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Discover how engineers write distinct reports and essays, as we delve into the significance of lexical and grammatical choices, and the impact on coherence and credibility.
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Tutorial on Writing 1 for ME4001, Introduction to Engineering Lawrence Cleary Shannon Consortium Regional Writing Centre, UL
How do engineers write? • Why do reports from engineers and essays from students of English look different from one another? • How is a report on DVD Technology and Applications different from an essay about how to teach students to write?
Words, Grammar, Context • Grammatical and lexical choices work upwards and outwards, combining in such a way that the text is immediately recognized as belonging to a particular genre: report, essay, a primary research report, a progress report, a technical background report, whatever. • When writers make poor grammatical and lexical choices, they blur the lines between a particular genre or sub-genre and some other genre or sub-genre, which frustrates reader expectations and efforts to make predictions based on form.
Words, Grammar, Context • Lexical and grammatical choices influence the cohesion of a text (how it ties together). • Lexical and grammatical choices influence the coherence of a text (how it makes sense to the reader). • Texts that do not cohere are incoherent. Incoherent texts say something about the credibility of the content and its author(s).