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Lecture No. 4 Language and Style Topics to be covered Write sentences using the active and passive voice Adjust sentence length Eliminate single and double negatives Write using a neutral tone Double the final consonant correctly when adding a suffix Use negative prefixes correctly Use of a/an/and correctly See the advertisement in the Newspaper Hot Job Electronics Foreman: FT,Top Salary, Growth Potential, good benefits. As degree preferred. Minimum 5-yrs experience with broad background in electrical repairs. Strong computer and communication skills a plus. Writing ability required. Proficiency in office tools is required. Importance of Communication (Views of Different peoples) Hoyt Hudson, vice president of an ISP (internet service provider) in Chicago." Someone who can come with precise communication has a real advantage in today’s environment” Pete McGarahan, executive director of the help desk institute, in San Franciso, says “One of the best investments of his career was hiring a trainer to teach business writing for IT professionals.” Kevin Jetton, Executive vice President of the Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) says “You can have the greatest technical skills in the world, but with solid communication skills, who will know and can understand each and every thing with a very short span of time” Writing Language and Style Language and Style The language and style of writing use for technical communication depends on the Audience The background Need Purpose of the people who will read information. Suggestion for Good writer: – – – – choose the most effective terms. Keep in mind the understanding level of audience writing style and organization should be user friendly Just keep it short and simple Factors to be Considered In this section we focuses on four factors Sentence length Voice Negatives Tone Active voice & Passive Voice In speaking, you can vary( Change the pitch) your voice and tone to communicate a message more effectively. For example, Speaking slowly and clearly with strong voice adds authority to message. Speaking in lively voice with changes in pitch and inflection can make message more interesting. the same case when we consider writing In writing just like speaking we also have different voices. The most common voices are following Active voice Passive voice Active Voice The main emphasize is the fact that the subject of the sentences does some-thing. It directs attention to the subject “The teacher places the book on the table.” ……….. The emphasis on the teacher and what he did. There is no confusion about who put the book on the table. Passive Voice The passive voice emphasizes the idea that the subject is acted upon. It directs attention away from the person or thing doing the action, and focuses on the thing that was acted upon “The book was placed on the table” see the sentence carefully Now the emphasis is on the book, not who placed (moved) it. And helping verb ‘was’ is used. Comparison Consider the following sentences, and decide which message sounds stronger. Communication skills can be improved by taking college writing classes. Take college writing classes to improve your communication skills. The first sentence is weaker due to the indirect language and passive voice. The second sentence, using the active voice, has a clearer message with stronger tone. Sentence Length Technical communication can be full of ideas and facts, Shorter sentences are usually easier to understand than long,complicated sentences. Sentences over 25 words are too long for the most readers to understand Compare the following sentences: The bird flew into the yard. The cat was waiting. The cat was in the shadow. The tree had the shadow. when the bird flew into the yard, the cat was waiting in the tree’s shadow. How to write good sentences ? A document with sentences that are similar in length and structure sounds dull. Variety in sentence length and construction makes the message more interesting. Technical writers must pay close attention to sentence length for understandability and interest. Negatives Understanding negative sentence is difficult. People often mis-read or fail to see the negative words, – such as • not, negative prefix, such as • non or do not. See the sentences carefully “do not remove the battery before turning off the Mobile.” if possible, rephrase the sentence to avoid negative sentence instruction. “Turn off the Mobile before removing the battery.” Tone “Tone is attitude which tells that the writer is positive, negative, or neutral” or in other words you can say that. “Emotions of writer are expressed in words.” Tone can be casual or formal. It can be positive, negative or neutral. Writers set the tone of their documents by the words they use. Formal English creates a formal tone. Informal English, using slang or abbreviated words sets a casual tone. Sarcastic or angry words set a negative tone. Neutral words set a businesslike tone, free of emotion or manipulation. Word Watch (Use of a, an & and) The words (a, an & and) are often misused. Some times this happens because the writer is not sure to use a or an. Other times writer means to say and, but forgets to add the final d. These three words not interchangeable. Vowels: Vowels are the letters a,e,i,o,u. before that u will use :an”. Consonants: All other letter then Vowels are consonants. Use of A, An & And Use “A” before Consonants," An” before Vowels and “And” is use for conjunction of two sentence Rules: Use a in front of a word beginning with a Consonant sound. Use an in front of a word beginning with a Vowel sound. Use and to join words. Assignment………No 1. How many vowels are in actual other than normal? What are the articles? Make 20 different sentences with the use of vowels , consonants & articles? Total Marks 30 Submission Date 21-10-2008.