There is growing interest in technical writing now that businesses and organizations are expected to regularly churn out business reports, science and academic papers, abstracts, manuals, how-to guides, and marketing materials. Technical writing adopts a clear-cut approach. It is brief, precise and concise. The writer should articulate his message to suit his audience and purpose. The challenge is to be direct to the point, while sounding approachable to connect with the audience.
Sheila Viesca remarks, “Prose is most important. There is no room for jargon, non-standard words, slang expressions that may be permissible in creative writing.” She shares common errors in word choices and phrases to guide writers:
1. WELL and GOOD
Use the adverb “well” to describe an action
ex. You are looking well
Use the adjective “Good” to describe a noun
ex. She is good-looking
2. ETC means others things. Do not use it to refer to people. Since it is not precise, it is better to substitute with “and so on.”
3. BOTTOMLINE is overused. “Outcome” is a better choice.
4. ANYWAYS is archaic. Use the correct forms, “anyway,” and “anywhere.”
5. EACH AND EVERY as a phrase is wordy. Choose one.
6. “It’s me.” “That’s her.” This informal use has become acceptable today. The rule is that personal pronouns after a verb take the nominative case ( I, she, he, we they): “It’s I”, “That’s he,” “ Maria is younger than she.”
7. Avoid wordy phrases like “in such as,” “in the event,” “in reality,” “in case of.”
“Prose is architecture, not interior decoration.” -Ernest Hemingway
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www.talkshop.ph (632) 8945588 Technical Writing, Newsletter Writing, Critical Thinking, Grammar Mastery
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