Precinct Station House, so different from the cozy cottage which had been the
abode of a tragic love, he was still dry-eyed, though his face wore a ghastly
pallor. But when I tried to
question him, I became aware of the terrific strain under which he suffered, and
he showed all the signs of a man on the verge of hysteria. When I tried to draw from him the reason
for the pitiful tragedy, he could only reply, his pale boyish face like a
mask: "I killed her, but God didn't
say a word, a word." At last he
managed pitifully to say: "I killed
her so that she would be mine alone for always!"
And this is the irony of fate!
The very greatness of his love made him strangle her. Separated as they were by wealth, social
position, and all that implies, it was only in death that they could be
united. Who are we to pass judgment
on such a love?
Account #5 (the actual
poem)
"PORPHYRIA'S
LOVER"
The rain set early in
tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops
down for spite,
And did its worst to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break.
When glided in
Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm, And kneeled and made the cheerless
grate
Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
Which done, she rose, and from her
form
Withdrew the dripping
cloak and shawl.
And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp
hair fall,
And, last, she sat down by my side
And called me. When no voice
replied,
She put my arm about her
waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder
bare
And all her yellow hair
displaced,
And, stooping, made my check lie there,
And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,
Murmuring how shoe loved
me--- she
Too weak, for all her heart's endeavor,
To set its struggling passion free
From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
And give herself to me forever.
But passion sometimes
would prevail,
Nor could tonight's gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale,
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was dome through wind and rain.
Be sure I looked up at
her eyes
Happy and proud; and last I knew
Prophyria worshipped
me: surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.
That moment she was
mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I
found
A thing to do, and all
her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds
a bee,
I warily opened her eyes:
Again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.
And I untightened next
the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath
my burning kiss:
I propped her head up as before,
Only, this time my shoulder bore
Her head, which droops
upon it still:
The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its
utmost will,
That all its scorn at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead!
Prophyria's love: She guessed not
how
Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together
now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word!
Sam the
plumber
shows the ease in which neither readers nor writers are able to understand the
other's response. Each fails to understand who is reading his notes and how they
are being interpreted.
As we looked through the
accounts of Porphyria Bliek, we saw the number of ways that the story of
Porphyria could be conveyed. When viewing as piece of text it is important to be
able to answer the following question easily and with intelligence:
What group is it meant for?
How do you know?
What do you notice about the language?
What about the sentences?
Any other things you notice that would be unique for this
piece
of writing?
As the audience becomes
known you can pattern your response to it.
Intended audience - who are you writing to and how will this
affect
what you say to them.
Their needs - information, detailed or not, clear and
understandable.
Their level of competence - you must work at the level of the
reader
Their understanding of the words - how they will
interpret
Their ability to interpret - in how much detail will they go
into
changing what you say to what they think it says.
UNDERSTANDING
READERS
Readers do not just read
-- they interpret
* They watch the clues you give them.
* They look at the structure that you create.
* Remember that we read from left to right.
** Context on
left.
*** New important information on right.
> You must be aware of these locations.
This information applies
especially to sentences where the reader expects to see information that is
being presented at the beginning of the sentence relate to something that is
already known.
Bob called to his dog.
It stopped in its tracks.
The reader knows that it refers to
the dog. The information at the end
of the sentence usually refers to new information given to the reader; here, for
example, what was being called to and where did it stop.
READER
EXPECTATIONS
* EACH UNIT OF DISCOURSE MAKES A SINGLE POINT.
** Sentences stress new points at end of sentence.
THEREFORE:
Backward linking of old information appears
in the topic position (subject area).
The person,thing,or concept whose story it is
appears in the topic position (subject area).
The new emphasis worthy information appears in
the stress position (object area).
LANGUAGE
Readers are very quick to look for
clues in what you write. They look at the words and interpret them. If you give
them wrong signals they will react differently than you
expect.
sexist language, talking down to
them, using language that they
don't understand, confusing them, misinterpreting data.
JARGON
Jargon is language that is used by a
particular group of people. It is language that is indicative of that group and
may not be understandable by any
other group or individual. It is dangerous to use this type of language in
groups that are unfamiliar with it because the level of understanding will drop
markedly.
The dude was rad, but expressed a
certain proclivity to fernness or an inability to be tough as nails. Tune into
the vibes that catapulted from the waves and you knew that he was bogue. Totally
rad was not in his bailiwick, but neither was the groovy way in which he
decimated the crud from the blood. He was a homey that could find an ace-in-the
hole. Sometimes he got aerated and the Akky would get ticked. Being all bent out
of shape was his usual because then you would have to amp him from the group.
Some of the dogsbodies were anchor-faced and that made it hard to adjust the
chemistry of the atom-bombo. His ambish was notorious. He was one to go the
animal run with the best of the nerds. He was cool. His joint was always the
best. He could turn on the world. Wasn't he a gas.
JARGON II
Puff the magic Dragon lived by the
sea and frolicked in the autumn mist in a land called Honalea. Little Jacky
Paper loved that rascal Puff and brought him string and sealing wax and other
fancy stuff. O'er the sea they'd sail Jacky perched upon Puff's gigantic tail.
Nobel kings and princess would bow when ere they came as Puff roared out his
name. Spoons and things give way to
other toys. Dragons last forever, but not so little
boys.
A) READ FOR FLOW - DOES THE MOVEMENT
THROUGH THE SECTION APPEAR TO
PROGRESS EASILY OR DOES IT APPEAR
CHOPPY AND HARD TO FOLLOW.
ARE THERE THINGS MISSING THAT YOU FEEL CAUSE
A
DISTRACTION IN THE
ARE SENTENCES SET UP SO THAT INFORMATION
MOVES
FROM THE OLD OR KNOWN INFORMATION TO THE
NEW
INFORMATION.
ARE THERE SUITABLE TRANSITIONS TO
ALLOW FOR EASY
B) DO YOU NOTICE WHERE THE WRITER
HAS REPEATED WORDS THAT COULD EASILY BE DROPPED OR
REWORDED.
C) HAVE THE WRITERS GIVEN YOU WHAT
IS ASKED FOR.
D) COMMENT ON DEFICIENCIES AND ON
THINGS THAT YOU NOTICE AS POSITIVE; WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL INFORMED AS A
READER.
E) LOOK AT IDEAS IN THE PARAGRAPH;
DO THEY MOVE IN A LOGICAL ORDER.
F)DO THE PARAGRAPHS HAVE CENTRAL
IDEAS AND SUPPORTING SENTENCES.
EDITING
A. YOU ARE NOT THE BEST EDITOR OF WHAT YOU
WRITE.
B. MAKE AN EFFORT TO GET YOUR WORK OUT TO OTHER
READERS
PROOFREADING
A. READ BACKWARDS
B. READ IT OUT LOUD
OUTLINING
A. IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE FORMAL BUT SOME KIND OF
DIRECTION IS IMPORTANT.
PEER
EVALUATION
A. GET AS MANY OF YOUR FELLOW ENGINEERS TO READ YOUR WORK AS YOU
CAN.
B. GIVE THEM DEFINITE THINGS TO LOOK FOR - FLOW,
SPELLING, INTEREST, LANGUAGE, CONTENT, PIZZAZZ,
STYLE, KNOWLEDGE, AUDIENCE.
LANGUAGE OF THE WRITER #2
manipulating the text
PROOFREADING -469
OLSEN
REVISION
Peer editing.
Proofreading. Getting the most of out of a reader. Editing your text. Using the
tools of previous lessons.
SUGGESTIONS
* USE A
FORMAT
* WORK FROM AN
OUTLINE
* EDIT, WAIT, EDIT
AGAIN
* DO YOUR
WEEDING
* USE SMALL
WORDS
* EDIT
ILLUSTRATIONS
Revision - take the
writing step by step when you put it together. Don't jump steps let it move
easily from content through style changes.
Word chopping is always
a good pastime to use with your writing. It gives you the insight into removing
text that is unnecessary for the reader's clear understanding of the
text.
APPROACHING THE
TEXT
1. FIRST REVISION Weigh only the
content
2. SECOND REVISION Increase the
clarity
3. THIRD REVISION Meet the standards of
correctness
4. FOURTH REVISION Work on the
brevity
5. FIFTH REVISION Improve the
style
The cloze exercise is
something that you can easily do with your own writing to see if it can be
understood. Cloze shows that writing is connected enough to allow the reader to
fill in the blanks. The exercise that follows leaves blanks in the text. When
you fill them in you show that the author has created something that can be
understood by the reader. It does not always work perfectly, but your readers
should be able to do this with your written text.
WHEN A PROBLEM IS
ENCOUNTERED WITH A FINISHED MOLDED PLASTIC PART THAT WAS NOT PREVIOUSLY PRESENT,
THE CAUSE OF THE_1____ CAN BE USUALLY TRACED_2____ EITHER A CHANGE IN PROCESS OR
IN THE_3_____ . IF THE RAW MATERIAL_4_____ CHECKED AND APPROVED PRIOR__5_______
USE, IT'S NORMAL TO_6_____ THAT THE PROCESSING HAS__7_____ IN THE EVENT OF
A_8_____ . UNFORTUNATELY, INCOMING MATERIAL TESTS 9______CONTROLS ARE NOT
ALWAYS__10____ TO PREDICT PROCESSING PROBLEMS. 11______OFTEN BECAUSE OF
THE_12_____ OF TIME AND LACK_13____ MANPOWER, LITTLE OR
NO_14_____ IS PERFORMED ON INCOMING_15_____ AND AS A RESULT__16_____ DIFFICULTIES
ARE ENCOUNTERED IN_17____ MOLDED PRODUCT IT IS_18______ IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE
TO_19______ IF THE PROBLEM LIES_20______ THE PROCESS OR WITH__21_____
MATERIAL.
AS AN EXAMPLE OF
FRICTION, TAKE A BOOK, LAY 1____ON THE TABLE, AND 2____PUSH THE BOOK WITH
3____HAND. NOTICE THE RESISTANCE,4_____MAKES THE BOOK DIFFICULT 5___SLIDE. NOW
PLACE THREE 6__PENCILS BETWEEN THE BOOK_7__THE TABLE TOP. PUSH 8___BOOK AND
NOTICE HOW_9___IT MOVES. FRICTION HAS 10__ GREATLY REDUCED. OIL MOLECULES 11__
TO THE PENCILS BY 12___A COATING BETWEEN TWO 13__ SURFACES. WITH OIL, THE
14____SURFACES LITERALLY ROLL ALONG_15___ THE OIL MOLECULES AND_16____ IS
GREATLY REDUCED, BESIDES_17_____ FRICTION AND THE WEAR_18___ HEAT IT CAUSES,
THE_19____ OIL SERVES SEVERAL OTHER_20____ FUNCTIONS.
These are the words that
the author intended.
1. problem
it
2. to
then
3. material
your
4. is
friction
5. to
to
6. assume
round
7. changed
and
8. problem
the
9. and
easily
10. adequate
been
11. quite
correspond
12. pressures
forming
13. of
moving
14. testing
metal
15. materials
on
16. when
friction
17. the
reducing
18. difficult
and
19. determine
lubricating
20. with
important
21.
the
Chapter
4
Team Communication
The effort here will be
to look at a team activity from the standpoint of the communication that takes
place or the lack of that communication. Your assignment is to evaluate how well
the group functioned on a communication level. What went well what went wrong.
Write a short piece describing the experience.
Professional Publication
What did you learn about
the world of publication – short review document.
Chapter
5
Making our work flow.
Getting the text to function with transitions. Seeing the structure of text and
ideas. Playing around with outlining. The elements of
reports.
TOOLS OF THE WRITER
A. paragraph
structure
B.
punctuation
C. grammar
D. sentence
structure
E.
transitions
CONTEMPLATE
Purpose - you are trying to
show your expertise - your demonstration of how much and the quality of what you
know.
Message - what you have to say
about the information with which you are working.
Organization - some form of
structure needs to be presented - for both your benefit and the other
readers.
Communication - is vital if you are
going to give the reader what they want from your text.
The process of
writing
- your primary purpose is to collect as much information as you can in order to
create the report.
Brainstorming - Put down everything
you know and then sift through the information.
Be
ready to simply put down what you know and then go back
and add or remove information as you see fit.
Write, write, write and then go at the text on the
computer.
STRUCTURE
TEN PRINCIPLES
FOR TECHNICAL
WRITING
KEEP THE SENTENCES SHORT
PREFER THE SIMPLE TO THE COMPLEX
PREFER THE FAMILIAR WORD
AVOID UNNECESSARY WORDS
PUT ACTION IN YOUR VERBS
USE TERMS THAT YOUR READERS CAN PICTURE
TIE IN WITH YOUR READERS' EXPERIENCE
MAKE FULL USE OF VARIETY
WRITE TO EXPRESS - NOT TO IMPRESS
Present your ideas in a manner that
allow the reader to understand.
Complexity breeds confusion and time
commitment
Outlandish things do not make a
reader happy.
SENTENCE
VARIETY
1) VARY THE LENGTH OF THE
SENTENCES
2) VARY THE SENTENCE
BEGINNINGS
3) VARY THE ARRANGEMENT OF
INFORMATION
4) VARY THE KINDS OF SENTENCES THAT
YOU USE
The structure of a report - remember
some of the things that you have already been asked to do or will be required to
do in the future in engineering.
Tie into every report that you do co-op experience the elements of writing that you have seen in ATL or in
any other class that requires writing.
Try to remember what they told you
in high school about paragraph construction and sentences that meshed together
to make a coherent and interesting piece of writing. Think about the ways that
authors that you read put sentences, paragraphs, and chapters together to convey
a message.
Give yourself a structure to follow.
If you have a structure then the
reader will also have some guide to what you are trying to get them to
understand.
Some structure elements that help
the communication of your information
Keep the ideas flowing throughout the text. When the reader
sees the connections they can follow your
ideas.
Hydrocarbonate was in the last cylinder on
the shipment. This canister, earmarked for the nuclear testing
facility, was not my idea of a great hauling job. I knew that so many
accidents had happened there that my fear of an eminent disaster was
founded in fact.
Keep your subjects and verbs as
close as you can so that the reader knows who and what is going
on.
Stress positions are towards the end of the
sentence.
Old information is at the beginning.
The old information is used to help the reader tie this
info
to the previous sentences.
Give the reader some context within
which to understand what you are giving them.
WRITING WILL BE BETTER
IF YOU:
* FOLLOW A GRAMMATICAL
SUBJECT AS SOON AS POSSIBLE WITH ITS VERB.
* PLACE IN STRESS
POSITION (end of sentence) THE NEW
INFORMATION
YOU
WANT THE READER TO EMPHASIZE.
* PLACE THE
TOPIC,PERSON,CONCEPT THAT THE SENTENCE IS
ABOUT AT THE
BEGINNING OF THE SENTENCE.
* LOCATE OLD INFORMATION
IN THE TOPIC (subject) POSITION FOR LINKAGE BACKWARD AND CONTEXTUALIZATION
FORWARD.
* PROVIDE CONTEXT FOR
YOUR READER BEFORE ASKING THE
READER TO
CONSIDER ANYTHING NEW.
PARAGRAPH
COHERENCE
1) Use logical order of
sentence arrangement
general to specific
developing from facts
2) Utilize a
careful repetition of words
3) Use parallel
structure
4) Use transitional
words
since, moreover, however, in which
Present your ideas in a
manner that allows the reader to understand. Complexity breeds confusion and
time commitment
Outlandish things do not
make a reader happy.
Suggestions:
Use a
format
Work from an
outline
Edit,Edit,Edit
again!
Do your
weeding.
Use small
words.
Edit
illustrations.
TRANSITIONS
Look at both pieces of
text. The first contains a number of transitions that allow the reader to move
throughout the text with ease. Ideas flow from one to another and the reader is
not bothered with choppy statements that do not interact with one
another.
The second lacks the
smooth flow of ideas, sentences function alone by imparting information that is
not easily related to the previous sentences. In this way the reader cannot get
a smooth picture of what is to imparted by the text.
Green Depths -
transitions present
From the green depths of
the offshore
Green Depths - no well
thought out transitions present
From the green depths of
the offshore
Construct a response to
the three letters that follow:
Date
Gunn/Hotton
Consultants
Dear
Craig,
I was pleased to hear that you have a varied group of engineers in your
course this spring. It is really nice to have a group that reflects the many
aspects of the engineering area. We have finally decide to get into the graduate
education business and I would really like to hear about some of the ideas that
your students might be thinking about regarding graduate studies that they might
be considering for the future. I could them compare this sot our students'
responses and see what we can generate to offer in the future. So, if you would
please ask your students to send me a short idea of what we could offer as
research possibilities and why it would be important for them or our students.
Thanks a lot.
Sincerely,
Date
Paul Prellen Ph.D.
edc-112.56
NASA
P.O.Box
CIA
Bent
Gunn/Hotton
Consultants
Dear
Dr.Gunn:
It
has come to our attention that you have access to information that may be
beneficial to certain segments of the
Sincerely
yours,
Paul
Prellin Ph.D.
PP/ch
Date
Nate
Toner
222 Student Services
Bldg.
Gunn/Hotton
Consultants
Dear
Mr.Gunn:
We have discovered a very interesting happening here at the Student
Services building. We have had a number of requests for students to visit their
old high schools to speak to current juniors who will be preparing their
applications for colleges. A majority of these requests have come from teachers
who would specifically like to have engineering majors visit their classes. When
we tabulated the lists, we discovered that all of the current requests are for
students enrolled in ME 491.601/101. Their high school teachers must have
thought highly of them or they never would have requested them by name. The only
condition that was made by most of the teachers was that they would like a clear
indication of what topics your students will talk about to their classes. It
appears that they have had some problems with students coming into their classes
and talking about parties, booze, and class breaks. If your students could give
a brief description of their talks it would be appreciated. Also, please have
them simply address it to their favorite teacher at the high school that they
graduated from. Thanks for the efforts.
Sincerely
yours,
Nate
Toner
NT/jyt
Chapter
6
Time spent in the grist
mill of grammar. learning to know why you do something and not because "It's the
rule!" Playing with grammar and seeing how it works not just how it tells me to
react. The presentation scene. The why and wherefors of creating a good
presentation.
GRAMMAR LESSON FOR
TODAY
1. Don't use no double
negatives.
2. Make each pronoun agree with their
antecedent.
3. About those sentence
fragments.
4. When dangling, watch your
participles.
5. Verbs has to agree with their
subjects.
6. Just between you and I, case is
important, too.
7. Don't write run-on sentences they are
too hard to read.
8. Don't use commas, that aren't
necessary.
9. Try to not ever split
infinitives.
10. Its important to use
your apostrophe's correctly.
11. Proofread your
writing to see if you any words out.
12. Correct speling is
esential.
Source: A committee room
in the U.S.Capitol.
THINGS TO BE AWARE
OF
1. It's and its contraction and
possessive
2. Parenthetic express.
John, on the other hand, is quiet.
3. Coordinate
Conjunctions -- connect equal elements
It was a resistor, but it never worked
properly.
4. Subordinate
Conjunctions -- clause after the independent clause completes the idea of the
ind.clause.
The resistor wouldn't work because it was
broken.
5. Join independent
clauses with a semi-colon.
It was the resistor; it wouldn't work.
6. Evaluate commas after
participial phrases at the beginning of sentences.
After the fire, men were seen to cheer.
After we saw the fire there were marshmallows
everywhere.
7. Avoid the
negative.Reword to the positive.
He is never on time. He is usually late.
8. LIKE governs nouns.
She was like us.
Winston tastes good as a cigarette should.
9. Split infinitives -
To boldly go
COMPOUND
WORDS
1) Omit the hyphen
when words appear in regular order
and the omission of the hyphen causes no problems.
a) palm oil, eye opener, living costs
2) Combine when two
words combined make more sense.
a) afterglow, cupboard, gentlemen
3) Elements of compound
numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and in adjective compounds with a
numerical first element.
a) 7-hour day, 3-inch ruler, eighty-five.
Problems with
Punctuation
Main reason to punctuate
is to clarify the structure and prevent misreading.
One way to avoid some
punctuation is to arrange the words so that meanings are
clear.
a) I recognized the man, who was too tall for the door. (only
one)
b) I recognized the man who was too tall for the
door.
(more than one)
Dates, addresses, and
special forms.
Before conjunctions
joining independent clauses.
a) John saw the enemy coming, and he felt that he needed to cry
out.
In a series of
coordinate words -
a) Mary,Bob, and Fred ( so as not to seem like a compound end
word)
Around parenthetical
remarks -
a) The last play of the game, showing the true skill of the outfield,
was impressive.
Restrictive I woke up this morning
at six when you banged on the door.
Nonrestrictive I woke up this morning
at six, when you banged on the door.
Being careful --
a) If he likes shooting, the cat may find a place to
hide.
b) If he likes shooting the cat may find a place to
hide.
Specials -
a) He wrote on November 3, 1983, that it was cold.
b) He says that what provisions there are, are hardly enough to
sustain us.
Compound word: conveys a
unit that is not as clearly conveyed by separate words. The hyphen not only
unites but separates the component words.
Basic
rules:
1. Omit the hyphen when
words appear in regular order and the omission causes no confusion in sound or
meaning.
2. Compound two or more
words to express an idea that would not be as clearly expressed in separate
words.
3. In the derivative of
a compound, keep the solid or hyphenated form of the original compound, unless
otherwise indicated for particular words.
4. When any, every,
no and some are combined with body, thing, and where,
type as one word.
Chapter 7
PRESENTATIONS
For members of the
audience to find a presentation successful, they must be able to answer the
following questions at the end of the presentation: Therefore you as the speaker
must make sure that these elements are clear.
1.
What is the title of the work?
2.
What is the name of the presenter and his or her
affiliation?
3.
Why is the work important?
4.
What is the presenter's motivation for the work?
5.
What related work exists?
6.
What is unique about the presenter's approach?
7.
What is the overall scope of the work?
8.
What are the specific objectives of the work?
9.
How was the work performed?
10.
What are the results?
11.
Did the results meet the objectives?
12.
What happens next?
Keep
these things in mind as you prepare to present:
1. TRIM ALL VERBAL FAT
2. ELIMINATE NOTHING SENTENCES
3. USE CONCRETE TERMS
4. WRITE TIGHT SENTENCES - LEAN
5. JUSTIFY ADJECTIVES.
6. WATCH THE JARGON OR SHOP TALK
"TACTICAL NUCLEAR EXCHANGE"
"OVERKILL"
"GOOD SOCIO-ORIENTED LIFE SKILLS"
7. BE CAREFUL OF "WISE"
COSTWISE
TRAFFICWISE
8. AVOID LOTS OF QUOTES
9. USE APPROPRIATE WORD
10.USE SMALL WORDS
11.IF YOU MUFF THE LINES - DON'T PANIC
TAKE A BREATH - AND SIMPLY EXPLAIN
QUICKLY THAT YOU NEED TO REGROUP.
12.STAGE FRIGHT
FORGET ABOUT YOURSELF
FORGET ABOUT THE SPEECH
FORGET ABOUT THE AUDIENCE.
15.GET THE MOVEMENTS IN LINE WITH IDEAS
16.USE VARIETY
17.USE RESERVE
18.TYPES Of GESTURES
ENUMERATIVE - ONE, TWO
DESCRIPTIVE - 2-INCHES LONG WITH FINGERS
LOCATIVE - ABOVE AND MOVE HAND
SYMBOLIC - GOD AND RAISE YOUR EYES
EMPHATIC - CLENCHED FIST SCARLET OHARA
POSTURE - CONCERNED ONLY WITH STANCE
CAGED LION - BACK AND FORTH
PINBALL PLAYER - GRABS PODIUM AND HANGS ON
MONEY MAN - HANDS IN POCKET
TEETER-TOTTER - ROCKS BACK AND FORTH
CHALK-CHUCKER - CHALK HANDLER
HITCH-HIKER - PULLING UP PANT
FACE-RUBBER - RUBS EYES AND FOREHEAD
FIG LEAFER - HANDS IN FRONT OF BODY
DRESSER-UPPER - ALWAYS CHECKING CLOTHES
19.THINGS TO REMEMBER
SPECIFY THE PURPOSE
DETERMINE THE SCOPE
KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
ASSEMBLE YOUR IDEAS
Visual
Aids and Graphics
effective visual aids
when to use tables, figures, and flowcharts
integration of the various types
VISUAL
AIDS
A. TABLE OF ORGANIZATION
B. FLOW CHART
C. SCHEMATIC/DIAGRAMMATIC - WHERE THINGS ARE
D. BAR GRAPH
E. LINE GRAPH -- FIGURES THAT YOU ARE COMFORTABLE
WITH SHOWING RELATIONSHIPS
F. DIVIDED CIRCLE GRAPH/PIE CHART
G. PICTOGRAPH
WHEN
TO PLACE IN TEXT
1. WHEN NEEDED TO ADVANCE THE READER'S IMMEDIATE
UNDERSTANDING.
2. APPEND A VISUAL NEEDED ONLY TO SUPPORT THE
READER'S PROCESS OF UNDERSTANDING.
VISUALS
1. DEFINE AND CLARIFY
2. EXEMPLIFY
3. CLASSIFY AND DIVIDE
4. COMPARE AND CONTRAST
5. DESCRIBE A PROCESS
6. ILLUSTRATE PARTS
7. CLARIFY RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN PARTS
WHEN
TO USE
1. WHERE WORDS WOULD BE EITHER IMPOSSIBLE OR
QUITE INEFFICIENT FOR DESCRIBING A CONCEPT.
2. MAKE THE TITLE MEANINGFUL
3. IF SLIDES GROUP FOR EFFECT AND NOT LIGHTS OUT
4. SLIDES NEED TO BE 2X2
5. BLACKBOARDS MAKE FOR A SHODDIER APPEARANCE.
HANDOUTS OKAY BUT BE CAREFUL (THEY TAKE TIME
AND ORGANIZATION.
Chapter
8
The presentations
themselves.
Concerns that you
have?
PRESENTATIONS
For members of the
audience to find a presentation successful, they must be able to answer the
following questions at the end of the presentation:
1.
What is the title of the work?
2.
What is the name of the presenter and his or her
affiliation?
3.
Why is the work important?
4.
What is the presenter's motivation for the work?
5.
What related work exists?
6.
What is unique about the presenter's approach?
7.
What is the overall scope of the work?
8.
What are the specific objectives of the work?
9.
How was the work performed?
10.
What are the results?
11.
Did the results meet the objectives?
12.
What happens next?
PRESENTATION
GIVEN BY _____________________
CONTENT:
YOUR IMPRESSION ON THE MATERIAL PRESENTED.
ORGANIZATION:
IS THERE A LOGICAL FLOW.
STYLE:
IS A STYLE NOTICEABLE AND PLEASING
POISE:
IS THERE A PROFESSIONAL STANCE.
VISUALS:
INFORMATIVE OR DISTRACTING.
Another
evaluation
Name_____________________
Date ___________
Specific
purpose of this speech__________________________________
Title__________________
Introduction___________________________________
Body_________________________________________
Conclusion____________________________________
Listener's
comments
Clarity
of purpose_____________________________
Body
language________________________________
Verbal
Language______________________________
Voice________________________________________
Enthusiasm
and Vigor___________________________
Self-Confidence________________________________
Organization__________________________________
Introduction
and Conclusion______________________
Time__________
Chapter
9
SPRING
BREAK
Chapter
10
The world of revision
and its importance in the world of the engineer. Bending and shaping the text to
fit the situation. The art of scientific writing. A study of scientific
text.
LANGUAGE OF THE
WRITER
redundancy
transitions
repetition
sexist language
tautology
conciseness
fog index
conventions
1.REDUNDANCY
A. SAYING THE SAME THING IN OTHER WORDS
2. TRANSITIONS
A. WORDS THAT ALLOW EASY MOVEMENT OF THOUGHT
3. REPETITION
A. REPEATING WORDS TO POINT THAT IT BECOMES
OBNOXIOUS
4. SEXIST LANGUAGE
PC
A. OVERUSE OF HIM/HER MALE TERMS -
USING WORDS
WITHOUT THINKING
5. SCIENTIFIC
LANGUAGE
A.THE TERMINOLOGY OF YOUR AREA
6. TAUTOLOGY
A. REPETITION, REDUNDANCY
7. CONCISENESS
A. EVERY WORD HAS
B. NOTHING DETRACTS READER FROM YOUR THOUGHT
8. FOG INDEX
A. COUNT WORDS IN A PASSAGE, DIVIDE BY NUMBER OF SENTENCES, COUNT
NUMBER OF WORDS OF 3 OR MORE SYLLABLES (NO WORD COMBOS OR VERB FORMS), TOTAL THE
ABOVE AND MULTIPLY BY 0.4. ABOVE 13 RUNS THE
RISK OF BEING MISUNDERSTOOD OR IGNORED.
The smallest of the URF's (URFA6L), a 207-necleotide (nt) reading frame
overlapping out of phase the NH2-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase
(ATPase) subunit 6 gene has been identified as the animal equivalent of the
recently discovered yeast H+-
ATPase subunit 8 gene. The functional significance of the other URF's has been,
on the contrary, elusive. Recently,however, immunoprecipitation experiments with
antibodies to purified, rotenone-sensitive NADH-ubiquinone oxido-reductase
[hereafter referred to as respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase or complex I]
from bovine heart, as well as enzyme fractionation studies, have indicated that
six human URF's ( that is, URF1, URF2, URF3, URF4, URF4L, and URF5, hereafter
referred to as ND1, ND2, ND3, ND4, ND4L, and ND5) encode subunits of complex I.
This is a large complex that also contains many subunits synthesized in the
cytoplasm.
The smallest of the
URF's (URFA6L),has been identified as a subunit 8 gene. The functional
significance of the other URF's has been, on the contrary, elusive.
Recently,however, experiments as respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase or complex
I] from bovine heart, as well as studies, have indicated that six human URF's
[1-6] encode subunits of Complex I. This is a large complex that contains many
subunits synthesized in the cytoplasm.
The smallest of the
URF's is URFA6L, a 207-necleotide (nt) reading frame overlapping out of phase
the NH2-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 gene;
it has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H+- ATPase subunit 8
gene.
The smallest of the
URF's (URFA6L) has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently
discovered yeast H+- ATPase subunit
8 gene.
The smallest of the
URF's is URFA6L, a 207-necleotide (nt) reading frame overlapping out of phase
the NH2-terminal portion of the adenosinetriphosphatase (ATPase) subunit 6 gene;
it has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently discovered yeast H+- ATPase subunit 8
gene.
Recently,however,
immunoprecipitation experiments with antibodies to purified, rotenone-sensitive
NADH-ubiquinone oxido-reductase [hereafter referred to as respiratory chain NADH
dehydrogenase or complex I] from bovine heart, as well as enzyme fractionation
studies, have indicated that six human URF's ( that is, URF1, URF2, URF3, URF4,
URF4L, and URF5, hereafter referred to as ND1, ND2, ND3, ND4, ND4L, and ND5)
encode subunits of complex I.
The smallest of the
URF's (URFA6L) has been identified as the animal equivalent of the recently
discovered yeast H+- ATPase subunit
8 gene; but the functional significance of other URF's has been more elusive.
Recently, however, several human
URF's have shown to
encode subunits of rotenone-sensitive NADH ubiquinone oxido-reductase. This is a
large complex that also contains many subunits synthesized in the cytoplasm; it
will be referred to hereafter as respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase or complex
I. Six subunits of Complex I were
shown by enzyme fractionation studies and immununoprecipitation experiments to
be encoded by six human URF's (URF1, URF2, URF3, URF4, URF4L, and URF5) these
URF's will be referred to subsequently as ND1, ND2, ND3, ND4, ND4L, and
ND5.
POINTS TO
REMEMBER-revision
1) First
Revision
a) Weigh only the content
2) Second
Revision
a) Increase clarity
3) Third
Revision
a) Meet the standards of correctness
4) Fourth
Revision
a) Work on Brevity
5) Fifth
Revision
a)Improve the style
IN
DETAIL
Content
Revision
Does the text contain
all the material that the readers
need?
How much can I remove without interfering with my readers' understanding
and needs?
What is the effect of the content upon the
reader?
Become the
reader
Clarity
Revision
Is the entire message
clear?
Do readers have a chance
to interpret?
Are there any ambiguous
expressions?
Do all the words speak
to the ideas exactly?
Standards of
Correctness
Are all the standards of
grammar, spelling, sentence structure met?
No content looking here
- you've already done that.
What does your company
expect?
Have you found
out?
Brevity
Revision
Can you reduce the
number of words?
Have you tried to fill
space wit words and not ideas?
Have you sad what was
needed and quit?
STYLE
Revision
Have you looked for
better sounding words?
Have you worked on
variety of sentence length?
Is your paragraph
construction spectacular?
Editing
Mold the text to support
the main ideas in a unified pattern.
Say what you
mean.
Get to the
point.
Be
honest.
LET THE CONTENT REFLECT
THE TYPE OF SENTENCE STRUCTURE THAT YOU USE.
If it is complex then use complex sentence
structure.
If idea is simple and requires no qualifiers, then stay
simple.
Combine closely related sentences.
SUPPORT ALL MAIN
POINTS.
But ALL DETAILS MUST SUPPORT MAIN IDEA.
Make it
obvious!
Get rid of unnecessary
words
They detract from the
central ideas of the presentation.
1. Have I covered the
headings of the outline?
2. Do the main points
stand out?
3. Does the document
flow logically?
4. Are there
contradictions in the document?
5. Are there indefinite
or vague statements?
6. Does the document
prepare the reader for the conclusions?
7. Does the data support
the conclusions?
8. Are the conclusions
clear and logical?
9. Are the
recommendations clear?
10. Is the document
written so that the nontechnical reader can understand it?
11. Is the writing clear
enough, responsive enough, and persuasive enough to be accepted by the most skeptical
readers?
UNITY AND
COHERENCE
Paragraphs serve as a resting place for the eye and mind of your
reader.
They serve as the structure key to your
text.
Focus must be on one thought.
topic idea and supporting information.
WORDING
1. Can I delete it?
2. Can I replace it with a simpler word?
3. Can I replace it with a more specific
substitute?
4. Can I replace it with a more concrete
substitute?
SUMMARY
1. Are my paragraphs unified?
2. Can I identify a topic sentence for each
paragraph?
3. Are the sentences in each paragraph in a logical
order?
4. Have I checked for too many loose
sentences?
5. Have I stressed the major idea in each
sentence?
6. Are most of my sentences active rather than
passive?
7. Have I used the necessary and right
connectives?
8. Are my words concrete and specific?
9. Have I deleted jargon and specialized
words?
10. Have I deleted redundancies?
11. Have I gotten rid of wordiness?
12. Have I deleted useless words?
Chapter
11
Conciseness
in the engineer. Creating the appropriate abstract. Supplying customers with the
appropriate directions, process information, or mechanism instructions for their
needs.
directions,
processes, and mechanisms.
ABSTRACTING
basic
features
relevant
materials
extracting
information
fine tuning
analytical
reading
creative
reading
ABSTRACTING
OBJECTIVES
RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
IMPLICATIONS
USUALLY 1 PARAGRAPH
SINGLE SPACED
200 WORDS MAXIMUM
1)
PRESENTS SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO INTEREST READER
2)
GIVES ENOUGH INFORMATION SO THAT READER WON'T HAVE TO READ WHOLE
WORK
TWO
TYPES
1) INDICATIVE - TABLE OF CONTENTS IN NARRATIVE FORM
2) INFORMATIVE - CONDENSED ACCOUNT OF THE
OBJECTIVE,PROCEDURE, RESULTS, CONCLUSIONS, AND
IMPLICATIONS
ABSTRACTS
"A
descriptive summary (abstract) is a table of contents in paragraph form; it is a
general map for readers." - Michael
Alley
1.
Miniversion of the paper
2.
Brief summary of the main sections of the paper
3. A
summary of the information in the paper
4.
Enables readers to identify the basic content of the document quickly and
accurately.
5.
Gives reader the signal - to read or not
6.
The abstract should
a. state the principal objectives and the scope of the
investigation
b. describe the methodology involved
c. summarize the results
d. state the principal conclusions
why here - notice they appear in introduction and in discussion along
with a
conclusion section
7.
Abstracts are written in the past tense because it is work
done
8.
Abstracts should never reflect conclusions not voiced in the
paper
9.
Types of abstracts
a. the above is referred to as an informative abstract - obvious
why
b. the second form is the indicative abstract.
indicates the subject of the paper
cannot serve as substitute for the whole paper
10.
The abstract is meant to stand by itself. Published alone, it must be self
contained.
11.
It should not contain bibliographic, figure, or table
references.
12.
The language should be familiar to the potential reader. No obscure
abbreviations of acronyms.
13.
Do not abbreviate.
14.
Watch out for too little information, but also chop any superfluous info.
Shortest abstract - e=mc2
15.
Abstracts are single paragraph. It is the first thing read in a review process.
It must be clear and simple.
16. A
reviewer will generally make decisions by just reading the abstract - the paper
will be icing. A bad abstract sets the stage for
disaster.
Chapter
12
The
job market. The needs of the communicator in the real world. Cover letters,
thank you responses, personal statements, writing samples, and resumes.
THE JOB MARKET AND ITS TEXT REQUIREMENTS
style manuals
particulars of industry
cover letters/thank yous
LETTERHEAD
DOUBLE
DATE
DOUBLE
TWICE
INSIDE
ADDRESS
DOUBLE
SUBJECT
DOUBLE
DEAR
DOUBLE
PARAGRAPH
DOUBLE
SINCERELY
DOUBLE
TWICE
YOUR
NAME
ALTERNATE
DATE
DOUBLE
TWICE
INSIDE
ADDRESS
DOUBLE
SUBJECT
DOUBLE
DEAR
DOUBLE
PARAGRAPH
DOUBLE
SINCERELY
DOUBLE
TWICE
___________
YOUR
NAME +
ADDRESS
REGULAR
YOUR
ADDRESS
DATE
DOUBLE
TWICE
INSIDE
ADDRESS
DOUBLE
SUBJECT
DOUBLE
DEAR
DOUBLE
PARAGRAPH
DOUBLE
SINCERELY
DOUBLE
TWICE
YOUR
NAME
Example
of poor production
Albert
P. Crandom III
1205
N.Blanford
Caladen,
NY 00320
517.243.4562
9 June
1993
Human Resources
Director
Fallston
Engineering,Inc.
Dear
Ms.Braxton:
I am
writing at the suggestion of my uncle Philip Crandom, President of Fallston
Engineering, whom I had lunch with just yesterday. His fantastic explanation of
Fallston's achievements in miniaturization technology, particularly the Dresome
Couterlope have given me the incentive to apply for a position. I would very
much like to become part of the Fallston team as a product design engineer when
I earn my bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering. Being an
integral part of a corporation that employs over 250,000 people is
exciting.
As my
resume explains I have completed four upper division courses related to product
design and even though I have never held any kind of employment, I have listened
to my uncle's explanation of the working world during our many excursions to
Europe, Asia, Africa, and
This
semester I have finished preparing a concise guide to fraternity life here on
campus and I feel that it will remain as a milestone in university related
publications.
Thank
you for considering my qualifications for employment with Fallston. Please
contact my uncle for any additional information that you might desire. I am sure
that he can relate to you a significant position that I could fill
immediately.
Sincerely,
Albert
P.Crandom III
Chapter
13
Sweeping
up the floor and getting in what ever we can that is left. (Much too much to
cover, but now you have the challenge to continue on digging and improving your
skills as a communicator. Reference texts, varieties of reports not covered
(feasibility reports, progress reports).
PUBLICATION
tricks
of the trades
polishing
the work
creating
the conference paper
Proposal
Writing
Project
Summary
Project
Description
Introduction
Rationale and Significance
Plan of Work
Facilities and equipment
Personnel
Qualifications
Budget
Appendices
Proposal Writing
1)
Accuracy
2)
Brevity
3)
Clarity
4)
Consistency
5)
Explicitness
Conflicting Considerations
1)
Not every proposal will become a job.
So primary
emphasis must be given to those aspects having a major
effect on the estimate.
2) A
plant is never built exactly as proposed.
3)
Rarely enough time to include everything.
4)
Not everyone can be the low bidder, but
low bid may not always be best
buy.
5)
Prevailing feeling is "low price."
6)
Some companies have different degrees of
sophistication.
7) At
some time someone or group must be
responsible for the performance of
the
contractor.
8)
The company engineers are not always
given enough time to go over
proposals.
Chapter
14
Creative
problem solving. A week spent in looking at problems and how to solve them.
1.Define the problem
Generate the solutions
Decide the course of action
Implement the solution
Evaluating the situation
2.Group dynamics
3.Decision trees
4.Decision Making
5.Running meetings
Chapter
15
Time
for giving presentations. Getting up in front of the class and showing your
expertise.
Chapter
16 Referencing
COMMUNICATION
TECHNIQUES
AND
FORMATS:
HELP!
HELP! HELP!
SECTION
Technical
Writing is:
1. A problem-solving discipline
2. A text converter
3. Stylistic
clear,objective,economical
4. Format oriented
memos, lab reports, abstracts
5. No nonsense
6. Focused early
7. Specialized in vocabulary
8. Filled with highly specific fact filled
sentences
9. #'s dimensions
10. Signs,symbols,formulas
11. Graphs,tables
12. Documentation
Qualities:
1. Content
2. Methodical construction
3. Objectiveness
4. Importance in workplace
5. Clarity
6. The knowledge that it must be learned
Take
a look at the following text and see how the sentences are constructed and the
flow of ideas moves from sentence to sentence and paragraph to
paragraph.
Polluted Ground Water, Sinking Land Price of
Progress
by Dr. Sunao Ogose
Ground water and the hot spring water that comes from the geothermal
heating of ground water are also a precious underground resource. If the hot water and steam created by
the geothermal heating of deep ground water at high temperatures is withdrawn at
the surface, this also becomes an important geothermal
resource.
Boiling
point
Most of the ground water in
In addition, the special characteristics of ground water - its
temperature changes less than that of surface water, it generally contains many
minerals and carbonic acid so is more tasty than surface water, and it generally
has a lower pollution level than surface water - are even more evident in
confined than unconfined ground water.
For this reason, confined ground water accounts for most of the ground
water that has been developed to meet the nation's increased demand for water,
especially water for living purposes.
Compared with unconfined ground water, however, confined ground water
flows extremely slowly; it actually consists of unconfined ground water that has
trickled down to its present zone over a long period of time. For this reason, if the pumping rate for
confined ground water at a certain place exceeds the confined ground water's
rate of replenishment, the recharge storage will decline by that
amount.
Reckless
construction
Unfortunately, deep wells have been recklessly constructed and confined
ground water pumped up in excessive quantities in numerous places, as a result
of which the recharge storage has declined and in some cases even faces the
critical possibility of depletion.
When confined ground water is removed in large amounts, new movements of
ground water occur to make up for the quantity loss and decreased pressure. Unconfined ground water near the surface
also passes through the semipermeable bed to the deeper area to supplement and
create new confined ground water.
As a result, if the aquifer of the unconfined ground water has a high
degree of compressibility and is formed from soft ground, dehydration of the
aquifer leads to land sinking. In
addition, when ground water is pumped up in large quantities in coastal areas
and a decline in quantity and pressure occurs, the infiltration of sea water can
lead to the ground water's salinization.
In the past, land sinking has been especially conspicuous in large
industrial belts, such as the Nobi Plain, the southern Kanto Plain and the Osaka
Plain. It also has occurred on a
large scale in natural gas fields of the dissolved-in-water type, like Niigata
Plain. To preserve ground water
resources and prevent land sinking, regulations have been placed on the pumping
of ground water in accordance with local conditions. As a result, the sharp land sinking that
occurred previously has not been seen in recent years.
In places where pumping regulations have not been implemented because of
the difficulty of providing alternative water resources, land sinking continues
as before. Meanwhile, the
salinization of ground water is especially conspicuous in coastal industrial
belts, where large quantities of water are pumped for industrial
use.
The problem is that the implementation of pumping regulations does not
mean that sunken land will return to its original level. Moreover, ground water does not easily
return to its original condition once it has been salinized. Consequently, these two aspects of
ground water pollution are exerting an immense adverse impact on regional
development.
Civil engineering
perils
Recently the civil engineering and construction industries have come to
occupy a central role in
For example, the construction of subways in cities like Tokyo and
Yokohama, because it involves the cutting up of the ground water basin, has led
to ground water depletion and land sinking on quite a large scale in some
places. In addition, tunnel
construction for railways and roads has caused ground water depletion and land
sinking not only in major urban areas but also in many mountain
villages.
At geothermal electric power generating stations, the extraction of large
quantities of hot water and steam from deep underground by means of productive
wells can bring about abnormal changes at nearby spas, which can experience a
decline or depletion of their hot spring water. Such an example has actually occurred in
The development of Hishikari Mine in Kagoshima Prefecture saw the
discharge of a large quantity of spring water inside the mine, as a result of
which Yunoo Spa, which is situated down stream of this spring water, experienced
not only reductions or even depletions of its hot spring water but also the
fastest rate of land sinking ever recorded in Japan. Some wooden buildings in this spa resort
were completely destroyed, as if they had been hit by a strong
earthquake.
Appropriate
development
Although exact figures are not available, the amount of ground water
withdrawn in
In addition, the pollution of ground water has advanced considerably in
recent years, affecting not only unconfined but also confined ground water. Pollution caused by coagulants used in
underground construction and organic solvents used in factories has become
especially serious. Maintenance of
the quality of ground water is extremely important.
Now that you have
read the information on
Column 1 line
18-19 -- an explanation of the
previous conditions and then " the situation" begins the next sentence to tie
the two sentences together.
Further down
Column 1 Line 23-24 -- "to meet the
consequent high demand for water" ties to all the previous statements. Here you
can see flow at work. Tying information together and creating a paragraph that
works from a common focus with supporting details.
SUBJECTS AND
VERBS
One of the
earliest things that we remember in our schooling is the construction of
complete sentences. We put nouns together with action words, and we conveyed
ideas that made sense to the people around us. It is important that we pay
particular attention to those early building blocks that can now create good
text for our instructors and managers. When someone reads your text it is
important that the text flows smoothly with no flagrant blocks in concentration.
Subject and verb quality and agreement allows the reader to move through the
text without stumbling over subjects that are singular coupled with verbs that
are plural. It is therefore vitally important to be aware of what you are doing
with your subjects and verbs. Look at the following examples and make sure that
you understand why the examples are written as they are. This is not the time to
hear rules. It is time to understand why the sentence reads the way it does, to
be aware of the needs of the reader and how much sentence construction can help
or hinder understanding.
Subject/verb
agreement
(If you need a
rule singular subjects take singular verbs/plural subjects take plural verbs.)
Look at these
sentences. Why do you think the subjects and verbs agree the way they
do?
1. The lab
experiment fulfills the
needs of the assignment.
2. In the
beginning of the testing period, twelve vials were presented to the
experimenters.
3. Most test
tubes do not pass the minimal standards.
4. Plutonium and
Tritium have been used in the study.
5. Plutonium or
Tritium has been used in the study.
6. Plutonium or
two benzynes have been used in the study.
7. Plutonium as
well as Tritium is used in the study.
8. The equipment
is going to be transferred today.
9. Platinum,
gold, and lead are being used in ME 412.
10. Each of the
labs, including fluids, is going to be difficult.
11. There are ten
labs in this building.
12.
Unfortunately, Bryon mixed the chemicals that were used in the previous
experiment.
13. Teripherium
is a gas and a solid.
RULES:
a. Subjects and verbs must agree in person and number - singular with
singular, plural with plural.
b. A verb must agree with its subject not with any words that come
between them.
c. Subjects joined by AND usually take a plural
verb.
d. When subjects are joined by OR or NOR the verb agrees with the subject
closest to it.
e. For engineering the category of noncount words used as subjects
include words like equipment which takes a singular
verb.
f. When using subordinate clauses with a pronoun as subject, the verb
agrees with the antecedent to
which the pronoun refers.
g. A verb agrees with the subject even though in many cases the subject
will follow the verb.
h. When using a linking verb (is are, was, were, forms of be) the subject
is the noun that precedes the
verb, not the nouns that
follow the verb.
SENTENCE VARIETY/TYPES
Since we are interested in making our text
flow as smoothly as possible, it is important that we introduce a certain amount
of variety into the sentences that we create. The age old conventional
subject-verb-object sentence (Bob saw the cat.) doesn't present an interesting
picture if it is the only types of sentence that we use.
The idea then is to vary the structures
to allow the reader to enjoy the experience of reading the
text.
Here are the different varieties that you
can use to assemble your reports.
Simple sentence -
subject-verb-object
The laboratory report stimulated conversation.
Compound sentence - subordinate clause-
main clause
If you find the answer, it will relieve everyone in the
class.
Complex sentence - independent clause -
independent clause
The final reports were due yesterday, and no one knew who had the
original.
Compound/complex sentence - independent
with subordinate clause - independent
If you find the answer, it will relieve everyone in the class; and I
think that you will get a reward.
Normal sentences - subject before the
verb
The scanivalve malfunctioned.
Inverted sentences - verb first then
subject
How complicated is this exercise!
PARAGRAPH CONSTRUCTION
1) Use logical order of sentence
arrangement
general to specific
developing from facts
2) Utilize a careful repetition of
words
3) Use parallel
structure
4) Use transitional
words
since, moreover, however, in which
Present your ideas in a manner that
allows the reader to understand. Complexity breeds confusion and time
commitment
Outlandish things do not make a reader
happy.
Suggestions:
Use a format
Work from an
outline
Edit,Edit,Edit
again!
Do your weeding.
Use small words.
Edit illustrations.
TOPIC SENTENCES AND SUPPORTING
STATEMENTS
Creating something that is readable and
contains appropriate content material is your primary goal in engineering
communication. The individual who picks up your text must be able to easily move
through the text no matter how difficult the material itself might be. Technical
text cannot be defined as unreadable. This thought violates the true intent of
technical writing, which is to convey information to a particular audience in a
clear and concise manner. The material will most likely be of a technical
nature, but that does not mean that it can be simply downloaded without any
sense of order and flow.
From your earliest
paragraph construction days you learned that a paragraph needed to contain a
single topic, one focus for the reader with supporting details. This usually
means around 5 sentences, all aiming at a particular idea. Within the paragraph
the main focus usually rests in the topic sentence. The topic sentence can
appear at any point in the paragraph. It also can appear in the form of a
pervading idea in which the reader is able to clearly see what the paragraph
focuses on. It is your job to make sure that all the ideas contained within a
paragraph relate to one central idea. If there are ideas that relate to other
foci, you will need to construct additional paragraphs.
The laboratory focussed on the turbulent flow present in the small wind
tunnel. The turbulence was created by restricting the inlet valve from 1" to
1/2". The force of the flow coming into the valve was not increased, but the
force coming out of the valve increased by a factor of 2. It was decided that
the turbulence would act in this manner for all valve restrictions of this
size.
Technical text has a
tendency to place topic sentences at the beginning of the paragraph. You can see
this from the paragraph above. It is easy to tell that the central idea is the
turbulence created in a wind tunnel. Each sentence that follows relates to the
idea of that turbulence. If you take your own work and evaluate a random sample
of paragraphs, you can monitor your progress toward making each paragraph fit
the needs of a properly constructed paragraph.
In order to build the
individual paragraphs into a complete paper, you can take ideas from the
beginning paragraph and expand the idea into another paragraph. This can go on
for ever if you like. The paragraph above could give rise to additional
paragraphs on the valve types, further looks at restrictions, more information
on flow speeds,and the wind tunnel itself. The ideas are endless. Your only
restriction is time and space.
Correctly constructing
sentences that fit into paragraphs that join together to convey a smooth flowing
idea should be your goal. You need to look at each piece of text that you create
as a finely sculptured unit of knowledge that you are conveying to others. It
needs to move with no restrictions. It must roll comfortably so that when the
reader finishes, they know that you are a creator of clear and concise text.
"Make it so."
IRREGULAR VERBS
Principal Parts of Irregular
Verbs
INFINITIVE
be
become
begin
blow
break
bring
burst
catch
choose
come
do
draw
drink
drive
eat
fall
fight
freeze
get
give
go
grow
have
hear
hide
know
lay
lead
let
lie
make
raise
ride
ring
rise
run
say
see
set
sit
slide
speak
spin
stand
swing
tear
think
throw
write
PAST TENSE
was
became
began
blew
broke
brought
burst
caught
chose
came
did
drew
drank
drove
ate
fell
fought
froze
got
gave
went
grew
had
heard
hid
knew
laid
led
let
lay
made
raised
rode
rang
rose
ran
said
saw
set
sat
slid
spoke
spun
stood
swung
tore
thought
threw
wrote
PAST PARTICIPLE
been
become
begun
blown
broken
brought
burst
caught
chosen
come
done
drawn
drunk
driven
eaten
fallen
fought
frozen
got,gotten
given
gone
grown
had
heard
hidden
known
laid
led
let
lain
made
raised
ridden
rung
risen
run
said
seen
set
sat
slid
spoken
spun
stood
swung
torn
thought
thrown
written
ACTIVE/PASSIVE VOICE
There will always be an argument among writers about when and how to use
active and passive voice. An easy explanation of the two
is:
Active voice distinctly focuses on the doer of the
action.
Sound reverberated off the walls. It is easy to see that the writer wants
us to understand that
sound is the main focus of the sentence.
Passive voice, on the other hand, changes the position of the previous
subject into an indirect object and focuses the sentence on the receiver of the
action done by the previous subject.
The walls were struck by sound's reverberations. Again it is easy
to see that the writer wants us to focus on the walls as the receivers of
the sound not on the
sound itself.
The main thing to remember is that in the
active voice there is a distinct doer of the action.
In the passive voice the subject becomes
the receiver of the action.
Using active voice adds to the directness
of your writing. It puts the doers of the action upfront in the eyes of the
reader. The passive voice, on the other hand, separates the doers from the
action and allows the writer to move away from the active work of the subject to
a more detached position. It is definitely a less abrupt approach to any
action.
PRONOUNS
Pronouns have been around since you were as small child. You probably can
remember some of your first sentences using the ever popular, "Me want!" It was
easy for you to understand who ME was. It was you. This then was your first
usage of words that stand for other words.
I,me, mine, ours, theirs, you, them,
whom, they COPY
The important thing to realize now is
that when you use these words, they must agree with the antecedent to which they
refer.
1. The laboratory was new in its
heyday.
2. Mark lifted the ammeter slowly, and he
realized his mistake immediately.
3. Tritium, Plutonium, and Boron were all
used as they should be.
Another issue often raised is the
inability of students to make their pronoun usage clear and
understandable.
I worked hard on the experiment, and it
was difficult.
(Does the writer want us to see the
experiment as difficult, the work that was done as difficult, or that is was
difficult to work hard.)
Vague references can make a very
difficult reading.
Lastly, do not put a great deal of space
between your pronouns and your antecedents. The further apart they are , they
more difficult it may become for your reader to be clear on their
relationship.
1. If your lab partner brings a guest,
tell him to leave the lab. (Who is leaving ?)
2. The engineers found the samples; they
were not happy. (The samples aren't happy?)
3. I know the answers to the problems
with the sending device; they are really complicated. (Problems or answers are
complicated?)
CONSISTENCY
A buzz word for the present is
CONSISTENCY. It is imperative when you write that the forms, spellings,
patterns, and verb tenses be consistent throughout the text. You cannot change
the names of items without announcing to the reader what you are doing. By
viewing inconsistencies in your text, the reader will begin to doubt your
integrity as a conveyor of knowledge. If you can't make decisions on how
something should be presented, why should they believe your information. These
inconsistencies may appear as simple, misspellings of words. You will need to
make sure that every word in your text is spelled uniformly and correctly.
Punctuation must also be consistent. You cannot use it any way the moment seems
to dictate. I you use a particular form early in the text, make sure that the
form stays the same throughout the text. (Capitalizing certain words,
abbreviating others, underlining, using bold, or numbering
figures)
Laboratory experimentation is a real
hands-on way to experience engineering. When we will take the measurements it
was a good feeling. I am pleased with the results.You were, too, I will be
sure. ( If it reads a
little awkwardly, then you are hearing the inconsistencies in the
wording.)
In the above example, the verb tenses are
not consistent. It is difficult to understand where actions are taking place and
how to react to the text. This inconsistency will cause major problems with the
understanding of the reader.
Anyone can do the experiment,if you have the knowledge. (Notice how reader can question who YOU
is.)
Engineers can no longer ignore the things that they have not done in the
theater of the world. (
Does THEY refer to engineers?
Could it refer to some other group?
Good communication is vital to engineering, as well as in the grocery
business, where getting your idea across is vital. (Does WHERE refer to engineering or to
their grocery business?
The problem with the above sentences
arises because the writer has not carries the ideas through the sentence. The
flow of material is not complete, so the reader fails to grasp exactly who the
writer is talking about. Another way that inconsistency hinders the ability to
communicate.
FLOW
Remember that when we read or listen, we
like to hear continuity. We enjoy being able to follow the flow of the ideas
from one to another. It is most disconcerting when you are given a piece of
information only to be jolted to another unrelated piece of information with no
idea of the connection.
The lab experiment went successfully. I
have no doubts about the upcoming trip during spring break.
(Readers wonder if they have lost some
thread of information that would tie these two ideas together. When they
discover that it is simply just a poor writing sample, they can become quite
angry. You have wasted their time and they don't like it.)
It is vitally important that you make an
effort to carry a comfortable flow of information between every sentence in your
text. When editing what you write, a fair amount of care needs to go into the
awareness of how each sentence combines with those around it. Sentences need to
be combined, if by being separated they do not lend to the flow of the
text.
Mary performed the lab. It was difficult. It was long.
better:
Mary performed the long and difficult lab.
(Combining helps to make the text
flow.)
from above:
The lab experiment went successfully; therefore, I have no doubts about
our being able to take the upcoming trip during spring break.
(Here the reader knows what the connection between the two sentences
is.)
The passages on pages 29 and 30 reflect the issue of flow.)
COMMAS AND VARIOUS KINDS OF
ERRORS
included within this report are theory
and methods of analysis, equipment an experimental setup, procedure guidelines,
results, a discussion of results and conclusions. (commas before and in
series)
Notice the following statements. You
should get a clear indication of the difficulty that can be encountered by the
reader when trying to understand your meaning. They probably can understand it,
but they may not take the time to go back and forth to clearly understand what
you have intended in the passage.
As stated above the derivation of the uncertainty
qualities....
Readers will look at the passage in the
first reading and quickly see
as stated above the
derivation. They
will assume that it means something above the derivation, which it doesn't. When
the comma is placed between above and the, the meaning is now
clear - As stated above, then what is stated.
In general errors fall into two categories....
Here again it is a simple problem and
when taken out of context, it appears to be something that will confuse no one.
But if you think about it - In general errors. The reader hears that
there are general errors, not in general, errors. Commas do make a big
difference in the ease of writing.
In this experiment error could have been
introduced....
Again a simple example of words that run
together and cause confusion. This confusion may be for only a second, but that
second may cost the reader the entire thought of the paper. If the reader hears
the passage as experiment error and not in this experiment, error
could have been introduced then they will be in an area of confusion. How
long this confusion lasts will designate how much the reader loses in the
reading.
One type of error are class 1 errors...
Just for sound sake. Obviously there is a
singular subject involved in the passage, and this subject needs a singular
verb. But even more so, the sound of the sentence is thrown off by the lack of
agreement of the subject and verb. If it reads poorly, then the reader will
react to the sound and this will definitely affect the
content.
There are other factors that contribute to the uncertainty that were not
considered in the....
Notice here the that usage in the
passage. The first that introduces a restrictive clause that needs to be
an integral part of the sentence and the ideas that are being presented. We as
readers need to know that other factors contribute to the uncertainty. In
the case of the second that, the idea of the factors not being considered
are important first level pieces of information. They must be there in order for
the reader to fully understand the context.
There are other factors, which have garnered little interest in the
audience, that I feel should get
increased funding.
The passage uses one which and one
that. The which introduces a non-restrictive clause, which simply
provides additional information to the reader. This information is not necessary
for the underlying context of the passage. The that clause, on the other
hand, contains information that ivs vital to the presentation of the context.
The reader needs to know that other factors should get additional
funding.
Due to the inability to read...
Just a little passage that causes the
reader to wonder who has the inability? Can the person involved actually read?
Do people in general have a problem with reading? There is slight confusion
here. It may only be momentary, but every effort must be made to eliminate any
places where the reader can go astray, or more importantly - YOU ALLOW THE
READER TO GO ASTRAY.
SEMICOLONS
The semicolon lies halfway between the
comma and the period in force. Its use is quite
restricted.
Main clauses
Place a semicolon between two closely
connected main clauses that are not joined by a coordinating conjunction (and ,
but, nor, for, or yet.)
The expanding gases formed during burning
drive the turbine;the gases are then exhausted through the
nozzle.
If the clauses are long,have internal
punctuation, or if separate emphasis is desired, then the comma before the
coordinating conjunction may be increased to a semicolon.
The front lawn has been planted with a
Chinese beauty tree, a Bechtel flowering crab, a mountain ash, and assorted
small shrubbery, including barberry and cameo roses; but so far nothing has been
done to the rear beyond clearing and rough grading.
Series
When a series contains commas as internal
punctuation within the parts, use semicolons between the
parts.
Included in the experiment were Peter
Moody, a freshman; Jesse Gatlin, a sophomore; Burrel Gambel, a junior; and Ralph
Leone, a senior.
Last term in
school?
Get yourself a good writing guide to go
with your engineering texts.
The Chicago Manual of
Style is also good to
have. It's only $39.00.
COLONS
Remember the rule from your younger
years.
Colons link related thoughts, BUT one of
those thoughts must be able to stand alone as a
sentence.
The lab needed one more piece of equipment to fulfill the contract: a
vise.
Colons also are used to introduce
lists.
Professor Harrigan cataloged the chemicals:
1. Tritium
2. Parodesium
3. Grotect
When used in your text with equations,
colons are used after the words follow, follows, and
following.
Equation (7) is quickly transformed into the
following:
x+y=***.***
Whatever punctuation you are using within
your text, make sure that you understand what it is doing to the overall
understanding of the words. If by putting it into your text it confuses the
reader to the point that they lose the focus of the paper, then you must remove
unnecessary pieces. If the lack of punctuation hurts the meaning, then you must
make an effort to include more help in the form of punctuation. KNOW WHY YOU ARE
USING PUNCTUATION, NOT RULES ABOUT
PUNCTUATION!
COMPOUND
WORDS
1) Omit the hyphen
when words appear in regular order
and the omission of the hyphen causes no problems.
a) palm oil, eye opener, living costs
2) Combine when two
words combined make more sense.
a) afterglow, cupboard, gentlemen
3) Elements of compound
numbers from twenty-one to ninety-nine and in adjective compounds with a
numerical first element.
a) 7-hour day, 3-inch ruler, eighty-five.
Problems with
Punctuation
Main reason to punctuate
is to clarify the structure and prevent misreading.
One way to avoid some
punctuation is to arrange the words so that meanings are
clear.
a) I recognized the man, who was too tall for the door. (only
one)
b) I recognized the man who was too tall for the
door.
(more than one)
Dates, addresses, and
special forms.
Before conjunctions
joining independent clauses.
a) John saw the enemy coming, and he felt that he needed to cry
out.
In a series of
coordinate words -
a) Mary,Bob, and Fred ( so as not to seem like a compound end
word)
Around parenthetical
remarks -
a) The last play of the game, showing the true skill of the outfield,
was impressive.
Restrictive I woke up this morning
at six when you banged on the door.
Nonrestrictive I woke up this morning
at six, when you banged on the door.
Being careful --
a) If he likes shooting, the cat may find a place to
hide.
b) If he likes shooting the cat may find a place to
hide.
Specials -
a) He wrote on November 3, 1983, that it was cold.
b) He says that what provisions there are, are hardly enough to
sustain us. Compound word: conveys a unit that is not as clearly
conveyed by separate words. The hyphen not only unites but
separates the component words.
Basic
rules:
1. Omit the hyphen when
words appear in regular order and the omission causes no confusion in sound or
meaning.
2. Compound two or more
words to express an idea that would not be as clearly expressed in separate
words.
3. In the derivative of
a compound, keep the solid or hyphenated form of the original compound, unless
otherwise indicated for particular words.
4. When any,
every, no and some are combined with body,
thing, and where, type as one word.
GRAMMATICAL THINGS TO BE
AWARE OF
1. It's and its contraction and
possessive
2. Parenthetic express.
John, on the other hand, is quiet.
3. Coordinate
Conjunctions -- connect equal elements
It was a resistor, but it never worked properly.
4. Subordinate
Conjunctions -- clause after the independent clause completes the idea of the
ind.clause.
The resistor wouldn't work because it was broken.
5. Join independent
clauses with a semi-colon.
It was the resistor; it wouldn't work.
6. Evaluate commas after
participial phrases at the beginning of sentences.
After the fire, men were seen to cheer.
After we saw the fire there were marshmallows everywhere.
7. Avoid the
negative.Reword to the positive.
He is never on time. He is usually late.
8. LIKE governs nouns. She
was like us.
Winston tastes good as a cigarette should.
9. Split infinitives -
To boldly go
DIRECT
LANGUAGE
Just a few of the many
times that we use too many words when a fewer number would be clearer to the
reader.
An innumerable number of
tiny veins
at this point in
time
bright green in
color
we conducted inoculation
experiments on
due to the fact
that
during the time that
fewer in
number
for the reason
that
goes under the name of
if conditions are such
that
in the event
that
it is often the case
that
it is possible that the
cause is
it would appear
that
lenticular in
character
oval in
shape
the tube which has a
length of 3m
prior to
innumerable tiny
veins
now
bright
green
we
inoculated
because
while
fewer
because,since
is
called
if
if
often
the cause may
be
apparently
lenticular
oval
the tube,3m
long
before
JARGON
(definition)
1)
confused,unintelligible language; 2) technical terminology of a special group or
activity; 3) obscure and often pretentious language marked by circumlocutions
and long words.
All of the above should
be avoided as much as possible. We only say this because it causes problems with
the understanding of the text. Jargon may seem like a neat way of saying
something that your readers may misinterpret what you have to say. 1 and 3
should always be avoided, but 2 might be difficult in your technical area.
Technical writers do find that they can use the jargon freely, but only
after it has been defined or explained to the reader.
BIG WORDS VERSUS THE
REGULARS
When you have a choice
of using something that says what you want to say or something that
makes you sound overinflated, the best course is to go with the
simpler term. The reader will not be allowed to interpret what your text says.
They will take their lead from you and understand what you want them to
understand.
1. As a case in point,
other authorities have proposed that slumbering canines are best left in a
recumbent position.
2. It has been posited
that a high degree of curiosity proved lethal to a feline.
3. There is a large body
of experimental evidence which clearly indicates that members of the genus
Mus tend to engage in recreational activity while the feline is remote
from the locale.
4. Even with the most
sophisticated experimental protocol, it is exceedingly unlikely that you can
instill in a superannuated canine the capacity to perform novel feats of
legerdemain.
5. A sedimentary
conglomerate in motion down a declivity gains no addition of mossy
material.
6. The resultant
experimental data indicate that there is no utility in belaboring a deceased
equine.
7. From time immemorial,
it has been known that the infestation of an "apple" (i.e. the pome fruit of any
tree of the genus Malus, said fruit being usually round in shape and
red,yellow, or greenish in color) on a diurnal basis will with absolute
certainty keep a primary member of the health care establishment absent from
one's local environment.
CLICHES
It is probably important
to note that the cliche is something to be avoided in the writing that you will
do as engineers. Cliches when they were
first coined were vivid descriptions of something that was current in the minds
of the people. As time passed,though,these descriptions lost there original
power and meaning. They became worn out and did not reflect good descriptive
text. Some of the ones that you have heard are:
a can of worms
be at loggerheads
acid test
bated breath
all things considered give the green
light to
along those lines in the nick
of time
cast a pall
days are numbered
by the same token
avoid like the plague
You might have a
definition for each of these, maybe because you have heard them so many times.
But do you know what they really mean in the context of when they were first
used. Probably not. They get overused for all varieties of definitions and have
little real meaning. Be careful of using wording that you hear all the time that
also may not carry the meaning you expect.
There are also things
that appear in everyday conversation that take on that old worn out quality that
makes the writing that we do fail to excite the reader.
Some of these
include:
red in color --
red
in the vast majority of
circumstances -- in most circumstances
on a monthly basis --
monthly
at that point in time --
at that time
due to the reasons that
-- due to
during the course of --
during
until such time as --
until
very unusual --
unusual
round in shape --
round
the red truck was a
firetruck painted red -- it was a red firetruck
Technical writing needs
to be clear and concise. Do what you can to make what you say as brief as it can
be with all the meaning intact.
SEXIST
LANGUAGE
When you study languages
around the world including English you discover that the distinction between
words that are classed as either male or female is
prevalent.
Particular endings on
words designate them as male or female and this fact will have an importance in
the way that they are connected to other words in the sentence. In English many
words will specifically designate a female or male position - fireman, hostess,
host, actress, usher, and on and on. Since jobs in the 90s are being performed
by both male and female, it is important to realize that words that designate
specific gender distinctions must be removed if the people described are a mix
of males and females.
A. This concern is very
evident in the use of pronouns. Pronouns like HE are used to described a
category of people who could be either male or female. This causes a biased view
of the position.
An engineer was needed quickly. He would be in charge of the
plant.
(The engineer could be a woman and therefore HE is not
correct.)
These kinds of problems can be solved by simple evaluating the
thought and making changes to the text that will cause no problems.
An engineer who would be in charge of the plant was needed
quickly.
(One way to remove the problem.)
B. When it comes to
pronouns, one of the easiest ways to eliminate gender focus is to make the words
plural. By doing this, you usually remove the male or female
focus.
He ran the test. She ran the test. THEY RAN THE
TEST.
C. Try to remove any
words that unnecessarily distinguish between male and
female.
employee for workman
chairperson for chairman
D. Stay away from odd
looking and sounding mutations that do not help a text's
flow.
s/he, he/she, or hisorher. Use plurals, change words, or simply say he
and she, his or
her, or him and her.
SERIOUS PAPER
RUINED?
(This was given to me a
long time ago - it shows the need for making sure that what we write is what we
mean.
The inhabitants of
ancient
The Bible is full of
interesting caricatures. In the first book of the Bible, Guinesses, Adam and Eve
were created from an apple tree. One of their children, Cain, asked, " Am I my
brother's son?" God asked Abraham to sacrifice Isaac on
Pharaoh forced the
Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw. Moses led them to the
Solomon, one of David's
sons had 500 wives and 500 porcupines. topic.
Without the Greeks we
wouldn't have history. The Greeks invented three kinds of columns Corinthian,
Doric, and Ironic. They also had myths. A myth is a female moth. One myth says
that the mother of Achilles dipped him in the River Stynx until he became
intolerable. Achilles appears in The Iliad, by Homer. Homer also wrote
The Oddity, in which Penelope was the last hardship that Ulysses endured
on his journey. Actually, Homer was not written by Homer but by another man of
that name.
The above passage is
obviously silly, but it does bring home a few important points. It helps to
stress the need for serious consideration of the words that you employ in
your text, the knowledge that you have of the subject, and the
manner in which you present this information. In the above passage
you lose any idea of a professional writer. You laugh along with everyone else
at the mistakes. The problem is that the writer really felt that a learned piece
of text was being created. It obviously failed to come about.
Effective
Technical Communication
--Eisenberg--T 10.5.E36
General overall
coverage of the major topics of technical writing..includes proposals, letters,
and reports
Writing
for Science, Industry, and Technology--Hirschhorn--T
11.H56
Especially good
Appendix where information may be gathered by writers. An approach to writing that takes the
writer from the beginning of the process to the end
product.
English
for Science and Technology--Huckin/Olsen--T
11.H23
Good
book for the nonnative speaker in the process of report
construction.
Designing
Technical Reports--Mathes/Stevenson--T
11 f.M36
A process approach to
the writing of a technical presentation from the information side not from the
form of the report procedure.
How
to Write and Publish Engineering Papers and Reports--Michaelson--T
11.M418
Primarily aims at the
writing of papers for publication, , but does a good job of looking at quality
of writing and the concern for the reader.
Technical
Writing--Principles and Practices--Miles--T
11.M47
A general text to help
with basic problems and a great deal on the process of getting
started.
Technical
Writing--Turner--T
11.T786
A
teaching text with a good visual format--nice section on memo
writing.
Technical
Writing--Fear--T
10.5 F4
For
the writer who wants instruction in clear concise steps.
Reporting
Technical Information--Houp/Pearsall--T
11.59
The best of the group
for future use and present needs.
Gives lots of examples and helps in the writing process.
REVISION
CHECKLISTS
One of the most
important things to realize in the communication area is that you as the
communicator need to know what is going on and why those things happen. Just
spouting rules does not make a good communicator. We will attempt to get
everyone on track by making each writer aware of the important elements in the
text that is being produced. Therefore,
YOU MUST IDENTIFY IN THE
TEXT BY NUMBER WHERE YOU HAVE ADDRESSED THE FOLLOWING
ITEMS:
TITLE PAGE
1.Title of paper
2.Course
3.Date due
4.Section time
5.Name
ABSTRACT
6.Why was the lab performed
7.How was the lab performed
8.What was discovered,achieved,
or
concluded
9.Past tense used
10.Reference to experiment not paper
11.No personal
reference
( I,We)
NOMENCLATURE
12.In alphabetical order
13.Upper case then lower case
(A a B b c G g1
g1a)
14.Arabic and Greek separated
15. Only symbols appear
TABLE OF CONTENTS
16.All sections represented
17.Abstract and Table of C not
listed
18.Lab Observations as a
heading
Analysis,equip,procedure,
results - sub headings
19.All columns lined up
INTRODUCTION
20.Ample motivation for the experiment
stated
20A.yours
20B.Whirlwind's
21.Sufficient information to orient
reader to the substance of experiment
22.Sufficient information to excite
reader
23.Sections to follow mentioned
LAB OBSERVATIONS
24.Mathematical model used to predict
system behavior presented with ample explanation and lead in 25.equations numbered
26.punctuation with equations
(: with follow/s/ing only)
27.equations have space
28.Schematic of equipment used
29.Figures/Tables correct
(Figure 1.
Title)
30.Figures oriented correctly
Clearly labelled and referenced
Stated:
31.Highlights of equip. used
32.Highlights of the procedure (not
specific steps)
33.Data presented with clear indication
of what data applies to
34.Reader will understand what this data
refers to
35.Trends in data
stated
(then to be discussed in the discussion
section)
36.Clear indication of what reader should
see in the data
DISCUSSION
37.Complete discussion of the results
appears
38.Connection of data and Whirlwind is
clearly stated
39.Comparison to
similar
experiments is shown
40.Strong points of study given
41.Weak points of study given
42.Statements are specific
43.Logical progression to support
conclusions that follow
CONCLUSIONS
44."The following conclusions are
supported by this study:"
45.Conclusions are numbered
46.Conclusions are concise and highly
specific
47.Vague statements do not exist
48.Conclusions directly flow from
discussion
REFERENCES
49.Initials for first names
50.All information included
51.References #d in text [1]
CREATING
REFERENCES/DID
YOU SAY REFERENCES?
Most everybody is doing a great job in
citing the texts where information is either being copied word for word or
paraphrased extensively. The few bits of information that we handed out at the
beginning of the semester seem to have done the job for our purposes. This is
fine but questions do arise, and I thought that it might be as good a time as
any to make some mention about referencing in the work that you are producing.
FIRST - Check the publication that you
are sending to / the professor you are writing for / or the company that you are
working for - IF THEY HAVE A STRICT FORM FOLLOW IT. If they don't you can
use any appropriate form as long as it is consistent.
SECOND - Use only the important material
in the references. Sometimes this list gets cluttered with great numbers of
sources that may allude to the issue or quote but are not really
important.
THIRD - Proofread the reference list
carefully. Make sure that all the entries are the same within their designation
- book,journal,whatever.
OKAY - STYLE
I just read a passage that says that one
reader looked at 52 scientific journals and found 30 different styles for
listing references. That certainly tells you to check before you submit. As I
said most students have done well this semester in this area because they have
checked the form that we want.
THE MOST COMMON
FORMS
Name/year - (Smith
1962)
Alphabetical order in reference
list/numbering text (13) - from an alphabetical list at the
end
Citation/order - (13) - in order as they
appear in the text
Name/year
Friten,R.B. 1987. How to Construct
Fractls. 2nd Ed.
Grisback,T.L. 1923. Elos.
Alphabet/number
1. Friten,R.B. 1987 How to Construct
Fractls. 2nd Ed.
2. Grisback,T.L. 1923. Elos.
Citation/order
1. Friten,R.B. How to Construct
Fractls. 2nd Ed.
2. Grisback,T.L. Elos.
This only hits the tip of the iceberg
when it comes to using and documenting correctly the references that you use. If
you take a look at the Modern Language Association style guide or The Chicago
Manual of Style you will find a wide array of styles and forms - the biggest
concern is that you be consistent within an acceptable form. Always check the
form for your publication.
FORMATS:
It is
important to realize that there will be many situations in the real world that
require a variety of written forms of communication. These will include the
short notes to a superior or to a peer, brief hand-written reminders to do some
project, informal reports, memos that flow in and out of your workplace, large
formal reports that document months of work, and visual presentations that
require great preparation and little text.
As you experience the numerous jobs that
you do, courses that you take, and managers to whom you report; you will find
one of the things that may aggravate you is continual changing of formats. It
will be necessary for you to adapt quickly to a variety of ways of conveying
information. The information that you will be given here only scratches the
surface when it comes to the many ways that text may be presented. Always be
ready to learn new techniques of presenting information. Listen to the managers
for whom you work; adjust for their particular needs; and be flexible enough to
adapt to changing situations and formats.
MEMOS
Memos are written by every engineer in
the field. They are most often designed to be used within the writer's own
company or organization. They may note the existence of a problem, propose some
course of action, describe a procedure, or report the results of a test or an
investigation.
They are sometimes referred to as
informal writing, but this does not mean sloppy, casual, or carelessly done.
Memos must be carefully prepared, thoughtfully written , and thoroughly
proofread for errors.
Memos begin in a particular
manner:
To:
Name, job title
department
name of Organization
From:
Name, job title
department
name of Organization
Subject:
Issues addressed in the memo (subject is commonly Re or
RE)
Date:
Date
The following are omitted if there are
none:
Dist:
Distribution list of other people receiving the
memo
Encl:
Other documents included with the memo
Ref:
List of particularly important background documents
The format of the memo is also simple and
contains the following information:
Foreword -- The statement of the problem or important
issue
Summary -- The main results and other information that a reader needs to
know
Discussion or Details -- The extra information needed by the technically
involved readers -- support for the claims in the Summary or extra details
needed to implement or fully understand the solution
proposed.
FORMAL REPORTS
GUIDELINES FOR PREPARATION
OF A
FORMAL TECHNICAL REPORT
The
principle purpose of the formal report is to incorporate the information
gathered in the experiment or simulation into a document that will be useful to
any corporation. Your fellow engineers are interested in the work that you are
doing because it will enable them to do further work and produce a better
product for the consumer.
As
you work your way through the process of producing the formal report, always
keep in mind that it is for an audience beyond the closed loop system of the
classroom.
The
discussion below presents each of the required sections in the formal technical
report. The structure that has been created for these will in many ways resemble
the reports that are produced by industry, but it is important to note that each
writing experience must be carefully investigated for the needs of the report
and its audience and the information that must be understood by the
communicator. The sections that follow present experimental studies in a
rational, logical manner. As you
write your report remember:
a) The report uses
paragraphs to communicate through a logic structure with a beginning, middle,
and end.
b) Each paragraph in the
report uses sentences to provide a logical structure with a beginning, middle,
and end.
c) Each sentence consists of
carefully chosen words to clearly and concisely communicate the facts required
in the above structure.
Think
about the logical structure of your report as you read the sections described
below. Keep in mind what your reader expects and what you have to know in order
to present the clearest information to these readers.
Title: The title
should be as brief as possible, consistent with clarity. Seven to eight well chosen words is a
typical length. Industry readers do not need vast explanations; they need clear
directions to the report within.
Abstract (Summary):
Although it is placed first it should not be written until all other
parts of the report have been completed.
It should state, in simple declarative sentences what was
attempted and accomplished, how it was accomplished only if special
techniques were utilized, and what was achieved. That is, it should
contain the main results and the main conclusions based on the results. The abstract should be written with the
expectation that it will be printed separately from the
report.
This is both the shortest and most difficult section to write. It is also the most important.
In technical publications, the abstract, and only the
abstract, is what most people will
read. Therefore, it must
communicate
all the relevant ideas and results in 1-2 paragraphs.
(250-350 words)
Remember that in the abstract, details of the experiment, which are in
the past, need a
past tense verb. The use of
the past tense verb will keep the
reader from getting confused over when actions
took place. We use this kind
of an abstract to allow the reader to see
what was accomplished along
with what was actually desired when the experiment began. Engineers out
in industry do not have time need great volumes of reports. They rely on
the abstracts to give them the insight into what the experiment was
about.
Table of Contents:
List each heading along with the page where it can be found in the report. The
Table of Contents is not listed, nor is the Abstract. One is
obvious (table); the other should not be listed because it cannot rely upon the
report for backup, for figures, or for additional information, The Abstract must
stand alone and present the required information without any need for the reader
to go into the report for explanation.
Nomenclature Listing:
List and define all symbols used in the report. They should be listed alphabetically,
Arabic then Greek. Readers need to have a place where they can easily find an
explanation of the symbols that you use in the Analysis section. Be aware that
abbreviations should be left in the text and not in the Nomenclature i.e. Fast
Fourier Transform (FFT).
Introduction: The
introduction should state the motivation for the experiment and the
background information that is relevant for the present study. Note that the essential task for the
introduction is to orient the engineering staff to the substance of the
experiment and the context in which it was executed. A corporation invests a great deal of money in both
the experimental and simulation equipment for you to prepare your findings.
There is a need to give the
engineers a clear picture of why you have chosen to do the
experimentation that you are conducting. Make sure that you refer to the product
that is being considered and the importance of the work that you are doing,
especially why it will be beneficial to the development of the
product.
When referring to the present report, it is acceptable to use the present
tense. Future
tense will explain what could be projected into future
circumstances. In the introduction make use of
an active voice. Use direct
statements and
stay away from the passive voice as much as you can in
technical writing. For example,
use, "We boiled the water.", not "The water
was boiled by us." The introduction should
briefly introduce the material
contained in the
report by noting what is
presented in each of the sections to follow. Most
engineers do not look at the
Table of Contents. It is therefore important for
them to
briefly know what you have in
store for them after
you have motivated them to read your
report.
Analysis: Each
experiment can, and should be analytically supported when presented in this
section. The analysis should
proceed from the general (and well-known) basic relationships and evolve the
specific formulae to be used in the interpretation of the data. Note that the symbols must be clearly
defined. It is usually appropriate
to make use of a defining sketch.
All of the symbols used should appear in the "Nomenclature" described
above. Analytical results which
have been previously derived and which are readily available, for example
equations from a text, can be quoted with suitable reference. Their derivation need not be repeated,
if that derivation is not important to the Whirlwind engineer's understanding of
the experiment.
All relevant mathematical analysis should be presented. What is crucial
to a good analysis are the supporting explanations and commentary on the
mathematics. Do not require the reader to consult lab handouts or textbooks to
understand the specific analysis required for the experiment. If it is important enough to mention, it
is important enough to include.
Experimental Equipment and Procedure: A schematic representation of the
experimental equipment or simulation program, including detailed views of
unusual or important components, is a valuable aid in informing the reader about
the experiment. The sketch can be
used to document pertinent dimensions of the apparatus and it can be used to specify the
specific experimental equipment used for the study. If the procedure used in the experiments
is not an established one, it is necessary to include details of the techniques
used. The criterion here is that
someone familiar with the general area of investigation should be able to
exactly reproduce your experiments from the information given in this
section. Be careful to describe the
experimental procedure in the past tense.
You may slip into the present tense when describing the procedure needed
to perform the experiment by a second party. In this section, the report's flow and
overall feel can be destroyed by an incomplete or incorrect discussion of the
experiment procedure and equipment.
Some major points to remember are:
1 -
When first referencing a figure, give the figure on the same page (or next page)
as the explanation about it. It is
distracting for the reader to have to look through the report to find a
clarifying figure.
2 -
Make figures at least one-third of a page in size. Figures that are too small are hard to
read.
3 -
Figures and tables should have clear and complete titles. If they are removed from the report, the
information presented and its contents should still be clear. A short explanation of the figure
contents under the title is normally necessary.
//Results: This is
the section where the answers obtained from the analysis or experiments are
presented. This section should
contain short declarative statements of the results in reference to your
presentation of specific graphic or tabular data which are also presented. The purpose of these statements is to
tell the reader (without discussion) what the author's interpretation of the
results is, based upon the answers or data which are also presented. Keep in
mind that the same data or answer could be interpreted in more than one
way, thus the importance of your stated results. When stating these results vary
your sentence structure. Don't fall
into colloquial, jargonish, or slang language, but aim for smooth flowing
paragraphs which show more than just a mass of subject-verb-object
structures. This section is a
logical presentation of what was observed in the
experiment.
Don't forget that your readers may have picked up your report in
mid-
stream, meaning
that they have read the Abstract then possibly gone
directly to the
Results. Never assume
that the report will be read from page 1 to the end. It seldom happens that
way.
In the industrial arena only certain things are important to certain
people, therefore you will need to
prepare readers for the sections that you write. This is especially important in
the Results section where you want your readers to see the results in the same
light that you do. Five birds sitting on a fence mean a lot of
different things to a lot of different people.
The communicator should also distinguish between "Figures," which are
schematic drawings, photographs, graphs, etc. and "Tables," which are tabular
compilations of data or computational results. Each type of data presentation should be
sequentially numbered with a title:
e.g. "Figure 1. Schematic of
the combustion chamber."
Give readers a sense of what you observed without an elaboration of what
it means.
While you are to present your data without discussion, do not present it
without explanation. A results section with only tables and graphs in it is hard
to understand. Remember, you want to make it as easy as possible for the reader
to understand your message.
Discussion: This
section may start with a very brief summary statement of the results and then
proceed to a discussion of these results.
The principal task is to interpret the results, to note what is "as
expected", what is unexpected, and what is of technical interest. The interpretation of the results in
terms of the motivation for the experiment and its correlation to your current
corporation project should be the focus of the discussion. The discussion could involve a
comparison with other similar investigations or comparison with expected
results. The strong points of the
work should be brought out here along with any limitations, because if the
writer does not point out the limitations of his work, someone else surely will
later. It may also be legitimate to
comment on possible future investigations.
Discuss the experimental specific results, using references to the
accuracy of the measurements. It is useful to note the estimated
uncertainties and their effect on the calculated values. For example: "The pressure was 0.0 + in
H2O and the velocity was 30 + 10 fps. Note that the "information content" of
this example is much larger than the statement: "the manometer liquid was fluctuating
and the pressure could not be accurately measured." It is extremely important to provide
specific discussions and avoid vague modifiers such as: greater than, about, like, and sort
of.
Keep in mind that good paragraph construction will present a thesis
statement or idea and then give supporting details for that thesis. When new points need to be made make
sure you move to new paragraphs. You should design the discussion to
follow a logical progression that will support the conclusions of the next
section. Judge the information that you are providing to the readers. Readers
have specific expectations. They expect to be presented information in a pattern
that presents what is known first and then what is new second. Sentences start
with old or known information and then expand upon this information with new
related information.
Conclusions: A useful
style is to state: "The following
conclusions are supported by the results of this study": and then to list these in one or more
simple (declarative) sentences using numbers to differentiate each separate
conclusion. See the summary page in the ASignal Processing@ section for an example. Remember that
engineers are looking for concise statements that clearly tell them what your
results and discussion have formulated. They are not interested at that point
about further investigation or explanation. They want the masses of data
synthesized into the briefest conclusions that you can
make.
References: The list of references used should be included, with
great care taken to follow the specified format of the organization for whom the
report is being written. The suggested format for this lab is shown
below.
References are to be grouped at the end of the manuscripts and are to be
given as follows:
1. Walker, R.E.,
A.R. Stone, and M. Shandor. "Secondary Gas Injection in a Conical Rocket Nozzle.
" AIAA Journal, Vol. 1, No. 2, Feb. 1963, pp. 334-338.
2. Turner, M.J.,
H.C. Martin, and R.C. Leible. "Further Development and Applications of Stiffness
Method. " Matrix Methods of Structural Analysis, 1st ed., Vol. 1,
3. Segre, E., ed.
Experimental Nuclear Physics. 1st ed., Vol. 1,
4. Book, E. and
H. Bratman. "Using Compilers to Build Compilers." SP-176, Aug. 1960, Systems
Development Corp.,
5. Soo, S.L.
"Boundary Layer Motion of a Gas-Solid Suspension." Proceedings of the
Symposium on Interaction between Fluids and Particles, Institute of Chemical
Engineers, Vol. 1, 1962, pp. 50-63.
Always give inclusive page numbers for references to journal articles and
a page or chapter number for books.
Each reference must be cited in the text. (Taken from the AIAA Journal
Instructions to Authors.)
Appendices: Simple or
lengthy calculations, or side issues that are not really in the main theme of
the report, should be relegated to the appendix. A criterion for the deciding whether or
not to put something in the appendix is to ask the question "Is its inclusion in
the main body of the report required for the logical description of the
investigation?" If the answer is
"No", the item should either be left out or put in the
appendix.
Please bear in mind that these are the briefest possible comments about a
very important area of engineering
and science. It is quite likely
that in the future you will spend a great deal of your time in the preparation
of and the reading of technical reports.
Your skill in these two areas will in large part determine your
advancement in your chosen profession.
General Rules:
1) Type the
report. NEVER use pencil. MINOR CORRECTIONS and unusual symbols can
be neatly inserted in black pen.
2) Use short,
DIRECT sentences and correct grammar.
3) Use one side
of the page only.
4) Start a new
topic (heading) on a new page.
5) Number all
pages including graphs and charts.
6) Figures should
be clearly labeled on axes. They
should have a title and possibly a short descriptive phrase after the title
explaining the Figure. The
convention for placement of tables or figures is that the bottom of the table or
figure will be on the bottom or right-hand side of the report
page.
7) Figures should
appear in the text on the same page or immediately after they are mentioned in
the text. Key data curves if there
are two or more lines.
NOTE:
Most Colleges of Engineering have PC based technical word processors available,
so use them. No one should have to type their report on a mechanical
typewriter. Reports have a
professional appearance when the equations and tables are machine
produced.
These
word processing systems are available in a variety of levels. Some require a
great deal of effort; others require only minimal amounts of time in order to
master simple usage. As you progress and need more and more features, keep in
mind that word processing will be with you for the rest of your life. As an
engineer you will find little in the world that does not require you to be
competent in computer usage.
One
way to make life easier for you with the computer is to create your own help
file. As you discover particular things that you use continually, make note of
those activities and how you handle them on the computer. Make a list to keep by
the computer. You will very quickly that you no longer need the list after only
a short period of time.
ABSTRACTING
OBJECTIVES
RESULTS
CONCLUSIONS
IMPLICATIONS
USUALLY 1 PARAGRAPH
SINGLE SPACED
200 WORDS MAXIMUM
1)
PRESENTS SUFFICIENT INFORMATION TO INTEREST READER
2)
GIVES ENOUGH INFORMATION SO THAT READER WON'T HAVE TO READ WHOLE
WORK
TWO TYPES
1)
INDICATIVE - TABLE OF CONTENTS IN NARRATIVE FORM
2) INFORMATIVE - CONDENSED ACCOUNT OF THE OBJECTIVE,PROCEDURE, RESULTS,
CONCLUSIONS, AND IMPLICATIONS
ABSTRACTS
"A
descriptive summary (abstract) is a table of contents in paragraph form; it is a
general map for readers." - Michael
Alley
1.
Miniversion of the paper
2. It
provides a brief summary of the main sections of the
paper
3. It
is a summary of the information in the paper
4. It
enables readers to identify the basic content of the document quickly and
accurately.
5. It
gives reader the signal - to read or not
6.
The abstract should
a. state the principal objectives and the scope of the
investigation
b. describe the methodology involved
c. summarize the results
d. state the principal conclusions
(Notice that the conclusions appear in the abstract and in discussion
along with a conclusion
section)
7.
Abstracts are written in the past tense because it is work that is already
done
8.
Abstracts should never reflect conclusions not voiced in the
paper
9.
Types of abstracts
a. The above is referred to as an informative abstract - obvious
why
b. The second form is the indicative abstract.
10.
The abstract is meant to stand by itself. Published alone, it must be self
contained.
11.
It should not contain bibliographic, figure, or table
references.
12.
The language should be familiar to the potential reader. No obscure
abbreviations of acronyms.
13.
Do not abbreviate.
14.
Watch out for too little information, but also chop any superfluous info.
Shortest abstract - e=mc2
15.
Abstracts are single paragraph. It is the first thing read in a review process.
It must be clear and simple.
16. A
reviewer will generally make decisions by just reading the abstract - the paper
will be icing. A bad abstract sets the stage for disaster.
Executive Summaries
You may be required to submit only an
executive summary. This report boils all the work that you have done into the
briefest document that you can make. It will contain information that an
individual who amy not have all the technical expertise will need to make a
clear decision on the work that you have done. It reduces all that work to the
plain facts. It must describe the key elements of your work in nontechnical
language. You go straight to the point with concise language. The executive
summary focuses on the managerial side of business not the technical side. It
should contain the following information:
1. The background of the situation or the problem
2. Implications of cost
3. Conclusions
4. Recommendations
If you have constructed abstracts before
you will see a similarity. Both pieces of text utilize only a short space. They
rely upon concise clear language to focus the reader's attention on what is
being investigated, what has been done, the conclusions that this work has
produced, and the course of action to be taken. In many cases, this will be the
only text that is read before a decision is made to proceed on or call a halt to
further action. With that understanding you will need to spend a great deal of
careful time in preparing either the abstract or the executive summary.
The following abstract written by an
engineering student reflects the checklist previously mentioned. By making sure that required items are
included, you reflect upon what has been included and what needs to be addressed
before the paper is turned in.
Abstract {11}
Experiments {10} were conducted {9} to access the applicability of
digital signal analysis to the design, development, and testing of Whirlwind's
new light aircraft gas turbine. These techniques could be used to monitor the
transient and steady-state property variation of the new powerplants, predict
potentially catastrophic failure, and pinpoint sources of extraneous noise
generation {6}.
Several elementary sinusoidal and square wave signals were generated {9}
by a commercially available Waveteck function generator. These signals were then converted {9} to
the frequency domain by LabView's "Spectrum Analyzer" via the Fast Fourier
Transform. Various combinations of
sampling frequency and sample size were investigated {9}. When deemed appropriate, these signals
were {9} also low-pass filtered {7,10}.
The
Discrete Fourier Transform only accurately represented {9} components less than
half the sampling frequency. Higher
frequency components were reflected {9} across the Nyquist frequency or its
integer multiples. This aliasing
was eliminated {9} by low-pass filtering, but occasionally important signal
components were discarded {9}.
Whenever the input signal contained components that were not integer
multiples of the frequency resolution, the magnitude of the corresponding
spectrum peaks were diminished {9}.
This leakage was reduced {9} by increasing the frequency resolution by
increasing the sample size {8,10}.
These signal analysis techniques proved {9} their utility and
applicability to the new gas turbine project.
Here the student has addressed the
important elements of the assignment, which were to tell the reader why the
experiment was performed, how it was done, and what the principal results
were.
Just looking at a few lines within the
above text, you will notice some methods that the writer has used to make the
text move easily. Line 6 starts the paragraph with "Several elementary
sinusoidal and square waves," which prompts the reader to know what is to
follow. It is important to lead the reader through the process of reading your
text. You are the controller and it is vital that you keep control of the text's
train of thought. Line 19 shows the
writer relating " These signal analysis techniques" back to the previous
sentence. Keep the reader following
your lead. make sure that the reader is not allowed to assume anything or travel
paths that you have not paved with your ideas.
E-MAIL
E-mail has
become a necessary part of existence in every office around the country.
Messages gather in computer mailboxes at a phenomenal rate, and the returns that
we send take up more and more of our time. It is, therefore, vitally important
that we look closely at both what we receive and what we return to the
sender. E-mail cannot be construed
as simply an easy way to answer some call for information. It must be carefully
read and the responses that we send must be as thoroughly created as any formal
document. The presentation that we make to the outside world in the form of poor
spelling habits, sloppy construction, and unreadable text can do no positive
good for our status and in many cases may create a distinct negative impression.
E-mail is a record of our text production. Once we have sent the message it is
out of our hands and we can do nothing to change the content or its
presentation. Here are a few` simple rules to follow:
1. Always read what you are sending. (Some people never do, and it
shows.)
2. Make an effort to use grammatical conventions - proper sentence
structure, subject/verb agreement, spelling, flow or ideas,
etc.)
3. Proofread your copy. Did you say what you thought you
said?
Are there gaps in your train of thought that will cause a reader to fail to understand your
message?
4. Have you thought about your response before you pushed the key
to send that response? Once it is gone, it is hard to explain glaring
mistakes in logic.
E-mail
is a fantastic tool, but it carries with it some very strong responsibilities
and possibly damaging consequences. Never use it when a face-to-face dialog is
needed. Do not use it when a formal document is required. E-mail does not carry
the presentation status of a formal bound report. People will notice if you use a paper
bag to do the job of an ornately wrapped present. Remember that e-mail may also
not be as private as you think. It goes out over the phone lines, and these
lines can be accessed by others. Computers are also not invulnerable to entry by
a host of unwanted guests. Much as an unwanted person may read your letters sent
through the mail or listen to your calls on the phone, an number of people may
be checking through your e-mail. It is vital, therefore, hat you make every
effort to use the tool wisely and not let it embarrass you or cause you undue
grief.
Inappropriate
Language
Since
you are trying in your text to make your reader understand your message, it is
important that you pattern the language that you use to the audience at hand. If
it is a group of small children then you must talk to that group in language
that they will understand. Since most of your text will be directed at audiences
comprised of technical people you should learn to avoid language that does not
reflect a technical writer. Language that is commonly called affective is dubbed
with that title because it looks very impressive and appears complex, but in
actuality it is useless to most readers because of their inability to understand
its meaning or intent. Technical writing is direct, concise, and above all
clear. If you write simply to impress, you will fail many more times than you
succeed. What follows are some examples of things that you will need to change
in they crop up in your text used improperly.
altercation --
dispute
utilize -- use
contiguous --
touching facile --
easy
innocuous --
harmless
oblique -- indirect
ulterior -- hidden
elucidate -- make clear
expedite -- hurry
along
Now,
you will immediately say, "Wait a minute I use those all the time!" If you look at the sentence before the
list, you will notice a small thought - don't write to impress and use words
properly. If you are -- no problem.
EDITORIAL
MARKS
Having a system by
which both you and your editors know what is going on can be a benefit. Check
out this system from the U.S.Government.
PROGRESS
REPORTS
At
some time in every job, you will be asked to indicate how you are progressing
toward some goal. Managers, co-workers, stockholders, or you your self will want
to know where you are positioned in some course of action. The Progress
Report appears as the means by which you can report on your
status.
Commonly the progress
report will have sections much like any other report prepared for a
manager:
Beginning
Introduction
Project Description
Middle
Summary of what you have done
In
brief terms, the sections are explained as follows.
Beginning -
Here you capture the interest of the readers by informing them of what you are
going to do in the report. You give a clear indication of what the report is and
where it is going to lead the readers. You expose the readers to the scope of
the work being done, the overall progress to date, the purpose of the work, and
any changes that have been required in the project.
Middle -
Here the reader is acquainted with the time span of the project and where you
are in the overall plan. Things that have been done and the time required to
finish them can be contained in this section. It is also important to explain to
the reader the particular tasks that have been accomplished and the tasks that
need to be completed.
Ending -
Draw the whole paper together. Summarize the main points of action and reiterate
where you are along the road to completion.
Remember
that these may be used to stop a project in midstream or used to give added help
to completing a project with additional help. The reports need to be attractive
and easy to understand.
PROBLEM
STATEMENTS
As you begin to work on
projects you may be required to present a problem statement concerning the work
that you assume is to be done and the course that you will take to accomplish
the solution to the problem. Problem solving is an integral part of engineering.
It has been found that the initial statement of the problem is more vital than
the solution itself. If you are not on the right track in the beginning, you may
not successfully reach the solution that is necessary. So here are some
basics:
1). Work with data that
you have collected - analyze all the avenues of pursuit in finding a
solution.
2). Utilize personal
contacts with individuals who know about the problem.
3).investigate the
problem first hand.
4). In the first views
if the problem, make sure that everything that is in
front of you is
correct.
With data in front of
you, you can start to prepare the document that will be called the problem
statement. It will contain a clear indication of what you perceive the problem
to be. It is necessary that you address the actual problem and not peripheral
problems that do not address the core problem. A clear statement of the true
problem allows you to proceed on the course of seeking a solution to that
problem. In your document you can then expand on those steps that you will take
to reach a conclusion.
Remember the old joke
that really was a problem needing a solution.
"A man went to the
doctor and complained of a stiff neck. He said that every morning when he got up
and dressed he experienced the stiff neck. He was unable to turn his neck and it
was causing him much grief. The only way he had found to be comfortable was to
not get out of bed and not go to work. For him to come to the doctor had caused
him even more pain. The doctor asked him what else he had done to solve the
problem. The man listed a whole variety of remedies that he had tried. None had
helped. The doctor looked at the
man, analyzed the situation and said quietly, " When you get up in the morning
take the coat hanger out of the shirt that you are going to wear before you put
that shirt on. " The problem was solved.
Use the above to look
closely at the problems you will encounter and take the right path.
THANK-YOU
NOTES
After interviewing for a
job or preparing your plans for a co-operative position, you should make every
effort to send thank-you letters to the individuals who interviewed you. You
shouldn't wait more than 48 hours to send these letters, and remember that these
may be just the thing that put you before the competition. Make them
businesslike and concise.
Using the sample formats
from the letters section use the following suggestions:
1st paragraph
Thank the interviewer
for the interview and signify your interest in working for the company.
2nd
paragraph
Mention again your
qualifications.This is the time to state any positive qualities that you may
have forgotten at the interview.
3rd
paragraph
Close the letter with a
final thank you and express your interest in hearing from the interviewer
and the company. Provide the interviewer with phone numbers where you can
be reached and your e-mail address if you have one. If you would like
to have a firmer hold on the response give a specific time within
which you will follow up the letter with a phone call.
Things to
remember:
1. Make each thank-you
letter a separate entity. Don't use form letters. Try to personalize the
interview so that the reader will get a positive feeling from the
text.
2. If you get a
rejection, follow the same procedure above. The positive value of your response
may open up new doors to employment.
3. In cover letters,
than-you letter, and resumes; it is best to keep to the same kind and color of
paper.
COVER LETTERS
Cover letters can
sometimes become one of the most important documents that you will create in
your early career, or should we say pre-career. Cover letters travel in the mail
with resumes and transcripts. They are in many cases the only view that an
employer has of you. They open doors, but they can slam them shut, too. The
cover letter functions as your introduction to the prospective employer. As you
look at the items that follow, keep in mind why these items are being included
in the cover letter. View the letter as a clear indication of what you can offer
the employer. If they don't like what they read, you may never get the chance to
talk to them in person.
Therefore, what should
you include in a cover letter. In the briefest terms here is what you should
address in the letter.
1. All pertinent
information that are needed - your address, phone number and likewise the
information about the person to whom you are
writing.
2. 1st paragraph - The
reason that you are writing the letter.
The
source of your information about the employer
What you would like to do in the future
3. 2nd paragraph - Your
impression of what your resume shows. This is where you can
give your view of what the resume shows.
4. 3rd paragraph - New
information that may not be ready to be included in the
resume.
This could include things that are going on at the moment -
courses,
research, or completion of activities.
5. 4th paragraph - Your
summing up in a thank you for the consideration that hopefully
will be given to your resume and letter. Here you can offer your phone
number for calls, and you can inform the employer that you will call the
company to confirm receipt of the letter or to check on interview
schedules.
Every effort must be
made to make these letters present a positive impression of you. A good deal of
should be spent in perfecting a quality cover letter.
LETTERS IN
GENERAL
The need to correspond
is strong in all of us, and one of the ways that we do that is thorough the
written word. We write papers and scribble notes, but the formal letter sent to
a prospective employer, funding agency, or information gathering operation may
be answered or not answered simply because of the quality of the letter that you
send. Letters should be clearly written, to the point, and positive. They need
to reflect whatever it is that you want and not require the reader to try to
discover for themselves what the letter concerns. In many cases, the letter is
the only contact that you will have with the person receiving the
correspondence. If what you have sent is not quality production, you then
already have strikes against you from which you may not recover.
EDITING
Peer editing.
Proofreading. Getting the most of out of a reader. Editing your text. Using the
tools of previous lessons.
A) READ FOR FLOW - DOES
THE MOVEMENT THROUGH THE SECTION APPEAR TO PROGRESS EASILY OR DOES IT APPEAR
CHOPPY AND HARD TO FOLLOW.
ARE THERE THINGS
MISSING THAT YOU FEEL CAUSE A DISTRACTION IN
THE
ARE SENTENCES SET
UP SO THAT INFORMATION MOVES FROM THE OLD OR KNOWN
INFORMATION TO THE NEW INFORMATION.
ARE THERE
SUITABLE TRANSITIONS TO ALLOW FOR EASY
B) DO YOU NOTICE WHERE
THE WRITER HAS REPEATED WORDS THAT COULD EASILY BE DROPPED OR
REWORDED.
C) HAVE THE WRITERS
GIVEN YOU WHAT IS ASKED FOR.
D) COMMENT ON
DEFICIENCIES AND ON THINGS THAT YOU NOTICE AS POSITIVE; WHAT MAKES YOU FEEL
INFORMED AS A READER.
E) LOOK AT IDEAS IN THE
PARAGRAPH; DO THEY MOVE IN A LOGICAL ORDER.
F)DO THE PARAGRAPHS HAVE
CENTRAL IDEAS AND SUPPORTING SENTENCES.
EDITING
A. YOU ARE NOT
THE BEST EDITOR OF WHAT YOU WRITE.
B. MAKE AN EFFORT
TO GET YOUR WORK OUT TO OTHER READERS
PROOFREADING
A. USE THE
REVISION TECHNIQUE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED
B. READ
BACKWARDS
C. READ IT OUT
LOUD
OUTLINING
A. IT DOESN'T
HAVE TO BE FORMAL BUT SOME KIND OF DIRECTION IS
IMPORTANT.
Here we look a just a
piece of text and see how some of the elements of the report work for creating a
good atmosphere for reading and learning about the
content.
Notice how the writer
connects the first two sentences through requirements and the first phase of the
project.
Here the use of the
pronoun it links sentence 1 to sentence 2 in the
paragraph.
Finally signals an end to the
idea flow in the paragraph.
Notice this
signal and its ability to help the flow of the
text.
Look at all the
underlined items in the text. They indicate flow techniques used to keep the
reader moving easily through the reading.
Introduction
Whirlwind
Corporation requires dynamic signal analysis techniques to aid the design of
their new light aircraft gas turbine.
The first phase of the project entails testing and evaluation of
instrumented prototype systems for use in the development stage. Reviewing signal processing fundamentals
and evaluating test equipment is of primary importance at this time, but
the development group's ultimate objective is to provide a new industry standard
{20B}.
Whirlwind's
revolutionary turbine design will set several new benchmarks {22}. It will provide 30% better energy
efficiency and 20% more peak power than similar products currently available
{20B}. Moreover, it will
require significantly less engine compartment space and allow designers to
reduce aircraft weight {22}. Both undesirable vibration and extraneous
noise emission will also be substantially reduced {22}. Finally, its projected
10,000 hour median life before failure will not be overlooked
{20B}.
Tests of the
transient and steady-state operation of the new turbine will generate many
signals. Of course, the
Development Group will analyze the variation of the working fluid's
thermodynamic and transport properties {20A}. The "frequency signature" of the
vibrating components will also be determined {20A}. Small variations in this signal
often indicate imminent failure.
By measuring and modifying the natural frequencies of the turbine and its
forcing functions, catastrophic failure due to resonance can also be
avoided. Finally, the
acoustic output of the turbine will be monitored, and sources of unwanted noise
will be pinpointed and eliminated {20A}.
Although the Development Group will collect data in the time
domain, most of the analysis will be completed in the frequency domain
{21}.
The Development
Group's current investigation focuses on elementary sinusoidal and square wave
signals {21}. Although these
waves do not represent actual turbine test data, their analysis highlights
difficulties encountered in digital signal processing. Specifically, the sampling
frequency and the quantity of data collected determine the accuracy and
precision of the results generated {21}. These parameters also predetermine
the instrumentation's range of frequency
FLOW II
Mention has been made
throughout this text concerning the flow that is necessary to sustain a reader's
attention. Flow is a feeling that a reader gets when reading any written text.
The feeling sensed is that the ideas move smoothly in a concerted effort toward
some conclusion. The facts are presented in an orderly fashion, and the language
used is at the level of the reader. Some people will read through an assignment
and have no idea why the text is easily readable. They just seem to know that it
was not a grueling activity to process the given material. This is fine for a
reader, but what should the writer attempt to do in order to make the text
easier to handle for the reader. The following course of action can help to make
the text that you write a more enjoyable activity for your
readers.
Some easy
things:
1) Proofread your text. There is nothing more horrifying than reading a
text
that is full of mistakes. The spell checker cannot think. It can only
look forwords that look like the one you tried to spell. It does not know
what you
wanted to use.
2) Be consistent. Don't use varying forms of spellings, abbreviations,
and forms
that should be uniform in usage. For example, if you capitalize Figure
and
Table in the beginning of the text, keep doing it that way throughout the
text.
If you capitalize something on one page, don't lower case it on the next
page.
Make sure it is right the first time and use it correctly as you progress
through
the text. Your readers may not notice, but they will notice if you
vacillate
around using a variety of forms that are not correct.
3) Be conscious of what you like when you read a text. Put yourself in
the
reader's shoes. Don't do things that you dislike when you read a
text.
4) Read what you have written out loud. If you stumble through it, how do
you think your
readers will fare. Mark those places that cause you difficulty and
make
an effort to improve their flow.
You read this far and
seem to want to make your readers comfortable. Here are some specific things
that may make your readers even more pleased with your written production. These
items refer to the actual words that can be used in your writing to create a
greater sense of flow in the text. Again a reader may not pick them out
consciously, but they will feel them as they read.
1) The most
common flow activity that we seem to recognize is the use of transitional words. These
words allow the writer to connect one idea to the next, one sentence to another, one
paragraph to another. First, then, on the other hand, besides, furthermore,
therefore,
similarly, in lieu of this, likewise, finally, as a
result.
2) Another way of
linking your text ideas so that a reader feels the flow is to use something that
you learned in elementary school (Notice the "another way" at the beginning of the
paragraph - it helps to link this and the previous paragraph.). It is time to resurrect
the pronoun. It is very appropriate to use pronouns to draw needed connections in
text. "The lab was a mixture of difficult equations and painstaking work. It was not
meant to be an easy exercise." The reader is drawn into the second sentence and sees
the connection through the use of "it" which refers back to
the
experiment. These
pronouns serve as a link between sentences currently being read and those
already finished.
3) Repetition can
also help your readers. You must be careful, though. Too much repetition makes
a reader want to stop reading because they become tired of the over usage of the same
words. Your job is to make the repetition just enough. You want the emphasis but not
the tiredness of overuse.
4) Work with a
variety of words. Repetition helps to reinforce the reader's knowledge of what you are saying, but overuse does not
help the text to flow. Always evaluate the words that you use in order to
provide the reader with variety and continuity of ideas.
5) Make an effort
to link paragraphs together by alluding to what will appear in the next paragraph or
stating it directly.
Transitions allow the
reader to see connections between varying ideas and statements. You cannot
expect the reader to simply "know" what is going on. Readers must be led in
order to follow the progress of your ideas. Lack of transitions is a primary
cause for a reader's lack of interest in a text.
Transitions in all their
forms allow the reader to move easily through a text. Without these simple
expressions, a text can become lifeless and boring. Remember to include words
that help a reader navigate through your words. You can give them indicators for
time order (earlier), position in time (frequently), sequence (second),
occurrences that happen again (to explain), examples (for example), concluding
hits (in conclusion), adding issues (however), compare/contrast (also/but),
causality (because), spatial concerns (neighboring), and all the connectors that
you learned in your early years in school ( or.nor, but, since,later,
subsequently.)
Use everything you can
to make you reader comfortable with the flow of ideas. As they understand the
text, so to will they praise you for your ability to make it
so.
LAST
COMMENTS
As
all of the ideas expressed earlier filter through your mind, realize that the
concerns of your reader should be foremost in your mind. The content that you
are giving them must be presented in such a way that they can understand the
technical material, follow the manner in which it is presented, and see the
quality of the presentation itself. Grammatical issues must be addressed, and
the ease of reading should be reflected in a text that allows steady
unencumbered movement through the material. The text reflects what you know
about a subject, but it also
reflects what you understand about your readers. A well-constructed piece of
writing makes a reader feel that the text was written just for
them.
You
cannot just present technical information and expect that it will be enough to
capture the attention of the reader. It is not a matter of playing to the
audience and watering down your text. It is actually a feeling that you create
in yourself that makes you want to produce readable text that will be understood
by your readers. This does mean infantile text unless your audience happens to
be young children. It does mean that you will analyze each piece of text and
make firm decisions on the language that you will use, the structure that you
will provide, the depth of the information that you feel the audience needs, and
the commitment that the text requires in order to be a valuable piece of reading
for the audience whom you have identified.
The
last page provides you with a checklist to use as you finish the text. These
checklists are valuable because they force you to look at your own text. They
ask you questions that only you can answer. They don't always require a definite
answer, but they do require that you make value judgements on how well your text
fits the needs of the readers.
THE
FINAL CHECKLIST
(You
should be able to give a clear explanation of each of these points. If you
cannot do it, your readers will be unable to do it; and the paper will fail to
be valuable.
1. The paper was written to
.....(purpose)
2. The techniques used that will allow
the reader to understand the text are....
3. The reader can easily discover that
the conclusions are.....
4. The reader can see a clear indication
of the structure of the report through...
5. Sufficient information to orient
reader to the substance of the paper is shown in...
6. Information is provided to excite the
reader in the following ways....
7. Data are presented with clear
indication of what these data apply to by.....
8. Random sampling of paragraphs shows
that paragraphs have a central focus and supporting details. This is clearly shown in
......
9. The reader can easily move through the
text by using the following techniques employed by the
writer....
10. Correct tense is used to create
proper time focus. Examples are....
13. Language has been carefully analyzed
to fit the audience...
audience....
language examples...
11. The text has been proofread by
.....
12. Time has elapsed since the text was
finished on... before it was handed in on...
14. I am comfortable with the text
because....