Course Objective and Outline

 To enhance language skills and develop critical thinking

 Course contents:
1.Essay Writing
(Descriptive, Narrative, Discursive, Argumentative)
Example of a Descriptive essay is My university, My best
friend etc, Narrative essay is A picnic party, a football
match etc, Discursive essay is political issues, religious
issues etc, Argumentative essay addresses controversial
issues like political issues.
2. Researching
3.Technical Report Writing
4. Progress Report Writing, Feasibility report etc
 Definition and Basics of
Technical Writing
 Technical Writing is the practical writing
that people do as a part of their jobs.
Proper communication (both written and
verbal) is extremely important for the
development of any organization.
 Basics of Technical Writing:
a. Focus on your audience.
b. Use presentational strategies.
c. Assume responsibility
 Definition and Basics of
Technical Writing
Definition:
A Technical Report writing is a specialized,
structured way of writing, where information
is presented in a format and manner that best
suits the psychological needs of the readers &
is used to convey the information for technical
or business purpose.
Technical Report Writing is NOT used to
:
 Entertain
 Create suspense
Why Technical Report Writing??

 Build on existing knowledge

 Propagate the knowledge
 Co-workers/Team members
 Sales/Marketing personnel
 Customers
 Concept

Engineers spend a great deal of

time writing technical reports to
explain project information to
various audiences.
 Importance Of
Technical Report Writing

Upper Management
Engineers perform
Technical Writing to
communicate pertinent Decision
information that is needed Control
by upper management to
make intelligent decisions
that will effect a Detailed
company’s future. Knowledge

Project Engineer
 Importance Of
Technical Report Writing

Many engineers spend between 1/3 and 1/2 of their work

time engaged in
Technical Writing.
Example:
• Proposals • Technical Reports
• Regulations • Progress reports
• Manuals • Emails
• Procedures • Memos
• Requests
 Technical Report

A Technical Report follows a specific layout

and format as specified by the standards
Think of the layout and format of a
newspaper.
Stock market information is found in a
specific location in a newspaper (layout),
and is presented in a table format.
 Front Cover

Title Page

Abstract

Table of Contents

List of Tables and Figures

Summary
Introduction
Methods, Assumptions, and
Procedures

Results and Discussion

Layout & Design

Conclusion
References

Appendixes
List of Symbols, Abbreviations,
and Acronyms
Back Cover
Tips for writing

• Create an outline of your report before

you write it.
• Write the body of the report first. Then
write the front and back matter.
• Have someone proofread your report.
The Technical Writing Process
The Technical Writing Process

 The goal of the writing process is to

generate a clear, effective document that
allows an audience to act.
 Experienced writers achieve this goal by
performing activities in the following
three stages:
(a) Pre writing stage
(b) Writing stage
(c) Post writing stage
An Overview of the Process
 Prewriting Stage: Plan by collecting all the
relevant information about
communication situation and deciding
what steps to follow.
 Writing Stage: Draft and revise by
selecting and arranging all the elements in
the document.
 Post writing: Finish by editing the
document into final form.
 Prewriting
Determine the
 Audience ( who are your readers ? how much
do they know?)
 Goal (to enable the audience to act)
 Constraints (time, length, the budget, method
of production, method of distribution
etc).Method of production is the type of
equipment used to compose the document.
Method of distribution is the manner in which
the document is delivered to the reader for
example material being delivered and the right
size of the envelope while sending the document
through mail.
 Prewriting
Tentatively establish
 Strategy (plan to achieve a goal, the way
you will present the material, your overall
organization, )
 Tone
 Outline
 Page format and visual aids
 Production schedule (list of activities
required to generate the document and
the time they will consume)
Process of Writing (Steps)

Pre Writing Writing Post Writing

i. Identify your Purpose Drafting Revising

ii. Analyze your Reader Editing
iii. Choose your Ideas Proofreading
iv. Collect your Data
v. Organize your Message
Process of Writing
Purposes can be..
•To inform
•To instruct
•To persuade
•To order
•To recommend
•To request
•To apologize
•To propose
•To report
•To invite
Process of Writing

2. Analyze the Reader

• Adapt your message to your
receiver’s views, needs, mental
filters, and cultures
• Your reader also determines the
appropriate tone of writing
Process of Writing

Readership involves …. Whether the person is

Business or Professional person, labourer,

superior, colleague or subordinate, woman or
man, new or routine customer, young, middle
aged or elderly, educational level, attitude and
probable values, and whether he or she will
react positively or negatively.
Process of Writing
3. Choose your Ideas
•Keeping the purpose and receiver in mind,
choose your ideas for your message
•If you are answering a request, underline
the main points to discuss and write your
ideas in the margin.
•If writing complex message, begin by listing
ideas as they come to you and choose the
best ideas for your receiver
• The choice of ideas depends upon the type
of message to be communicated
Process of Writing
4. Collect your Data
• Determine whether you need specific
facts, figures, quotations or other form of
evidence to support your points
• Data includes names of individuals, dates,
addresses, and statistics.
• Sometimes you need to include
brochure, table, picture, or sample of
product
• Facts and figures make the ideas more
persuasive and acceptable
Process of Writing

5. Organize your Message

• Before writing first draft, organize the

message mentally or on paper
• Disorganized messages are not effective
Writing
 Drafting
 When you have established your purpose,
your readers’ needs, and your scope and
have completed your research and your
outline, you will be well prepared to write
a first draft. Expand your outline into
paragraphs, without worrying about
grammar, refinements of language usage,
or punctuation. Writing and revising are
different activities; refinements come
with revision.
Writing
 For unspecialized readers, use
comparison, example, and brief
narrative to make the unfamiliar
familiar.
 For specialized readers, do not over
explain.
 For all readers
State your purpose
Make topic sentences and headings
clear
Use consistent terminology
Writing
 Write the rough draft, concentrating
entirely on converting your outline into
sentences and paragraphs.You might try
writing as though you were explaining
your subject to a reader sitting across
from you.
 Do not worry about a good opening. Just
start. Do not be concerned in the rough
draft about exact word choice unless it
comes quickly and easily—concentrate
instead on ideas.
Writing
 Even with good preparation, writing
the draft remains like performing an
additional task for many writers.The
most effective way to get started
and keep going is to use your outline
as a map for your first draft.
Writing
 Consider writing an introduction last
because then you will know more
precisely what is in the body of the
draft. Your opening should announce
the subject and give readers essential
background information, such as the
document’s primary purpose. For
longer documents, an introduction
should serve as a frame into which
readers can fit the detailed
information that follows.
Writing
 Finally, you will need to write a
conclusion that ties the main ideas
together to make a final significant
point.The final point may be to
recommend a course of action,
make a prediction or a judgment, or
merely summarize your main
points—the way you conclude
depends on the purpose of your
writing and your readers’ needs.
Revision
 When you revise your draft, read and
evaluate it primarily from the point of
view of your audience. In fact, revising
requires a different frame of mind than
writing a draft. To achieve that frame of
mind, experienced writers have
developed the following tactics:
 Allow a “cooling period” between writing
the draft and revision in order to evaluate
the draft objectively.
Revision
 Print out your draft and mark up the
paper copy; it is often difficult to
revise on-screen.
 Read your draft aloud—often,
hearing the text will enable you to
spot problem areas that need
improvement.
 Revise in passes by reading through
your draft several times, each time
searching for and correcting a
different set of problems.
Revision
 When you can no longer spot
improvements, you may wish to give the
draft to a colleague for review—especially
for projects that are crucial for you or
your organization as well as for
collaborative projects.
Editing

 Edit the document and omit the

errors
 It means developing a consistent,
accurate text.
 You check spelling, punctuation,
basic grammar, format of the page,
and accuracy of facts.
Proofreading
 Proofreading is essential whether you
are writing a brief e-mail or a résumé.
Grammar checkers and spell checkers
are important aids to proofreading,
but they can make writers
overconfident. If a typographical error
results in a legitimate English word
(for example, coarse instead of course),
the spell checker will not flag the
misspelling. You may find some of the
tactics discussed in revision useful
when proofreading; in fact, you may
find passages during proofreading that
will require further revision.
Proofreading
 Whether the material you
proofread is your own writing or
that of someone else, consider
proofreading in several stages.
Although you need to tailor the
stages to the specific document and
to your own problem areas, the
following Writer’s Checklist should
provide a useful starting point for
proofreading
Proofreading
 FIRST-STAGE REVIEW
 Appropriate format, as for reports or
correspondence
 Consistent style, including headings,
terminology, spacing, fonts
 Correct numbering of figures and tables
Proofreading
 SECOND-STAGE REVIEW
 Specific grammar and usage problems
 Appropriate punctuation
 Correct abbreviations and
capitalization
 Correct spelling (especially names
and places)
 Complete Web or e-mail addresses
 Accurate data in tables and lists
Proofreading
 FINAL-STAGE REVIEW
 Survey of your overall goals: audience
needs and purpose
 Appearance of the document
 Review by a trusted colleague, especially
for crucial documents
Editing
 It means developing a
consistent,accurate text.

 You check spelling, punctuation,

basic grammar, format of the page,
and accuracy of facts.
Thank You
 Difference between Coarse
and Course
 “Coarse” means “crude” which can be mannerisms or
behavior. It also means of low quality. Like
recycled plastic is coarser. It also means of poorer
texture. For example, the fabric was very coarse thus
not good for babies.
 However, “course” means almost nine different things. It
means actions taken by somebody, hunting with dogs,
moving of liquids or ships, a phrase meaning “naturally.”
It also means a stretch of sports land, a meal which has
many different dishes served at different times, a
particular direction, an educational class, and a pupil.