Technical Communication Style: Words

1. Technical Communication Style: Words • Verb tenses • Subject-verb agreement • Dangling/misplaced modifiers • Limiting modifiers • Numbers • Diction

2. Verb Tenses: when to use Present Tense • To state theory or established knowledge • To say what your report or document shows or covers. Use mainly in Introductions and Conclusions Introduction: “Researchers have long known that microbes candestroy contaminants in soil.” Conclusions: “Of the materials tested, high yield strength steel has the lowest strength to density ratio at 9 psi/kg/m3.”

3. Past Tense • To describe what you did • To speak biographically of another researcher’s • actions • To set up a historical continuum “Researchers have long known that microbes can destroy contaminants in soil.” Use mainly in Procedures, Methodology, and Background sections (also in parts of Intro.) “In the first experiment, a catalysis was used . . .”

4. Future Tense Don’t use this tense to state what your thesis or report does! “This thesis will present the results of the study.” “This thesis presents the results of the study.”

5. Introductions • Use mainly a combination of past and present tense • past tense to give background of problem or situation or previous research • present to state general theories and knowledge • present to say what your document covers

6. Subject-Verb Agreement • Do these subjects agree with their verbs? • Each of the ideas are very helpful. • None of the tubes have been tested. • The projected increase in production rate and period, in spite of lowered profit margins, are sufficient to keep the company solvent. • The data gathered by a prominent researcher has proven to be false. • A band of gypsies has been camping here.

7. Dangling Modifiers Having broken down many times in the past, we knew that we could not rely on that equipment. We knew that, Having broken down many times in the past, the equipment could not be relied upon.

8. Dangling modifiers are a subset of misplaced modifiers. • Dangling modifiers happen at the beginning of a sentence. • They often begin with an –ing verb: Having • Misplaced modifiers can happen anywhere in a sentence. • The other day I shot an elephant in my pajamas. • They are often prepositional phrases.

9. Another example • Where should the phrase “at this time” be placed? • “It is important to note at this time that only the inorganic forms of mercury are used in industry.” • “It is important to note that at this time only the inorganic forms of mercury are used in industry.”

10. Limiting Modifiers • These are easily misplaced one –word modifiers • The instructor just nodded to me as she came in. • The instructor nodded to me just as she came in. • The instructor nodded just to me as she came in.

11. Numbers • Check with style sheet in your organization – follow it • If no style sheet, follow these guidelines: • Write out numbers “one” through “ten.” • Do not mix numerals and words for items in same list, except when quantities are adjacent: • wrong: 15 wells, three aquifers • wrong: 11 90-ohm resistors • Use numerals or words for items listed in handout.

12. affect/effect among/between imply/infer criteria/criterion data/datum cite/site mostly, affect is theverb among for more than two Imply is your intention. Infer is your discovery. criteria is plural data is plural site is the place cite is the verb form of “citation” Diction: CommonlyMisused Words