Table Of Content

Contents by Topic Use this list as a quick reference for finding entries by topic. To search this book in more detail, see the Index. Technical Writing Documents Maps 336 Mathematical Equations 338 and Elements Organizational Charts 380 Brochures 56 Photographs 397 Description 123 Tables 542 Environmental Impact Statements 176 Web Design 585 FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) 186 Correspondence Forms 221 Indexing 260 Acknowledgment Letters 11 Instructions 268 Adjustment Letters 19 Job Descriptions 296 Complaint Letters 90 Manuals 332 Correspondence 105 Mathematical Equations 338 Cover Letters (or Transmittals) 114 Newsletter Articles 359 E-mail 164 Newsletters 361 Inquiries and Responses 263 Process Explanation 422 Instant Messaging 266 Proposals 433 International Correspondence 275 Grant Proposals 238 Letters 318 Requests for Proposals 439 Memos 346 Questionnaires 457 Reference Letters 468 Report Components Refusal Letters 470 Abstracts 7 Text Messaging 550 Appendixes 38 Conclusions 96 Job Search and Application Executive Summaries 184 Glossaries 235 Acceptance / Refusal Letters Introductions 287 (for Employment) 9 Tables of Contents 542 Application Cover Letters 38 Titles 553 Interviewing for a Job 282 Reports 474 Job Search 298 Feasibility Reports 188 Resignation Letters 487 Formal Reports 198 Résumés 490 Investigative Reports 292 Salary Negotiations 512 Laboratory Reports 310 Progress and Activity Reports 422 Presentations and Meetings Test Reports 550 Trip Reports 563 Listening 324 Trouble Reports 563 Meetings 340 Specifications 534 Minutes of Meetings 350 Trade Journal Articles 556 Presentations 412 Literature Reviews 327 Usability Testing 567 Research and Documentation White Papers 586 Adapting to New Technologies 13 Writing for the Web 592 Bibliographies 52 Brainstorming 55 Design and Visuals Copyright 104 Layout and Design 312 Documenting Sources 132 Forms 221 Interviewing for Information 280 Headers and Footers 251 Literature Reviews 327 Headings 252 Note-Taking 365 Lists 326 Paraphrasing 390 Visuals 576 Plagiarism 401 Drawings 156 Flowcharts 195 Questionnaires 457 Global Graphics 233 Quotations 465 Graphs 243 Research 479 00_ALR_TEC_67945_IFC.indd b Achorn International 09/07/2011 11:52AM 00_ALR_TEC_67945_IFC.indd c Achorn International 09/07/2011 11:52AM Organization, Writing, Articles 43 and Revision Biased Language 50 Clauses 73 Blogs and Forums 53 Comma Splice 79 Collaborative Writing 75 Commas 80 Content Management 100 Double Negatives 155 Description 123 English as a Second Language 171 Ethics in Writing 180 Gender 229 Exposition 185 Idioms 258 Global Communication 232 Mood 354 Logic Errors 329 Nouns 367 Methods of Development 348 Cause-and-Effect 69 Number (Grammar) 369 Chronological 71 Numbers 370 Comparison 87 Periods 393 Definition 120 Phrases 398 Division-and-Classification 129 Plagiarism 401 General and Specific 230 Point of View 405 Order-of-Importance 376 Possessive Case 407 Sequential 530 Spatial 533 Prepositions 410 Narration 357 Pronouns 426 Organization 379 Quotation Marks 463 Outlining 380 Run-on Sentences 511 Persuasion 395 Sentence Construction 521 Preparation 409 Sentence Fragments 527 Audience 46 Spelling 535 Brainstorming 55 Style 536 Context 101 Syntax 541 Purpose 455 Tense 547 Readers 468 Scope 514 Transition 561 Selecting the Medium 515 Verbals 570 Proofreading 431 Verbs 573 Repurposing 475 Voice 581 Revision 508 Writing a Draft 591 ESL Tips Assigning Gender 229 Digital Tips Avoiding Shifts in Voice, Mood, or Assessing Hardware and Software 15 Tense 575 Conducting Online Meetings 342 Choosing Voice 584 Creating an Index 262 Determining Mood 355 Creating Styles and Templates 199 Punctuating Numbers 372 Formatting the Résumé 501 Stating an Opinion 406 Creating an Outline 383 Understanding the Requirements of a Incorporating Tracked Changes 510 Sentence 525 Laying Out a Page 317 Understanding the Subject of a Proofreading for Format Sentence 522 Consistency 433 Using Adjectives 17 Scheduling Meetings Online 341 Using Articles 43 Sharing Electronic Files 167 Using Possessive Pronouns 428 Storing Search Results 481 Using the Progressive Form 549 Synchronizing Information 519 Testing Your Web Site 595 Style and Language Using Collaborative Software 75 Using PDF Files 595 Style 536 Using Wikis for Collaborative Writing 75 Affectation 25 Allusions 33 ESL Trouble Spots Ambiguity 35 Awkwardness 48 Adjectives 15 Biased Language 50 Agreement 26 Clarity 71 00_ALR_TEC_67945_IFC.indd b Achorn International 08/25/2011 05:24AM 00_ALR_TEC_67945_IFC.indd c Achorn International 08/25/2011 05:24AM Style (continued) Sentence Fragments 527 Clichés 74 Paragraphs 385 Comparison 87 Coherence 75 Conciseness 93 Transition 561 Contractions 103 Unity 567 Defining Terms 119 Direct Address 128 Parts of Speech and Grammar Double Negatives 155 Emphasis 169 Grammar 237 English, Varieties of 175 Agreement 26 Euphemisms 182 Case 65 Expletives 184 English as a Second Language 171 Figures of Speech 192 Gender 229 Gobbledygook 236 Mood 354 Idioms 258 Number (Grammar) 369 Intensifiers 273 Person 394 Jargon 296 Possessive Case 407 Nominalizations 364 Pronoun Reference 425 Pace 385 Tense 547 Parallel Structure 388 Voice 581 Point of View 405 Parts of Speech 392 Positive Writing 406 Adjectives 15 Repetition 473 Adverbs 22 Rhetorical Questions 510 Articles 43 Sentence Variety 528 Conjunctions 98 Subordination 538 Functional Shift 226 Technical Writing Style 544 Interjections 274 Telegraphic Style 546 Nouns 367 Tone 556 Prepositions 410 “You” Viewpoint 596 Pronouns 426 Word Choice 590 Verbals 570 Abstract / Concrete Words 6 Verbs 573 Antonyms 37 Buzzwords 60 Punctuation and Mechanics Connotation / Denotation 99 Dictionaries 126 Mechanics Foreign Words in English 197 Abbreviations 2 Functional Shift 226 Acronyms and Initialisms 12 Malapropisms 332 Ampersands 36 Synonyms 540 Capitalization 62 Thesaurus 552 Compound Words 93 Vague Words 570 Contractions 103 Dates 118 Usage Italics 292 Numbers 370 See page 569. Prefixes 409 Proofreaders’ Marks 430 Sentences and Paragraphs Proofreading 431 Sentence Construction 521 Spelling 535 Appositives 42 Suffixes 540 Clauses 73 Punctuation 454 Complements 91 Apostrophes 37 Expletives 184 Brackets 55 Modifiers 352 Colons 78 Objects 374 Commas 80 Phrases 398 Dashes 117 Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Ellipses 163 Elements 489 Exclamation Marks 183 Syntax 541 Hyphens 255 Sentence Faults 526 Parentheses 391 Comma Splice 79 Periods 393 Dangling Modifiers 116 Question Marks 456 Garbled Sentences 228 Quotation Marks 463 Mixed Constructions 351 Semicolons 519 Run-on Sentences 511 Slashes 531 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd i Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM 26_ALR_BUS_67943_Last_641_646.indd 641 Achorn International 08/26/2011 05:22PM Handbook of Technical Writing 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd ii Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd iii Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM About the Authors Gerald J. Alred is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where he teaches courses in the Professional Writing Program. He is the author of numerous scholarly articles and several standard bibliographies on business and technical communication, and he is a founding member of the editorial board of the Jour- nal of Business and Technical Communication. He is a recipient of the prestigious Jay R. Gould Award for “profound scholarly and textbook contributions to the teaching of business and technical writing.” Charles T. Brusaw served as a faculty member at NCR Corporation’s Management College, where he developed and taught courses in professional writing, editing, and presentation skills for the corporation worldwide. Previously, he worked in advertising, technical writing, public relations, and curriculum development. He has been a commu- nications consultant, an invited speaker at academic conferences, and a teacher of business writing at Sinclair Community College. He is also the author of Soldat: Reflections of a German Soldier: 1936–1949. Walter E. Oliu served as Chief of the Publishing Services Branch at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, where he managed the agency’s printing, graphics, editing, and publishing programs as well as manag- ing daily operations of the agency’s public Web site. He has taught at Miami University of Ohio; Slippery Rock State University; and, as an adjunct faculty member, at Montgomery College and George Mason University. 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd iv Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd v Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM Tenth Edition Handbook of Technical Writing Gerald J. Alred Charles T. Brusaw Walter E. Oliu Bedford/St. Martin’s Boston u New York 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd iv Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd v Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM For Bedford/St. Martin’s Developmental Editor: Kate Mayhew Production Supervisor: Samuel Jones Marketing Manager: Molly Parke Editorial Assistant: Regina Tavani Project Management: Books By Design, Inc. Copy Editor: Kathy McQueen Indexer: Ellen Kuhl Repetto Permissions Manager: Kalina K. Ingham Senior Art Director: Anna Palchik Text Design: Janis Owens, Glenna Collett Cover Design: Billy Boardman Cover Art: Zakim Bridge over Charles River. Photographer: Peter Vanderwarker. © Getty Images/Peter Vanderwarker Composition: Achorn International, Inc. Printing and Binding: RR Donnelley and Sons President: Joan E. Feinberg Editorial Director: Denise B. Wydra Editor in Chief: Karen S. Henry Director of Marketing: Karen R. Soeltz Director of Production: Susan W. Brown Associate Director, Editorial Production: Elise S. Kaiser Manager, Publishing Services: Andrea Cava Library of Congress Control Number: 2011933007 Copyright © 2012, 2009, 2006, 2003 by Bedford/St. Martin’s All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, except as may be expressly permitted by the applicable copyright statutes or in writing by the Publisher. Manufactured in the United States of America. 6 5 4 3 2 1 f e d c b a For information, write: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 75 Arlington Street, Boston, MA 02116 (617-399-4000) ISBN: 978-0-312-67945-3 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-250-00441-3 (hardcover) Acknowledgments Acknowledgments and copyrights are continued at the back of the book on page 598, which constitute an extension of the copyright page. 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd vi Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd vii Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM Contents Contents by Topic inside front cover Preface ix Five Steps to Successful Writing xv Checklist of the Writing Process xxiii Handbook of Technical Writing: Alphabetical Entries 1–597 Index 599 Commonly Misused Words and Phrases 646 Model Documents and Figures by Topic inside back cover vii 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd vi Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM 01_ALR_TEC_67945_FM_i_xxiv.indd vii Achorn International 08/31/2011 07:07AM