Technical Writing Lesson 1-Viet Nam

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Technical Writing forGraduate Students

Instructor: Sam Yang, PhD

Office: MDE 708; Tel: 5430

E-mail: [email protected] Teaching Assistant: Ms. Esther Tung

Grade Policy:

Home Assignment: 40%Midterm: 30%; Final report: 30%
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Purpose of the Course

To develop technical communication skills-art and science of making complextechnical information accessible, usable,

and relevant to a variety of readers oraudiences in diverse fields.

To be able to write a correct, clear, andconcise sentence, paragraph, and essay.

to write scientific and technical articles in away that is clear and easy to understand.


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Technical Writing :Outline

1. Basic English Grammar (15 hours)

2. Technical writing in English articles Structure of technical paper (2hr)

Topic (1hr)

Abstract (6hr)

Introduction (6hr)

Modeling or Method (6hr)

Results and Discussion (6hr)

Conclusion (3hr) Acknowledgement (1hr)

References (1hr)

3. Final Oral Presentation by Students (6hr)


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What is Technical Writing?

Technical writing, a form of technicalcommunication, is a style of formal writing used infields as diverse as computer hardware and software,chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics, finance,

consumer electronics, and biotechnology. Technicalwriters explain technology and related ideas totechnical and nontechnical audiences. This couldmean, for example, telling a programmer how to usea software library or telling a consumer how tooperate a television remote control. (From Wikipedia

web) Taking complicated subject matter and transforming it

into easy-to-understand information for the reader


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Where we need to present technicalwriting?

Research reports

Research papers or articles

Proposals Web pages

Conferences, meetings

Lectures Posters


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Typical Sections of a Research Paper

Abstract

Method

Results and

Discussion

Introduction

Conclusion


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What characteristics are requiredfor technical documents?

Accuracy: is factual, correct, free from bias.

Clarity: is easily understood by the intendedaudience without ambiguities.

Consistency: is smooth through the document

Conciseness: is clear and complete withoutexcess or redundant words.

Usefulness

Organization

Style Format: technical conventions.

Grammar, Spelling, and Punctuation


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Part 1:Basic English Grammar(15 hours)

Five basic sentence patterns

Four sentence structures

Absolute phrase or Participleconstruction

Sentence combining


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Unit 1: Complete sentence

What Is A Sentence?

What does it take to make asentence? A sentence has two

parts:1. the naming part(or subject): tells

whom or what the sentence is about ,usually a noun or pronoun

2. the action part(or predicate): includesverbs which tell the subject doessomething or is something


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Types of Verb:

Types of Verb:

1. Complete Intransitive Verbs

2. Incomplete Intransitive Verbs3. Complete Transitive Verbs

4. Grant Transitive Verbs

5. Incomplete Transitive Verbs


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Complete Intransitive Verbs

Arrive bark come cough cry

dance dive fly float go grow

hesitate jump laugh leave listen live rain rely run scream sing sit

sleep smile squeal stand stay

surf swim talk think travel wait walk work yawn yell


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Incomplete Intransitive Verbs

Be Verb:am is are was were

LinkingVerbs:

Appear feel look smell sound taste Other verbs: become get grow

prove remain seem stay turn


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Grant Transitive Verbs

1. S + V + DO + to + IO

bring give hand lend pass pay

sell send show teach tell wish

2. S + V + DO + for + IO

buy


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Five basic sentence patterns

1. S+Vi :

2. S+Vi+SC :

3. S+Vt+O:4. S+Vt+IO+DO :

5. S+Vt+O+OC :

h i i


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S+Vi

1. The output grows.

2. The total income increases.

3. The gain of this product decays.

T h W iti


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S+Vi+SC

1. Basic English grammar is crucial

(or essential) in technical Englishwriting.

2. This point seems compatiblewith that in earlier studies.

T h W iti


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S+Vt+O:

1. Motivation places emphasis onthe individual decisions.

2. We conducted an experiment.3. Solar energy has drawn

increasing interest in recentyears.

T h W iti


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S+Vt+IO (people)+DO

(things)

1. The equation gave you a goodreason.

=The equation gave a good reason toyou.

2. John bought me an experimentalfacility.

=John bought an experimental facilityfor me.

T h W iti


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S+Vt+O+OC

1. The researcher found this study ofgreat value.

Note: of great value as object compliment

2. The study considered the inertial force(to be) negligible(=ignored=neglected).

Note: (to be) negligible orignored=neglected as objectcompliment

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Review of five basic sentences

1. S+Vi : (complete intransitive verb)2. S+Vi+SC :(incomplete intransitive verb)

3. S+Vt+O: (complete transitive verb)

4. S+Vt+IO+DO: (grant transitive verb)

5. S+Vt+O+OC : (incomplete transitive verb)

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Exercise: please analyze and indicate thetypes of following sentences.

1.The sweater kept me warm last winter.

Subject ? Verb? Others?

S: sweater; V: kept; O: me; OC: warmlast winter is an adverb modifier.

Which type?

Type 5: S+V+O+OC

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Exercise: please analyze and indicate thetypes of following sentences.

2. The government should give itspeople security.

Subject ? Verb? Others? S: government; V: should give;

IO: people; DO: security.

Which type?

Type 4: S+V+IO+DO

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Unit 2:Four Sentence Structures

Varying sentence structures iscrucial in technical writing.

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How to vary sentence structure?

One can use a variety of sentencestructures in technical writing. There arefour types of sentences we will study inthis lesson:

- Simple Sentence

- Compound Sentence

- Complex Sentence- Compound-complex Sentence

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The Simple Sentence

A simple sentence has one independentclause (one subject and a verb):

Subject Verb

Technical writing is essential ingraduate school.

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Compound Sentence

Independent

Clause

Independent

Clause

A compound sentence consists of twoindependent clauses that are joined together

The Taguchi method deals with a one-dimensional problem, but TOPSIShandles multi-dimensional problems.

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Compound Sentence

One can make a compound sentence by joining twologically related independent clauses by using

- a semicolon ;

- a coordinating conjunction Combines sentencescontaining ideas of equal importance

e.g., and, or, but, so,.

- a transition

1.independent clause ;however, independent clause

2. independent clause;therefore, independent clause3. independent clause;moreover, independent clause

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Using a Semicolon

Independent

Clause

Independent

Clause

Doctors are concerned about the rising deathrate from asthma; they are unsure of its cause.

;

semicolon

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Using a Coordinating Conjunction

Independent Clause ,

coordinating conjunction Independent Clause

Fossil fuels are non-renewable,

so we need to find

alternative energy sources.

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FANBOYS

For F

And A

Nor

NBut B

Or O

Yet

Y

So S

A good way to remember them is

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Coordinating Conjunctions

Logical Relationship CoordinatingConjunction

Addition And

Contrast But, yet

Choice Or, nor

Cause For

Result So

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Using a Transition

Independent Clause; transition ,Independent Clause

The theoretical result seemsreasonable; however,it does notprovide the experimental proof.

Other transitions:In contrast;

On the contrary; On the other hand

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Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains at leastone independent clause and onedependent clause.

John can not set up his computerbecause the wall has no outlet.

Use a comma after a dependentclause if it begins the sentence.

Because the wall has no outlet, Johncan not set up his computer.

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Complex Sentences

A complex sentence contains one main (orindependent) clause, and one or moredependent (or subordinate) clauses.

e.g.When I walked to school, I met one of myold friends.

Dependent clauses can function in the

sentence as nouns, adjectives or adverbs.

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Complex Sentence-Noun Clauses

Noun clauses function as nouns in thesentence and can be used as subjects, objects,predicate nominatives, and objects ofprepositions. e.g.,

What is most importantto him is his family.(subject)That critic writes that Einstein is one of thebest scientists in physics. (object)

You will be what you think. (subjectcomplement)She is very suspicious about what he said.(object of preposition about)

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Complex Sentence-Adjective clauses

Adjective clauses start with a relativepronoun such as who, which, or thatandfunction as adjectives. The pronounrefers to a noun which usually precedes

it directly. e.g.,The lady who bought the red dress is myaunt.That camera, which is my favorite, wasexpensive.The problem that I solvedwas a difficultone.

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Complex Sentence-Adverb clause

Adverb clauses function as adverbs in thesentence, modifying verbs, adjectives, oradverbs. They may tell how, why, when,where, etc. Subordinating Conjunctions

used include although, after, if, because,while, since, whether, etc. e.g.,

When I arrived at the University, classeshad already started.

John is happy because he received a goodgrade on his history midterm.Although Johnson is intelligent, he doesn'twork very hard.

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Compound-Complex Sentence

A compound-complex sentence contains at

least two coordinate independent clauses

and one or more dependent clauses

(joined to one of the independent clauses

by a subordinating conjunction).

This type of sentence contains more than

one part that can stand alone, and at least

one that cannot

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C d C l


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Sincewewantedto join conference,

my students and I wentto Chin-Hwa Univ.,

and we droveall day.

Subject Predicate

SubordinatingConjunction

CoordinatingConjunction

Part that cannot stand alone

Compound-ComplexSentence

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Exercise and skill of sentencecombining

Please combine the following two sentencesby direction.

1.The sweater kept me warm.2. It was made of heavy wool. For: (combined into a compound sentence) The sweater kept me warm, for it was

made of heavy wool. Because: (combined into a complex

sentence) Because the sweater was made of heavy

wool, it kept me warm.

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Sentence combining (To becontinued)

Adjective clause: using which

The sweater, which was made ofheavy wool, kept me warm.

Participial phrase:

Being made of heavy wool, thesweater kept me warm.

Prepositional phrase: The sweater of heavy wool kept me

warm.

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Home Assignment #1

Topic: Statement of purpose fortaking this course.

Note: Please write an essay in termsof your personal background, likemajor and life goal, together withyour academic objective in Taiwan.

Due Date: 23, Sept. Email me: [email protected]

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The End!

Thank you for your attention!

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Technical Writing Lesson 1-Viet Nam