Punctuation, Punctuation, Punctuation

A light touch with punctuation has always made sense, whether you're scratching out a sonnet on velum with a quill pen, or texting a mate on your mobile. It's meant to enhance communication, not hinder it.

Caborn, Anne. Creative Latitude (2005). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Semi-Definite Rules for the Indefinite Article

Technical writing–perhaps more than any other sort of writing–gets read and used by people from every corner of the Anglophonic world. And people don’t get less sensitive to perceived slights or the appearance of cultural insensitivity because it’s a manual or help page. If anything, they’re more sensitive in such a circumstance.

Forte, Brian. Red Hat Magazine (2007). Articles>Writing>Technical Writing>Grammar

Sentence Types and Sentence Structures Revisited

Before we discuss sentence types and structures, let us regard writing as a donut. When talking of sentence types, we will consider four building blocks of the donut.

Gururaj, B.S. and N.R. Prabhat. Indus (2005). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Some Thoughts on Teaching Grammar to Improve Writing    

The conviction that writing can be improved with a knowledge of grammar has prevailed for quite a long time. But research has shown no correlation between grammatical knowledge and writing ability.

Baum, Bernard. CCC (1967). Articles>Education>Writing>Grammar

Squiggles

Thomas Mann described the writer as somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people. Nowhere is this truer than for comma use: while most folks float along blithely putting commas in or leaving them out at whim, we agonize over every squiggle. Why? Because we understand that the presence or absence of a comma can change the meaning of a sentence. In our line of work, unclear sentences can have dire consequences for our readers. So we worry.

Wenger, Andrea. Carolina Communique (2005). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Stressing What is Important in a Sentence

In addition to expunging the usual collection of wordy phrases from documents, editors commonly attempt to tighten up writing to make it more direct, clear, and concise. For example, when editing business and technical material, I frequently change sentences containing 'it is,' 'there is,' and 'there are.' Writers often ask me 'what was wrong with that sentence?' I reply that although the sentence wasn't wrong grammatically, such phrases distract the reader from the important part of the message.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Tackling Typical Grammar Problems

This training podcast provides examples as well as explanations and tips for dealing with a few grammar or usage problems that occur for many engineering and technical professionals who have to communicate in a hurry, via, for example, email. Listen for ways to know when to use can or may, affect or effect, it's or its, and also me, myself, or I.

Still, Brian. IEEE PCS (2008). Articles>Writing>Grammar>Podcasts

Ten More Errors in Technical Writing

So, well, here are 10 more errors. This time we will focus on grammar and punctuation. Most of these are simplistic and obvious. But then they are too common. As usual, I have slipped in some content for the advanced writers too. (This article is a follow-up to 'One Hundred Simple Tech Writing Errors .)

Kamath, Gurudutt R. IT People (2003). Articles>Editing>Grammar>Technical Writing

"Unattached" Clauses in Technical Writing    

The views concerning "dangling participles" of grammarians, usage experts and authors of books on technical writing are reviewed and compared. Although many unattached clauses are clearly unacceptable, some are less objectionable and still others are acceptable practice. Absolute constructions and other clause-relational participial, infinitival and verbless clauses need no attachment to a proximate noun or noun phrase, and logical clauses that are not attached to a noun are shown as normal, acceptable use. Even clearly adjectival clauses are often unattached when followed by the passive voice, intransitives and several other grammatical structures; clauses between the subject and verb and at the end of the sentence are also often not attached to the immediately preceding noun. Cultural (perhaps also gender) differences between humanistic teachers and task-oriented engineers are noted as possible causes of different viewpoints regarding the use of unattached participles, and greater acceptance of the many acceptable forms of unattached clauses is argued. <em>Suggested Reading Approach</em> The first three sections (on principles, authoritative views and theoretical background) could be skimmed if you are already familiar with the background.

Jordan, Michael P. Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (1999). Articles>Writing>Grammar>Technical Writing

Use of Hyphens

This page collects a series of notes from readers of my newsletter, and my responses to those notes, arising from an article in issue 60, 13 May 2002. I thank those who took the time to write and explain why some hyphen usage is considered to be correct or incorrect.

Hollis Weber, Jean. Technical Editors Eyrie (2002). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Grammar

The Wicked Which and Other Fairytales

Popular culture is filled with myths about grammar. Taught by generations of English teachers, these stories admonish little children to cling to the straight and narrow path, rather than venturing into the woods of creative communication. Some of these stories are usage guidelines rather than rules, but others are pure fantasy, the flight of some pedagogue's imagination.

Wenger, Andrea. Carolina Communique (2005). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Write Right

When you scan job postings for technical communicators, you'll find prospective employers seeking candidates who have an understanding of current technology, working knowledge of publishing tools, and time management skills. A bullet may ask for 'excellent writing and editing skills,' but that bullet rarely appears at the top of the list. Not for me.

Harvey, Michael. Carolina Communique (2005). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Writing Technical Specifications in the Present

Technical specifications are improved in several ways with one easy procedure - writing them in the present tense. That is, rather than trying to specify constraints on a product that does not yet exist, describe the product as though it already existed.

Kendall, Matthew. Ionocom (2005). Articles>Writing>Specifications>Grammar

Basics for Communicating Clearly

Like the pronouns I, he, she, we, and they, the pronoun who is used as the subject of a verb.

Shacklock, Linda. STC Phoenix (2006). Articles>Writing>Grammar

One Space Or Two Spaces?

When I began writing technical documentation and courseware for Guru Labs, I asked a question during training about whether we should be putting two spaces after a period, colon, question mark and exclamation point, or one. The answer shocked me, as I was hoping for the standard answer as a means of teaching the rest of my colleagues. The answer was ONE space, not two. Then, I listened to the argument.

Toponce, Aaron. Aaron Toponce (2008). Articles>Writing>Style Guides>Grammar

Obsessed with Possessives

We see it everywhere: our schools, our places of business, even in notes stuck on our refrigerator. Yes, my friends, I’m talking about apostrophe abuse. The Obama administration, faced with two wars and an economy teetering on the edge of disaster, is unlikely to make this a priority. So it’s our duty as professional communicators to stamp it out.

Wenger, Andrea. Carolina Communique (2009). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Technical Writing - Writing in “Standard Written English”

As technical writers, we’re much better off when we write in a way that follows the dictates of Standard Written English (SWE). We can believe all we want that one person’s way of writing is just as good as another. And, in private use, it is. But we know perfectly well that a person who writes the kind of material we do who doesn’t have what’s generally considered “good” language skills won’t be considered a professional - and won’t get work.

Adar, Bryan S. Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Which Way Your Sentences Branch – Right or Left?

Try right-branching sentences in your technical documents for higher comprehension. Right-branching sentences start with the subject, follow it with primary verb (or sometimes the other way around if the verb is in imperative/order mode), and then end with modifiers and other relevant information. What branches off to the right of the subject and the verb is all the additional information you want to get across.

Technical Communication Center (2009). Articles>Writing>Grammar>Usability

Misplaced Modifier – Even WSJ Falls For It

“Misplaced modifier” is a frequently committed logical error that even the most prominent publications fall for occasionally. Solution? Move the modifier clause right next to the subject of the sentence.

Technical Communication Center (2007). Articles>Writing>Editing>Grammar

The Technical Stylist Meets the Definite Article

Take the definite article. Please. The editors at SAS continue to struggle with the question of which SAS product names require the definite article and which require the zero article (linguist-speak for no article at all).

Underwood, Kathy. STC Technical Editing SIG (2009). Articles>Writing>Grammar

The Voice Speaks

I learnt that a verb is the most essential part of speech. So, I thought investing a little time to learn to use it better (if not master it) might not be a bad idea. But then, there are so many aspects of a verb. Can I ever say I learnt it? I can try one proven (presumably by the British) method: divide and conquer. I will start with the voice of a verb, the much-talked-about aspect of a verb.

Palagummi, Sharada. Indus (2009). Articles>Writing>Grammar

Don't Lose Your Articles

One of the difficult concepts to understand in the English language is perhaps the manner in which articles are used in a sentence. Over the course of one's life history, every student of English has had to face this nightmare at one point of time or another. The verbs are all in place and you know the nouns, the pronouns are fairly obvious, and the prepositions can eventually be worked out, but what comes before the word year and what comes before SMS is tricky.

Sastry, Uma. Indus (2009). Articles>Writing>Diction>Grammar

How To Use An Apostrophe

A clear, well-illustrated guide to when one should (or should not) use an apostrophe.

Oatmeal, The (2009). Articles>Writing>Grammar>Technical Illustration

The Grammar Gravy Train

When you set yourself up as a grammar expert it's better than being an expert on plastics. To be an expert on plastics you actually have to know something about plastics. With grammar the analogous thing doesn't hold. Nobody asks, nobody checks, nobody knows enough to get suspicious. You are free as a bird to publish any garbage you might want to type out.

Pullum, Geoffrey K. Language Log (2009). Articles>Education>Writing>Grammar