School Reviewers

G8: Technical Writing

Made by: DanielleBihasa

Difference of Literary/Technical Writing:

Purpose
Literary: to entertain/amuse the readers
Technical: provide useful information

Subject Matter
Literary: it focuses on mans experience and life

Technical: usually for business industry, science and technology

Language

Literary: it is figurative and uses imaginary words
Technical: it is formal and serious

Point of View
Literary: First/Third Person
Technical: Third Person

Tone
Literary: it is personal, subjective and definitely emotional
Technical: it is predominantly objective, impersonal and unbiased

Formal Definition of Technical Writing

- it is composed of 3 principal parts, specie, genus and differentia

Specie = the subject of definition
Genus = it is the family or class to which to specie belongs
Differentia = is the part of the statement in which the particular specie's distinguished traits, qualities are pointed out

Basic Techniques in Technical Writing:

Definition - draws upon all the methods of development

Description of a Mechanism - deals with the physical nature of whatever is being disscussed, the purpose of the device and how its parts work seperately and with one another with the whole

Description of Process - deals with the processes and procedures and is characterized by the detailing of a series of step

Classification - disscussing the points of simillarity and difference

Comparison and Contrast - showing the the similarities and differences as the article goes on

Cause and Effect - discussing the reasons why something is true or the result of some particular event or state

Analogy - a particular kind of comparison by which one subject is disscussed according to terms which apply to the other

Interpretation - is the art of establishing a meaningful pattern of relationships among group of facts

Informal Definition of Technical Writing:

- this is an amplified or extended definition

Techniques in Informal Definition:

Further Definition - to explain unfamiliar term used in formal definition

Concrete Examples and Instances - to give the readers some specie examples for the abstract terms used in the definition

Comparison and Contrast - try to relate new things and expereience that we already know

Word Deviation - the orgin of a word may shed much light on its present meaning

Negative Statement - this is sometimes called "observe interaction", "negation" or "elimination". You can simplify the problem by telling what something is by first cleaning up any confusion the term may have in the reader's mind with closely related term.

Physical Description - telling the readers what the term defined looks like

Analysis - breaking down a thing or an idea

Basic Principle - explaining a basic principle is particularly appplicable to processes and mechanism

Cause and Effect - it may be defined by its effects, in defining, disease, one might very well include information about its cause

Location - it its sometimes helpful to tell where a thing may be found

Informal Report Formal

- it is full dress report all parts are visible

Formal Report Format

- it denote short reports not all parts are visible

Purposes of Memorandum

To:
inform
confirm
suggest
request
explain
announce
report

Format of Memorandum w/ its parts

1. Header (compact block)
Date:
To:
From:
Subject:

2. Body
Purpose
Summary
Discussion
Action

3. Footer (Optional)
Encloser
Carbon Copy (CC)
Initials of Encoder/Typist

Latin word of memorandum is "memorare" which means "to remember".

Types of memo used in Internal Communication

Upward - suboardinate to superiors
Downward - superior to suboardinate
Lateral - same ranks

Lateral/Horzontal Format of Header

To
From
Date
Subject

Down/Upward Format of Header

Date
To
From
Subject

Routine Memo - informal/formal

Non-routine - informal format

Directive Memo - states a policy or procedure  you want the reader/ co worker to follow

Length of Memo - according to how much phrase are in the memo

Kinds of Memo Reports:

Trip
Incident
Progress
Survey
Justification
Internal Recommendation
Feasibility

xx