PRINCIPLES OF WRITING IN CREATING PROFESSIONAL DOCUMENTS

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Sound Writing Principles

Two Objectives

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Objectives of professional writing:

To inform: To communicate the most amount of information in the least amount of reading time

To persuade: To present logical arguments in the most convincing manner

Language Usage

Friday, October 05, 2012 SLH1013 Professional English

Effective language us is essential in professional writing. This is done by : Being precise

Being clear

Being forthright

Being familiar

Being concise

Being fluid

Being Precise

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This is the most important goal of language in professional writing. Communicate exactly what you did and what you learned.

It is important to choose the right word and the appropriate level of accuracy.

Here are a few examples of similar words that are often confused and have different meanings:

Errors in Word Choice (1)

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comprise = include; compose = make up

The procedure comprises treatment with an acid composed of hydrogen and chlorine.

continual = repeated; continuous = without interruption

The continual pulsing of pressure has less effect than would continuous application of the same level of pressure.

Errors in Word Choice (2)

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affect = to influence; effect = result Exposing the samples to water affected

their moisture content, with the effect that their elastic properties were reduced.

principal = main, most important; principle = law, rule The principal investigators in the project

are very familiar with the principles of research procedure.

Use a dictionary, not a thesaurus

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Avoid synonyms. They may have an inexact meaning for the situation concerned. Their meaning depends on situation in which they are used. The word dense may mean compact or solid or

luxuriant, which have different connotations and may be inappropriate for the situation.

If one describes conditions as adequate, this means a far different set of criteria for airplane safety than for marking out a baseball field.

Being Clear

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Avoid needless complexity in words, such as in this paragraph:

The objective of this study is to develop an effective commercialization strategy for solar energy systems by analyzing the factors that are impeding early commercial projects and by prioritizing the potential government and industry actions that can facilitate the viability of the projects.

Keep it simple

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This could better be rewritten as :

This study will consider why current solar energy systems have not yet reached the commercial stage and will evaluate the steps that industry and government can take to make these systems commercial.

Unnecessary Complexity

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A sentence is needlessly complex when:

The sentence seems too long.

It contains many prepositional phrases.

It presents more than one idea.

It wanders from point to point.

It contains participial phrases.

Avoid Ambiguity

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Many English words have multiple meanings. This can appear in many ways.

In the following examples, the prepositions as and since may be interpreted in different ways:

Which Word is Correct?

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T cells, rather than B cells, appeared as the lymphocytes migrated to the thymus gland. (because/while?) This could mean either that T cells

appeared because lymphocytes migrated to the thymus bland or that T cells appeared at the same time that lymphocytes migrated to the thymus gland.

T cells appeared since they were migrating to the thymus gland. (because/after?) This could mean either that T cells

appeared because they were migrating to the thymus gland or that T cells appeared following their migration to the thymus gland.

Ambiguity in Syntax

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Ambiguity can also result from the way words are arranged in a sentence (syntax).

In the following sentences, the same words are arranged in different ways. Each way produces a different meaning:

Ambiguity in Syntax

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Only I tested the bell jar for leaks yesterday. Only I, no one else, tested the bell jar. I only tested the bell jar for leaks yesterday. The only thing I did yesterday was test the bell jar. I tested only the bell jar for leaks yesterday. The only thing I tested yesterday was the bell jar. I tested the bell jar only for leaks yesterday. The only test I made of the bell jar was for leaks. I tested the bell jar for leaks only yesterday. It was just yesterday that I tested the bell jar.

Ambiguity in Pronouns

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There should be no doubt as to what a pronoun refers. In the following example, the pronoun it could mean either the receiver or the radiometer:

Because the receiver presented the radiometer with a high flux environment, it (?) was mounted in a silver plated stainless steel container.

Ambiguity in Punctuation

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Punctuation tells the reader when to connect, slow down, or stop. It may also have a major impact on the meaning.

While other punctuation marks are essential, the comma (,) is quite important.

In the following sentences a comma makes a difference in the meaning:

What’s the difference?

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In our study we examined neat methanol, neat ethanol, methanol and 10 percent water and ethanol and 10 percent water.

In our study we examined neat methanol, neat ethanol, methanol and 10 percent water, and ethanol and 10 percent water.

The panda eats shoots and leaves.

The panda eats, shoots, and leaves.

Being Forthright

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Professional writing should be sincere and straightforward.

Control the tone by avoiding pretentious words, such as:

facilitate ( cause, bring about)

implement (put into effect, carry out)

Be Careful…

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Avoid arrogant phrases, such as:

as is well known; as we all know; it is said that

results clearly demonstrate; it is clear that

Use strong nouns to provide a helpful image of the subject. Reduce abstract nouns, such as ability, factor, methods, criteria.

Use strong verbs to express action.

Use Familiar Language

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Professional communication is designed to inform, not to puzzle or to mystify.

Use language your readers will understand.

Avoid jargon, nicknames, initials, processes, technical terms, or materials that might be unclear to readers.

Define unfamiliar terms.

Use examples and analogies.

Eliminate Redundancies

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No needless repetition of a word within a sentence.

Eliminate words with no real meaning: oas a matter of fact

o it is noteworthy that

o that fact that

o it is significant that

o the presence of…

Being Fluid

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All of this might give the impression that professional writing becomes so flat and dull that it is painful to read.

Good professional writing does not have to be dull.

Several techniques may be used to make professional writing interesting to read.

Variety

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Vary sentence rhythms by varying sentence openers, lengths, or structure.

Vary sentence openers by a clear subject-verb connection. oBy using a prepositional phrase oBy using transitional words oBy using a participial phrase

Vary sentence length Vary sentence structure

T H A N K Y O U

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The End