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University of Lagos Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department

This document contains a lecture on elements of grammar from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Lagos. It discusses grammar elements like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and transitional devices. It provides examples of weak and improved sentence structures, focusing on issues like wordiness, nominalization, repetition and voice. Students are assigned homework to review case studies and prepare reports for critique based on their matriculation number being odd or even.

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86 views10 pages

University of Lagos Electrical and Electronics Engineering Department

This document contains a lecture on elements of grammar from the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering at the University of Lagos. It discusses grammar elements like nouns, verbs, adjectives, and transitional devices. It provides examples of weak and improved sentence structures, focusing on issues like wordiness, nominalization, repetition and voice. Students are assigned homework to review case studies and prepare reports for critique based on their matriculation number being odd or even.

Uploaded by

Dj
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS

ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING


DEPARTMENT

GEG411 TECHNICAL COMMUNICATION

Dr. M. A. K. Adelabu
[email protected]; [email protected]; 0808-
7171-607
ELEMENTS OF GRAMMAR
• Quality of presentation whether oral or written is highly
dependent on the use of appropriate grammatical style and
appropriate choice of words:
– Nouns and pronouns.
– Verbs and verb forms.
– Adjectives, adjectival clauses
– Prepositions and conjunctions.
• Paragraph unity and coherence
– Unify paragraphs by making every sentence contribute to a pivotal
idea, which is usually stated in a topic sentence.
– A coherent paragraph does more than simply lay down the facts –
it organizes the facts, creating a logical argument that makes sense
from idea to idea.

2
ELEMENTS OF GRAMMAR
• Transitional devices; these are used as verbal bridges
to link ideas together. They are required for paragraph
coherence. Examples of linking pronouns like its, your,
their are used to connect sentences and keep subject
in focus.
• Active voice; the use of active verbs produce concise
prose while passive verbs require more words, and
more often deemphasize and sometimes eliminate the
performer of the action conveyed by the verb.
• Stacked modifiers; avoid using long strings of
modifiers or nouns.
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ELEMENTS OF GRAMMAR

• Wordiness; be concise, avoid excessive use of


passive voice, and unnecessary repetition.
• Nominalization; avoid unnecessary nominalization;
that is turning verbs to nouns. Advisable to use verb
forms than noun forms. Better to use a noun and a
verb instead of the verb form.
• Unnecessary repetition; avoid overloaded
sentences. Divide sentences such that the reader
can follow and grasp all the pieces.

4
CLASS DISCUSSION

5
EXAMPLE 1
Weak Improved
• In 1912, the German chemist • In 1912, the German chemist
von Laue hypothesized that in von Laue hypothesized that in
a crystal x-ray, scattering a crystal x-ray, scattering
patterns are related to atom patterns are related to atom
spacing. A series of spacing. His series of
experiments demonstrated experiments demonstrated
the wave nature of x-rays and the wave nature of x-rays and
the periodic arrangement of the periodic arrangement of
atoms. Spots on a atoms. Spots on a
photographic plate provided photographic plate provided
the proof for the hypothesis. the proof for his hypothesis.

6
EXAMPLE 2
Weak
Improved
• In this project, three psychological • In this project, the authors
experiments were performed by the performed three psychological
authors so that technical problems experiments to clarify the technical
the naturalization of a sound field problems for the naturalization of a
could be clarified. sound field.
• In response to the leak history of he • Plant Maintenance responded to
pipe made of 304-L stainless steel, a the leak history of the stainless
work request, IJ-117, was prepared steel pipe (304-L) with a work
by Plant Maintenance in August of request in August 1989 to replace a
1989 to replace approximately 55 55-foot section with lonal 600 pipe.
feet of the HLD 304-L pipe– the This section made up the entire
entire segment running from the pipe segment running from the
“cells” area to the point in the “cells” area to a point where the
drainage system that turns south to drainage system turns south to exit
exit the building – with pipe made of
the building. (see Figure)
a different material, lonal 600 (see
Figure)
7
EXAMPLE 3
Weak Improved
• The matter of personnel • Excavation planners
health hazards associated apparently have not
with airborne free chlorine considered how airborne
or other gases apparently free chlorine or other gases
has not been considered in might cause health hazards
this excavation plan. to personnel.
• The system uses a high peak • The system uses pulsed
power single frequency low lasers that operate under
divergent light beam high peak power to produce
produced by pulsed radar. a single frequency light
beam with low divergence.

8
EXAMPLE 4
Weak Improved
• Previous work has shown • Previous work has shown
that a purified pro-oxidant, that feeding a pro-oxidant
vitamin E-deficient fish oil diet containing fish oil, but
diet protects mice against devoid of vitamin E,
malaria parasites. protects mice against
• We have analyzed low- malaria parasites.
energy, interplanetary • We have analyzed the time
charged, sun-sourced series of fluxes of low-
particle flux time series. energy, interplanetary
charged, whose ultimate
origin is the sun.

9
HOME ASSIGNMENT
EVEN MATRIC NOS
ODD MATRIC NOS
• Read and review the article • Read and review the article
in Case Study 1 and answer in Case Study 2 and answer
the questions at its end. the questions at its end.
• Prepare a short report to • Prepare a short report to
be presented for critique. be presented for critique.

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