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Technical language. Style, Grammar and Punctuation. Grammar: What Is It and Why Is It a Big Deal? . Grammar: What Is It and Why Is It a Big Deal? .
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Technical language Style, Grammar and Punctuation
Grammar: What Is It and Why Is It a Big Deal? • Grammar is nothing more than a large set of rules- commonly accepted standards for assembling words so that, together, they make sense and convey meaning. • What is important in technical writing, however, is not the ability to recite obscure grammatical rules; rather, it is being able to write correctly and effectively.
Style: What does style have to do with technical writing? • Style is a general concept that refers to the way we say something. • Style encompasses many things, including word choice, order, and selection; and it actually includes any other distinctive features of the way we express ourselves in language. • Besides being grammatically correct, technical writing must be geared to communicating precise information in a straightforward and unambiguous way. It is easy to be ambiguous and imprecise while still being grammatically correct. • For technical writing to be effective, however, it must use a style of expression characterized by economy and precision.
In fact, grammar and style are important in technical writing for two reasons: • Incorrect or improper grammar can change the meaning of what you are trying to say or, at least, make your meaning hard to interpret. That is fundamentally opposed to the goal of technical writing, which is precision in meaning. • Incorrect grammar says something about you and the quality of your thinking. Poor grammar in a technical report can communicate to the reader that you are not terribly bright or that you lack the required education or professional attention to detail. Right or wrong, true or false, fair or unfair, poor grammar can seriously under- mine your credibility.
Building a sentence • A sentence is a group of words which starts with a capital letter and ends with a full stop (.), question mark (?) or exclamation mark (!). The mechanic fixed the car. Did the mechanic fix the car? What a smart mechanic he fixed the car!
Active or passive • Passive voice and active voice refer to the movement of action through the sentence. In an active sentence, the subject is the "doer" and comes first, the verb or "action word" follows, then the object receives the verb's action. In a passive sentence, the subject's function changes and it becomes the receiver of the verb's action, while the object, if it even shows up at all, takes on the function of the "doer." Consider the following active and passive sentences: • Passive: The streetlights were broken by the kid. The subject kid is the "doer," while the object streetlights receives the action. • Active: The kid broke the streetlights. The subject streetlights now acts as the receiver of the action, while the object kid is the doer. • The passive sentence is longer (7 words for the passive vs. 5 words for the active), and its construction is often considered weaker.
Passive constructions are weak, so why do people write in the passive voice? One reason is that it allows them to hide responsibility for their actions. Consider this modified passive voice sentence: Modified passive: The streetlights were broken. What is missing? The doer-the kid who broke the streetlights. The sentence may be grammatically correct, but it leaves out an important piece of information. We no longer know who is responsible! • People sometimes use the passive voice to hide their responsibility in something that is bad; then, in the same sentence, they switch to active voice to take credit for something that is good. Consider this compound sentence: Passive Active Your medical records were lost, but I found them.
When to Use the Passive • Active voice is often, but not always, preferred in technical writing because it is more direct, it is clearer, and it provides the most information with the fewest words. • However, passive voice does have its place in technical writing. It can be useful when the doer of the sentence is unimportant or obvious, or when the receiver of the action is the primary focus. • It is often preferred because it "sounds" more objective and can also be a useful way of breaking the pattern of sentence structure to keep the reader from falling asleep. Also, as mentioned earlier, passive voice may be useful when one wants to hide responsibility. • Finally, passive voice is appropriate when some higher authority expects it. For example, if you are writing a technical article for a journal that prefers passive voice as a matter of style, then use the passive voice.
