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LESSON #3: Developing an Effective Writing Style

A. ELEMENTS OF STYLE (INTRODUCTION)

To understand what “writing style” is, think about all the different ways people talk. With their tone of
voice, volume, and speed of delivery, they are able to project different moods, personalities, and
purposes. Think about how a person sounds while they’re telling a funny story. Then think about how a
person sounds while telling you about their problems

Since writing style affects how your reader responds, be aware of and use it to help you achieve your
purpose.

1. CHOICE OF WORDS

Concise Sentences should be clear and simple, communicating one concept per sentence. In situations
where you want your message to be unambiguous, simple, short, direct sentences are best. Avoid “filler”
or “fluff” that clutters up your writing and does not provide useful information.

Precise
Precise wording avoids ambiguity and ensures the correct information is conveyed to your reader. 1.
Statements are verifiable. Ambiguity might provide a sense of security, but leads to documents that, at
best, need to be further investigated. Imprecise language in the workplace can lead to dangerous
misapplication of results.
2. Statements are specific and meaningful. Phrases or descriptors that are used in everyday life are
often not appropriate in a technical document.
3. Descriptors are quantified whenever possible. If exact data is not known, it should be replaced with
objective observations, e.g., “The water began to boil.”

Direct
Technical communication should get to the point quickly—readers need to know right away what to
expect and if the document will meet their needs.

Here are some additional practical ways to ensure directness in technical and professional writing: ●
Clearly state the purpose and scope of a document or communication at the start—get to the point
quickly.
● When possible, put the most important information near the beginning—stating a request in the
first lines of an email or making a recommendation in the opening of a report are both examples
of being direct in the ideas/information.
● Some types of documents, like memos, will require a specific purpose statement, but any
communication should clearly tell the reader what they can expect to find, similar to the “In this
Chapter” call-outs used in this guide.
● Use concise, meaningful subject lines for professional emails.
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Well Organized
The order in which information is presented affects how easily it will be understood. As a communicator,
you will need to make sure that any document, email, or presentation you create has an intentional,
logical, and consistent organization.

Use Positive Words and Verbs

A sure way to involve your audience is to sprinkle positive words and positive verbs throughout your text.
Positive words and verbs convince the reader the benefits of your subject matter.

2. SENTENCE STRUCTURE

a. Use Normal Word Order

The normal word order in English is subject-verb-object. This order makes it easier to read as it reveals
the topic first and structures the idea. This order produces sentences which are clear to the readers and
do not cause any confusion.

b. Voice and Tone

Voice and tone are the elements of writing style that allow you to manage how your reader “hears” and
understands what you are saying.

c. Tone
Avoid emotional or qualitative language in technical documentation. Keep your reader’s focus on the
measurable, verifiable information and the objective aspects of your decision-making, not personal or
emotional responses.

d. Active vs. Passive Voice

It is important to know the difference between active and passive voice and when to use them. Both
active and passive voice can be valid and correct, but, used inappropriately, they can lead to confusing
and needlessly complex sentences.

e. Personal vs. Impersonal Voice

In technical communication, where the focus is on conveying data and important information, it is
common for writers to avoid using personal pronouns (I, you, he, she, we, etc.). This is one reason writers
opt for the passive voice—saying “The wire was cut” rather than “I cut the wire.” There is not a universal
rule against personal pronouns in scientific writing. Different contexts and situations will require different
approaches, so you must be aware and adaptable.

f. Minimize overly casual language. Many of the things you say in casual conversation with your
classmates do not belong in a Lab Report.

g. Repeat for Emphasis

Repeat key words for emphasis so that the reader has better recall.
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h. Provide Transitions
Connect sentences by using words that signal a sequence or pattern.

i. Avoid Wordiness

Generally, concise expressions are more effective than verbosity. Eliminate all repetitions,
subordinate clauses etc. to make the writing compact and pointed.

j. Avoid Redundancy

Redundancies are words that say the same content. Conciseness is achieved by saying anything
only once. In the following examples, what is bracketed may be omitted for conciseness.

k. Tense
The “tense” we write in indicates to our reader when something happened—past, present, or
future. These subtle differences carry important distinctions.

l. Parallel structure
Or parallelism is about maintaining grammatical consistency in lists. In a list, you are essentially
creating a set of things for comparison and those things should be of a similar type to make the
comparison useful.

m. Paragraphs
A paragraph is not just an arbitrary collection of sentences, but a meaningful set of information.
Learning how to paragraph effectively will help you move from an outline to a fully written
document and develop better organized, coherent documents.

In general, paragraphs should be short and focused. There is no absolute “rule” about paragraph length,
but 7-10 lines on the page is typically a reasonable range for most document formats.

Transitions: Transitions are words, phrases, and sometimes entire sentences that act as logical bridges
between ideas developed in one sentence, paragraph, section, or document, and another.

Threading words: Threading words can clarify connections among topics and actions in sentences and
paragraphs expressing complex ideas. Threading words include the following types:

Repetition of key terms can be particularly useful when referring to a sequence of events that involve
multiple, complex steps with technical names. Repeating the terms helps the reader keep track of the
development of the paragraph’s subject and actions.