Three Basic Principles of Technical Writing
The three basic principles of technical writing presented below will be a good starting point for your technical writing class. Review these basics, combine them to the learnings from your class, and foray into advanced areas of technical writing.
Principle #1 Use Good Grammar and Correct Punctuation.
Technical documents need to be precise and accurate in addition to being professional and flawless. A high standard of grammatical knowledge will help you achieve the level of precision and accuracy expected of technical writing. Among some important grammar rules lies the subject-verb agreement. While in simple sentences, such as
‘The child is playing.’
‘The children are playing.’
It is easy to decipher the subject-verb agreement. You may come across a few tricky sentences, such as
Either of the levers is clearly marked
v/s
Either of the levers are clearly marked.
In such a case, you have to decide what is the correct subject here between either and levers.
Yes, either is the right subject. In that case, you use a simple rule.
Each, either, everybody, everyone, neither, one, anyone, anybody, someone, somebody, no one, nobody are indefinite pronouns that are always singular. Therefore, they will always take the plural verb.
While this was a quick and short example, you can purchase reference books to acquaint yourself with all the relevant grammar rules, followed by using freely available writing tests to test the knowledge you have gained. A technical writing class will aid your learning.
Grammar is closely followed by the correct use of punctuation. The correct and simplistic use of periods, commas, semi-colons, and colons can make or break your writing. A popular example being,
‘Let’s eat grandma.’
v/s
‘Let’s eat, grandma.’
A useful tip here would be to break compound or complex sentences into shorter sentences to avoid the use of complicated punctuations.
Principle #2 Write Concisely.
Brevity in sentences is a highly valued feature in technical writing. You have made it if you can express a concept in the least number of words, without compromising on its meaning or message. Did you know that the average length of a sentence is 15-20 words?
At a technical writing class, you will learn that writers typically lose readers in two ways: by using jargon and long sentences.
Here are few examples of multiword phrases that you can replace with a couple of words.
A large number of = many
Before that = before/previously
Is able to = can.
As for using shorter sentences, try breaking several action steps into singular bulleted steps for better understanding and readability.
Principle #3 Write in Active Voice.
Active voice resembles the way people remember and process information. Therefore, your writing will be most effective if you write in an active voice.
How do you identify active voice?
In an active voice sentence, the subject acts. Conversely, in a passive voice sentence, the subject is acted upon. You risk omitting the doer of the action with the use of passive voice.
Lastly, wherever possible, write positively worded instructions. For example, instead of writing do not close the valve, consider writing, leave the valve open.
Readers take time to think about what is true (positive) so they can determine what is NOT true (negative). Hence, you must use positive statements wherever possible. An exception to this rule is to go ahead with a negative statement if it is more precise and clear than the positive statement.
Technical writing classes will mostly focus on advanced topics. Therefore, becoming familiar with these basic principles of fine technical writing will give you a head start. When you analyze other technical documents and differentiate those that are easy to read as opposed to those that are not, you will find the abundant use of these principles.