Technical Report Writing Skills, First Edition.

Preface

Technical Report-Writing Skills, first edition, has been developed to assist college and university students as well as professionals studying English as a foreign language at an upper-elementary or lower-intermediate level. While the BOOK is specifically intended for learners who already have basic competence at sentence-level writing, it is, however, flexible enough to be used by almost anyone wanting to improve their writing skills. It provides enough material for about ninety-eight class-hours of classroom instruction; it is, in other words, a fifteen-week writing course.

Description

This BOOK DEALS with principles of effective writing. After a review of sentence-level writing, students are assisted to acquire the skills necessary to produce various types of compositions. Students develop effective writing skills by focusing on format, mechanical accuracy, and clarity of expression.

In addition, students learn to collaborate with others on producing written assignments.

Fourteen practical and academic-writing topics are covered in fourteen units. These are:

the mechanics of writing

sentence structure

transition signals

writing an effective paragraph

contrast and comparison

report-writing

argumentative writing: making generalizations and drawing conclusions

note-taking

business letters

covering letters

formal and informal emails

email JOB applications

memos

resume-writing

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

write using grammatically- and mechanically-correct language appropriate to the type of report specified.
differentiate between effective and ineffective written communication by understanding and identifying the criteria that describe effective report-writing.
identify the context, purposes, audience, and process of formal written communication.
EMPLOY developed pre-writing skills by brainstorming, choosing, consulting other people and sources or information, and scanning material appropriate to the type of report required, as well as taking relevant notes.
further develop their writing skills by making use of notes, writing first drafts, and consulting dictionaries and other reference BOOKS.
proofread their own and classmates’ written WORK.
produce formal written communications targeted towards varied and specific audiences.
develop and use effective strategies for participating in collaborative WORK aimed at the preparation and completion of written business communications.

Contents
Unit 1: The Mechanics of Writing

Part 1: CAPITALIZATION

Part 2: Punctuation

Part 3: Articles

Indefinite Articles: a/an
The Definite Article the
The Zero Article
Unit 2: Sentence Structure

Part 1: Parts of a Sentence

Part 2: Prepositions of Place: in, on, at, from, to, with

Part 3: Kinds of Sentences

Simple Sentences
What is a simple sentence?
Subject-Verb Agreement
Compound Sentences with And, But, So, and Or
Complex Sentences
Unit 3: Transition Signals

What are transition signals?
Common Transition Signals
Using Coordinators, Sentence Connectors, and Subordinators to Combine Sentences
Unit 4: Writing an Effective Paragraph

Part 1: What is a paragraph?

Part 2: Topic Sentences & Main-Idea Sentences

Part 3: Irrelevant Sentences

Unit 5: Argumentative Writing: Making Generalizations and Drawing Conclusions

Part 1: The Argumentative Paragraph

Part 2: Expressions of Advisability

Part 3: Writing an Argumentative Paragraph

Unit 6: Brief Reports

What is a report?
Why are reports written?
Structure of a Report
An Overview
Background Information
Discussion of the Problem or Solution
Conclusion
Unit 7: Business Letters

Information and Requests

About Business Letters
Formatting for Business Letters The Inside Address or Letterhead Date The Addressee’s Address
The Greeting or Salutation

The Subject Line

The Body

The Closing

Signature and Sender’s Identification

Enclosures; Carbon Copies

Grammar: Information Questions

Unit 8: Contrasting and Comparison

What are contrast and comparison essays?
Contrast and Comparison Terms
Comparison Terms
Contrast Terms
Compare-and-Contrast Writing Methods
The Block Method
The Alternating Method
Comparing and Contrasting
Contrasting
Comparing
Creating Thesis Statements
Contrasting
Comparing
Unit 9: Cover Letters

What are covering letters?
In what situations are covering letters used?
What are the characteristics of a good covering letter?
How is a covering letter formatted?
Covering Letters for University Applications
Covering Letters for Internship Applications
Covering Letters for Job Applications
Unit 10: Writing Formal and Informal Emails

Introduction
Formal Email Formatting
Formal Email Writing
Informal Email Formatting
Informal Email Writing
Unit 11: Memos

What is a memo?
Why write a memo?
Parts of a Memo
The Heading
The Body
Introduction
Details
Conclusion
Carbon Copies
An Example Memo
Unit 12: Note-taking

What is note-taking?

Short Forms of Words

How can I take good notes?

Identifying the Topic

Opinions

Facts

Supporting Details

Putting a Fact into Action

Summarizing Information and Supporting Details

How can I identify the main idea of a reading?

Writing a Summary