Technical Communication style: Words

1
Technical Communication style Words

• These are the small things that can drive readers
  crazy
• Subject doesnt agree with its verb.
• Modifying phrase or word in wrong place.
• Dangling/misplaced modifiers
• Limiting modifiers
• When to use which word?
• How to denote numbers?

2
Subject has to agree with its verb.

• 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.
• Each of the ideas are very helpful.
• None of the tubes have been tested.
• The committee agrees on all major points.

3
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.
4
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.

5
Limiting Modifiers

• These are easily misplaced one-word modifiers.
  Their placement changes the meaning of the
  sentence.
• 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.

6
These pairs are the most commonly misused words.

• affect/effect
• among/between
• imply/infer
• criteria/criterion
• data/datum
• cite/site

• mostly, affect is the verb
• 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

7
Denote numbers according to style sheet in your
org. Otherwise, follow these guides

• 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 words for approximations
• wrong 1/3 of the energy requirement
• Dont start a sentence with a numeral.

8
Use numerals for these items

• units of measure 4 inches
• time 8-second delay
• Percentages 30
• page numbers pp. 12-56
• money 6
• ratios 3 to 1 odds