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Tip #100: Precise language shall use shall appropriately

12/24/2015

Can you believe it? This is my 100th post! This post also marks two years of producing this writing tips blog. I hope this blog has been helpful for many and will continue to be helpful for many more in the coming years.

Note that I said “will continue.” The English language has two conjugations that each indicate the future tense. So instead of saying “will continue” I might have said “shall continue.” Yet that would not have communicated the same message because will and shall, although both carrying the same denotation, have very different connotations.

I’ve read different treatments regarding the use of shall and will, and I don’t agree with all of it. Some say that shall indicates an opinion or preference whereas will indicates a prediction, yet these same authors also claim that shall is used to express a requirement or a determination, both of which are something akin to a prediction.

I take a much more simple view of the differences. Use shall when the connotation is more formal, and use will when the connotation is more informal. Let’s look at some examples.

I shall learn this!

Now, contrast that sentence with this one:

I will learn this!

Both sentences proclaim determination, and shall learn is no more nor less grammatically correct than will learn. The difference is that the first sentence sounds more formal, like an ancient king making an official proclamation, whereas the second sentence sounds less formal but more modern. Neither sentence implies more determination in the speaker than the other.

The real difference between shall and will is in connotation. That’s why procedures and regulations often include shall rather than will; procedures and regulations are more formal by nature. That’s also why will is much more common in spoken English than shall; using a word with a connotation of less formality is more appropriate for spoken English, which often has less formality than written English.

More effective technical writing always uses precise language. And precise language shall use shall appropriately. Use the right word for the intended context, and your writing will better communicate your intended message. And that makes for a better representation of both you and your brands.

Happy holidays to all, and I'll see you back here with more tips in 2016!

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Tip #99: Be sure to use two correctly, too

12/17/2015

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I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve posted about how failure to distinguish between written English and spoken English often yields less effective writing. Well, I actually could tell you, but that would require sifting through my blog posts for the past two years and counting one by one. No thanks. I don’t need to know that information that much.

All I really need to know is what I have just said. Writers who fail to distinguish between written English and spoken English often produce less effective writing. That’s because these writers usually assume that written English is not very different from spoken English and thus tend to write like they speak. Yet the conventions of these two communication forms aren’t exactly the same. In fact, what makes acceptable spoken English often does not make acceptable written English.

Take the words to, too, and two, for instance. These three words have exactly the same pronunciation, but they have very different meanings and functions in a sentence. To is either a preposition (as in the example sentence in the cropped graphic above) or part of a verb in the infinitive form (as in to run, to write, and to carry). Too is an adverb meaning excessively or also. Two is an adjective or noun meaning the whole number between one and three.

These three very different words are easily confused because they sound the same. But more effective writers distinguish between written English and spoken English. They know which word to use for which function and meaning. They employ precision of language.

So don’t let your writing be less effective. Use to and too correctly. Be sure to use two correctly, too. More effective writing not only better communicates your message but also better represents you and the brands associated with your writing. And that’s the real end game of the most effective writing.

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Tip #98: Don’t use bad badly

12/10/2015

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Last week I continued a theme I have advanced occasionally on this blog when I posted regarding precision of language in using the words definite and definitive. This week I stay on that theme by examining the use of bad and badly.

The problem once again has root in failing to distinguish between written English and spoken English. As I’ve posted previously, these two forms of communication have the same language but different conventions. Spoken English has more flexibility because its conventions are not as rigidly defined as those of written English. Thus, failure to distinguish between the two can lead to less effective writing.

Bad and badly provide a great example of this condition. Both words carry the same denotation of not good, but they are different parts of speech. Bad is an adjective, whereas badly is an adverb. This difference matters considerably because adjectives modify nouns whereas adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.

For instance, consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. While appropriate in spoken English within some circles, the use of bad in this sentence is just bad in written English. That’s because the writer used an adjective to modify a verb (corroded), thereby introducing a structural inconsistency. Guess what? Structural inconsistencies don’t make effective technical writing.

The writer can improve the sentence by using the correct part of speech.

Once exposed, the iron core corroded badly.

The writer can provide more formality (and, for some audience members, more professionalism) by using a different adverb.

Once exposed, the iron core corroded extensively.

Once exposed, the iron core corroded thoroughly.

Once exposed, the iron core corroded unabashedly.

The writer really does have multiple options. But when it comes to more effective technical writing, the best options always employ precision of language. So don’t use bad badly. Understanding the differences between apparently similar words can help you improve your writing and present your message more effectively. And that will represent you and your brands more effectively.

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Tip #97: Be definite about using definitive

12/3/2015

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Because more precise writing generally makes for more effective technical writing, I’ve been posting about the importance of precision in technical writing. Two weeks ago before the holiday break I posted about the appropriate use of while. Three weeks before that I described the proper use of criterion and criteria. This week I’ll be looking at another pair of commonly misused words: definite and definitive.

As with other pairs of misused words, I imagine the confusion stems from the similar appearance and sound of each of these adjectives. Add to that a failure to distinguish written English from spoken English, and you’ve got a great foundation for less effective writing. Whatever the cause, definite and definitive have related but clearly different meanings. Definite means clear or certain. Definitive means complete and authoritative.

Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. The writer uses the words definite and definitive correctly. Test results can be both clear and certain, and a report can be both complete and authoritative.

Swapping the use of those two words could work but would produce a different effect. A report can be clear and certain, and test results can be complete and authoritative. But the sentence describes a process in which the test results are an input and the report is an output. Although clarity can create authority (or at least the appearance of it), authority does not always create clarity.

More effective technical writing follows from more effective use of language, and that demands precision. So be definite about your use of definitive. Understand the differences between apparently similar words, and you will present your message more effectively. And that will represent you and your brands more effectively, which is what every serious technical writer wants.

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Tip #100: Precise language shall use shall appropriately

Tip #99: Be sure to use two correctly, too

Tip #98: Don’t use bad badly

Tip #97: Be definite about using definitive

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