ME 489

Technical Communication for Engineers

Tuesday 1:50 - 2:40

Thursday 11:30 – 12:20

Spring Semester – 2006

Craig Gunn

2443 Engineering Building

355-5160/353-3510 (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 students on the issues of communication

· To help prepare students for real world 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

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.(Sorry, no break in the summer!)

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 Home States

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 READING.

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) Euro-Disney on proposed display

2) Texas A+M wanting information

3) Lansing State Journal Reply

2 – Letters or short pieces substituted

1) To an engineering department for a graduate position in your area

2) To a research funding agency

3) To your old high school or junior high school science teacher in response to a call to

have graduates return to talk about their areas of interest

3 - 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

4 - Professional paper

1) 5 pages directed at an audience of your peers in your area of study

5 - Set of instructions, directions, process

1) Take some element in your topic that needs one of the above

6 - Resume

1) A real one of your own to send out

7 - Cover letter

1) Pick a college/company/government agency to send above

8 - Unstructured (Houp/Pearsall) 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 READINGS ( Some assigned, many suggested)

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

CHECKLIST OF REQUIRED MATERIALS

1 2 3 4

1. 2 5 PAGE PAPERS FOR GENERAL AUDIENCE.......

2. 1 5 PAGE PAPER FOR PROFESSIONAL AUDIENCE...

3. 3 MEMOS.......................................

4. 3 LETTERS or short pieces.....................................

1 2 3 4

5. 1 FIVE MINUTE PRESENTATION......................

6. PROGRESS REPORT...............................

7. STATUS REPORT (THE CLASS).....................

8. RESUME/COVER LETTER...........................

9. SET OF INSTRUCTIONS, DIRECTIONS, OR PROCESS

10.HOUP/PEARSALL ASSIGNMENTS.....................

11.1 10 PAGE PAPER...............................

12. TEN MINUTE PRESENTATION (8 minutes talk /

2 minutes questions..........

READINGS: The questions attached to each reading are there for you to focus your thoughts. They are not meant to be the only thing you consider in the text. I would hope that you would dig into the text for elements that you can learn agree with, or argue against. I will ask that you write some response down, but I probably will not require any hand-ins of the answers. But I might so please at least make the effort to read and react.

These will cover the semester course

Group 1 (These are actually for next week \ So always read the week before.)

1. Writing Scientific Papers and Reports

a. Pick one of the quotes at the end of the article and answer the question.

2. Myths of Writing

a. Do you agree with the statements made?

b. Do any of the ideas go too far or not far enough?

c. Any arguments with the information?

d. List those things that you find important and not.

e. Anything that you find revolutionary and has caused you to change your mind?

3. Memorandums - Chapter 7 - Turner

a. This just needs an outline or a brief set of salient points.

4. The Technical Memo

a. just read - we will talk about the form.

Group 2

5. Antifreeze for Writers Block

a. What is the antifreeze?

6. How a Computer Can Make You a Better Writer

a. self-explanatory

7. Watch your Language

a. Tidbits of wisdom?

8. Weapons Report of the US

a. audience?

9. Guide to Non-Sexist Language

a.impressions?

10. Bias Free Communication

a.impressions?

Group 3

11. Deming's Way

a. What is Deming's Way?

12. The Case for a Moon Base

a. How does the article unfold?

13. What is going on inside the Sun

a. Same as above - How does the material progress through the article?

14. How Do Whales Catch Their Dinner?

a. ditto above

15. Anatomy of a Ski

a. Look closely at the language. How is effective in the article?

Group 4

16. Oral Briefing versus Technical Report

a. compare and contrast them.

17. Information Matrix

a. Explain it.

18. Readability Guidelines

a. Concise outline of main points.

19. Guidelines for Authors

a. What do you see as important on this one simple page?

Group 5

20. Visual Elements in a Report

a. Make a checklist of all the kinds of visuals and their uses and strong points.

21. Graphics in Technical Writing

a. Main points.

Group 6

22. Collect a variety of resumes

23. Successful Presentations Begin with the Presenter

a. give a simple review of the text.

24. Investigate a presenter

25. Summary of the Formal, Moderate, and Colloquial Styles

a. Exactly what it is.

WEEK 7

26. Your choice of some technical text.

27. Technical and Readable

a. What do they mean by the title?

28. Mechanisms, Processes, and Reports

a. What did you find out?

b. Anything new?

c. Try your hand at one of the exercises.

WEEK 8

29. Go to Library and check on Passive Voice.

30. Language Ins and Outs

a. make a list of articles main ideas.

31. Mastering on the Job Writing

a. How are you going to do that?

WEEK 9

32. Ten Steps to Better Reports

a. The ten steps are?

33. A Top down Approach to Writing

a. Explain.

34. Can Engineers Write?

a. So, can they?

35. Engineersmanship

a. Here main points are the key - what are they?

b. Anything unusual for an engineering text.

36. Editorial Problems of an Engineer-Supervisor

a. What kind of problems did he find?

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. Darwin.

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

In Library Readings and Houp/Pearsall

Reserved Readings

SIRS Forms

Design Notebooks

1st Day Questionnaires

Overheads on Writing and Cartoons

Student Bloopers

ASSIGNMENTS

The memos -- 3

Readings -- 4

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 ISLAND AS BRIDE OF

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

TEXAS)

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 three are the assigned work for the course. 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.

The fourth memo involves reading a section of a technical text isn't too long, in most cases around 15 pages. No format is necessary. I would just like some honest answers to the questions.

GUNN/HOTTON CONSULTANTS

5603 BEECHWOOD DRIVE

HAGAR SHORES, MI 49038

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 / Paris,France

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

5603 BEECHWOOD DRIVE

HAGAR SHORES, MI 49038

To:

From: Craig Gunn

Date:

Re: Memo from Dr.Carl Castensen, Assistant Dean College of Engineering, Texas A+M

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 Texas A+M. I suggested simply giving him what you are writing about. He informed me that that was totally inadequate. He wants details. Therefore, please put together a memo that outlines your area of interest and some of the interesting facets of it.

GUNN/HOTTON CONSULTANTS

5603 BEECHWOOD DRIVE

HAGAR SHORES, MI 49038

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 Des Moines, Iowa and would be glad to pen a rebuttal, but I have to prepare my presentation on the flight. Please respond to the following letter in the Journal. You don't need to go into broad generalities about engineering - just use your area of interest to back up your positive remarks.

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.

Extra credit-----

GUNN/HOTTON CONSULTANTS

5603 BEECHWOOD DRIVE

HAGAR SHORES, MI 49038

To:

From: Craig Gunn - consultant

Date:

Re: Mcgraw Hill Book Proposal or a technical communication help book of your choosing

One of the most important things that an engineer will do is to provide feedback to other engineers. This may take the form of simply looking at a proposal and giving a negative or positive one word response. It may take the form of a set of equations, a paragraph of technical information, or a lengthy explanation of what needs to done with the text. Feedback is an activity that we are engaged in almost constantly. We are giving our opinions about things in words and in gestures even as we read this text. With this in mind, it is important to realize that you may be called upon at times to voice your opinions about areas in which you do not feel completely comfortable. You must be ready to do the best job you can in voicing the positive and negative aspects of the activity. The important thing is to verbalize as best you can why you have chosen to make either the positive or negative remarks. "This is nice." is not quite enough. More detail would have to be expressed to explain why the text was, "nice."

Therefore, I would appreciate you reading through the section of the text that you have been given.

Please evaluate the text as to its value as a useful tool for you.

Does it speak well to you as an upper level engineer?

Are there things missing in your particular section that could be added to make the

section better?

How do you like the writing style? (define style in any way you like.)

Please pass on any feelings that you get as you are reading the text. Do not hold back.

Any impressions you get (good or bad) will be welcome.

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. Readings -- 5 - 10 In pack

Antifreeze for Writer's Block

How a Computer Can Make you a better Writer

Watch Your Language

Weapon Report

Guide to Non-Sexist Language

3. 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 READING.

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 READING WIDELY FROM A WRITER'S PERSPECTIVE.

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

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 READING.

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 READING.

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. Darwin (not from Sea Quest.)

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 Atlantic many paths lead back to the coast. They are paths followed by fish; although unseen and intangible, they are linked with the outflow of waters from the coastal rivers. For thousands upon thousands of years the salmon have known and followed these threads of fresh water that lead them back to the rivers, each returning to the tributary in which it spent the first months or years of life. So, in the summer and fall of 1953, the salmon of the river called Miramichi on the coast of New Brunswick moved in from their feeding grounds in the far Atlantic and ascended their native river. In the upper reaches of the Miramichi, in the streams that gather together a network of shadowed brooks, the salmon deposited their eggs that autumn in beds of gravel over which the stream water flowed swift and cold. Such places, the watersheds of the great coniferous forests of spruce and balsam, of hemlock and pine, provide the kind of spawning grounds that salmon must have in order to survive.

Green Depths - no well thought out transitions present

From the green depths of the offshore Atlantic many paths lead back to the coast. Fish are linked with the outflow of waters from the coastal rivers. The salmon have known and followed these threads of fresh water that lead them back to the rivers for thousands upon thousands of years, each returning to the tributary in which it spent the first months or years of life. In the summer and fall of 1953, the salmon of the river called Miramichi on the coast of New Brunswick moved in from their feeding grounds in the far Atlantic and ascended their native river. In the streams that gather together a network of shadowed brooks, the salmon deposited their eggs that autumn in beds of gravel over which the stream water flowed swift and cold. The watersheds of the great coniferous forests of spruce and balsam, of hemlock and pine, provide the kind of spawning grounds that salmon must have in order to survive.

Construct a response to the three letters that follow:

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 A PLACE AND A MEANING

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.

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

Example of poor production

Albert P. Crandom III

1205 N.Blanford

Caladen, NY 00320

517.243.4562

9 June 1993

Adelaide Braxton

Human Resources Director

Fallston Engineering,Inc.

3347 Nelson Bayle Parkway

Fairport, NY 00267

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 South America. My summer vacations, Easter and Christmas breaks, and numerous travelling weekends have revolved around learning about the cultures of the world ( even though we have had little contact with the common people.)

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

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

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.

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 Egypt were called mummies. They lived in the Sarah Dessert and traveled by Camelot. The climate of the Sarah is such that the inhabitants have to live elsewhere, so certain areas of the dessert are cultivated by irritation. The Egyptians built the pyramids in the shape of a huge triangular cube. The pyramids are a range of mountains between France and Spain.

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 Mount Montezuma. Jacob, son of Isaac, stole his brother's birth mark. Jacob was a Patriarch who brought up his twelve sons to be patriarchs, but they did not take to it. One of Jacob's sons, Joseph, gave refuse to the Israelites.

Pharaoh forced the Hebrew slaves to make bread without straw. Moses led them to the Red Sea, where that made unleavened bread, which is bread made without any ingredients. Afterwards, Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the ten commandments. David was a Hebrew king skilled at playing the liar. He fought with the Philatelists, a race of people who lived in Biblical times.

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.

READINGS THAT CAN HELP

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. Lansing,MI: John's Press.

Grisback,T.L. 1923. Elos. New York: Big Pages Press.

Alphabet/number

1. Friten,R.B. 1987 How to Construct Fractls. 2nd Ed. Lansing,MI: John's Press.

2. Grisback,T.L. 1923. Elos. New York: Big Pages Press.

Citation/order

1. Friten,R.B. How to Construct Fractls. 2nd Ed. Lansing,MI: John's Press; 1987

2. Grisback,T.L. Elos. New York: Big Pages Press; 1923.

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, New York: Macmillan, 1964, pp. 203-206.

3. Segre, E., ed. Experimental Nuclear Physics. 1st ed., Vol. 1, New York: Wiley, 1953, pp. 6-10.

4. Book, E. and H. Bratman. "Using Compilers to Build Compilers." SP-176, Aug. 1960, Systems Development Corp., Santa Monica, Calif.

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}

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. Darwin (not from Sea Quest.)

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 READING.

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 READING.

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.

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....