Basic Techniques in Technical Writing

The writer of an expository text cannot assume that the reader or listener has a prior knowledge of
prior understanding of the topic that is being discussed. Since clarity requires strong organization,
one of the most important mechanism to improve skills in exposition is to improve the organization
of the text.
Five Basic Techniques in Technical Writing are:
 Definition
 Classification
 Partition
 Description of a process
 Description of a mechanism

Definition
 Technical writing is replete with technical terms that need to be defined.
 It is a must to define scientific terms to allow for better comprehension.
 These difficult words may come in the form of kwon words used in a differently new sense. New
words for already known things, and new words for unknown things.

When one defines, he gives the meaning of a certain term. The writer may define a word in any of
three ways:
 Informal (word or phrase) Definition
 Formal (sentence) Definition
 Amplified (extended or expanded) Definition

An informal definition comes in the form of word or a phrase oftentimes called a synonym.

For example, word seism is defined by giving earthquake as an appositive. The word compensation and
remuneration can be simpler by writing pay; or the word inundation by mentioning flood.

A Formal or sentence definition, as its name suggests is in the form of a sentence with these three elements:
species, genus, and differentia/e. The Species is the term defined; The Genus is the class or kind to which
the term belongs; The Differentia or Differentiae are the distinguishing characteristics that make the term
from other terms of the same class.
Examples:
• A Somnambulist is a person who walks while asleep.
• A Somniloquist is a person who talks while asleep.
• A Thermometer is an instrument that measures temperature
• A Barometer is an instrument that measure atmospheric pressure.
Note the species, the genus, and the linking verb are singular in form and that the differentia is
introduced by relative pronoun (Who, That, Which, Whose, Whom, Etc.)

The Formal definition is described so because it follows the form:

Species = Genus and Differentia (S= G+D).
The equal sign can be translated to is or means.
The Amplified (Extended or Expanded) definition comes in the form of additional sentences that support a
formal definition which becomes the topic sentence of a paragraph with definition as method of
development. The Amplified (Extension or Expansion) is done in any of the following ways:

• Graphics • Definition
• Examples • Causation
• Partition • Comparison
• Analogy • Contrast
• Process • Exemplification
• Function • Etymology
• Location • Principle
• Description • Negation

Classification
• Is the arrangement of objects, people or ideas with shared characteristics into classes or groups? It
is a method used to organize information into groups and categories.

Rules for classification

• Make clear what is being classified
• Name all species is separate and distinct – that there is no overlapping.
• Help your reader understand the distinction between species.

Partition
• Is an analysis that divides a singular item into parts, steps or aspects
• Is the act of dividing a unit into its components?
• The parts do not have a necessarily had anything in common beyond the fact that they belong to
the same unit.

Rules of partition
• It is coordinated
• It is mutually exclusive
• it’s complete
• There is no overlapping.

Classification vs. partition

• The purpose of classification is to divide a group of items into smaller number of groups, whereas
Partition is to take one item and divide it into number of parts.
• Classification is always deals with several units. Partition deals with the parts of only one unit.
• In Classification, they are the classes, types, categories, or groups of the subject. In partition they
are the parts, steps of a process, features, or characteristics of the subject.
EXAMPLE:

Importance of classification and partition

 Using classification and partition is an effective way of presenting related facts; it contributes to
the clarity and meaningfulness of the paper
 Both are useful techniques of exposition; it permits a clear, systematic presentation of facts.
 It will help you divide a board subject into several categories or parts and in that way focus the
topics for discussion.
Description of a process
 Is a series of actions, and fundamentally the description of a process is the description of action.
The action may be either one of two types. One type is that in which attention is focused on the
performance of a human being, or possibly a group of human beings. The other types involves
action in which a human operator either is not directly concerned at all, or inconspicuous.
In describing almost any process, regardless of types there are problems that usually arises and
these are:
1. Adaptation of the description to the reader
2. Overall organization
3. Use of illustrations

A process description is organized as follows:

A. Introduction
B. Step-by-step description of the action
C. Conclusion (if necessary)

A. The Introduction
The introduction of the description of a process is a comprehensive answer to the question, “What are you
doing?” An answer to the question ca be given by answering still other questions, principally the following:

 What is this process?

 Who performs this process?
 Why is this process performed?
  What are chief steps in this process?
 From what point of view is this process to be discussed? Why is this process being described?

What is this process?

The readers must be told enough about what the process is, so that, they can grasp the general idea. The
way in which this explanation is given depends upon how much the readers are presumed to know about
the process, as well as upon the nature of the process itself.

Who performs this process?

Very often the statement about who performs the process will appear as a natural or necessary element in
some other part of introduction.

Why is this process performed?

It is absolutely necessary that the reader know why the process is performed – what its purpose is.
Sometimes simply explaining what the process is, or defining it, makes the purpose clear.

What are the chief steps in this process?

The listing of the chief steps in the process in an important part of the introduction. It is important because
it helps the reader understand the process before the details of its execution are presented. Even more
important is its function in telling the reader what to expect in the material that follows.

From what point of view is this process to be discussed? Why is this process being described?
The latter question calls for a specific statement of purpose – the purpose of including the description of
this process in the report of which it is a part. In other words, readers will want to know why you are asking
them to take time to read your description of the process.

B) Step-by-step description of the action

 The introduction to a description is followed directly by a description of the chief steps in the
process. Two problems appear in organizing the description of the chief steps. One is how to
organize the steps; the other is how to organize the material within each individual step. The
organization of the steps can be dismissed at once for it is chronological in order. The organization
within the description of the individual steps requires more discussion.

C) Conclusion
Without being excessively redundant, review the major steps in the process. Walk the reader through one
complete cycle, emphasizing how the completion of each stage contributes to the final overall effect.

Description of mechanism
A mechanism is generally defined as any object or system that has a working part or parts.
Most often the term suggests tools, instruments, and machines. But other examples of mechanisms could
be the human body and systems like the universe or a city, which is composed of parts that work together
like parts of a machine. A technical man constantly works with mechanisms and always needs to
understand them; what they do, what they look like, what parts they have, and how these parts work
together.