Blog Posts - words by kurt

Improving writing one writer at a time

Tip #167: Don’t take a while to learn about awhile

5/2/2019

Lately we’ve been examining different instances of precision of language because more effective technical writers consider precision of language in their writing. Four posts ago we examined the differences between defective and deficient. Three posts ago we explored the verb and noun forms of attribute. Two posts ago we described the differences between tenet and tenant. In the last post we explored what distinguishes decided from decisive. In this post we’ll consider another pair prone to attend confusion — a while and awhile.

Awhile is an adverb, just one word meaning for a short time. A while, on the other hand, is a two-word noun phrase meaning a period of time. Some writers use the preposition for before awhile, but its definition clearly makes that use awkward. Just substitute the definition for the word, and you should see that for yourself.

Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. If you replace the word awhile with its definition, you get an awkward construction:

When seeing this condition, field inspectors should wait for for a short time before replacing the coils.

Using for before awhile just produces a less effective presentation. More effective writers can correct this sentence simply by removing for.

When seeing this condition, field inspectors should wait awhile before replacing the coils.

Or if they want to keep the preposition for, they can replace awhile with a while.

When seeing this condition, field inspectors should wait a while before replacing the coils.

Don’t take a while to learn about awhile. Employing precision of language in your writing can help you better communicate your message to your audience. And a more effective presentation will leave a better impression of you and your brands in the minds of your audience.

Tip #166: Decide to use decisive appropriately

4/18/2019

Precision of language often separates more effective technical writing from its less effective cousins. That’s why we’re staying on this precision-of-language train we’ve been riding now for the past few posts. Three posts ago we explored the differences between defective and deficient. Two posts ago we distinguished between the verb and noun forms of attribute. In the last post we detailed the differences between tenet and tenant. In this post we’ll describe what distinguishes decided from decisive.

Both of these words are adjectives, and although they have related meanings, those meanings differ significantly. Something decided is unmistakable, definite, or clear. Something decisive settles an issue quickly or allows one to make a decision quickly. Decided carries with it the connotation of being nonnegotiable. Decisive simply conveys increased speed in reaching the end decision.

Consider these distinctions in light of the example sentence above. Nothing about having an advantage involves making a decision, and so decisive is not really appropriate as used here. The writer would communicate more effectively by replacing decisive with decided.

Use of this proprietary alloy has given the company a decided advantage in the marketplace.

I know decisive sounds sexier, but when you consider the denotations and connotations of decided, you should see that this word is the more appropriate. Decide to use decisive appropriately. You’ll communicate more precisely, which will make a more effective presentation to your audience. And that will convey a more effective representation of both you and your brands.

Tip #165: Remember the main tenet about using tenant

3/21/2019

Recently we’ve been aboard the precision-of-language train because it takes us to more effective technical writing. Three posts ago we considered precision of language as exemplified in the correct use of the word affinity. Two posts ago we distinguished the words defective and deficient. Last week we discussed attribute and contribute. In this post we consider two words with the same pronunciation but different spellings and even more different meanings — tenant and tenet.

In addition to sharing the same pronunciation, tenant and tenet are both nouns. However, their meanings differ greatly. A tenant is someone who occupies a property which belongs to someone else. However, a tenet is a central principle or belief.

Consider the example sentence in the cropped sentence above. Clearly the writer intended to use a different word. But not knowing (or not remembering) the difference between spoken English and written English, the writer selected the wrong spelling. It’s an easy enough mistake; both words sound the same. But they don’t mean the same, so let’s make a revision:

The concept of equilibrium exemplifies a tenet in the study of mechanics as well as the natural universe.

Remember the main tenet about using tenant — don’t write like you speak when writing for technical audiences! Spoken English and written English have important differences. Respecting those differences in your technical writing by employing precision of language will provide greater clarity to your audiences. Greater clarity better communicates your message. And that more effective presentation will in turn more effectively promote you and your brands in the minds of your audience.

Tip #164: Make sure you contribute the right attribute

2/7/2019

Lately we’ve been discussing precision of language. That’s because the right word can make all the difference between producing a more effective presentation and a less effective one. Two posts ago we examined precision of language as exemplified in the correct use of the word affinity. In the last post we considered the words defective and deficient. In this post we discuss attribute and contribute.

Attribute can be either a verb or a noun. To help distinguish between the two usages, the pronunciation places the accent on a different syllable. When the accent is placed on the first syllable, attribute is a noun which means a quality or characteristic. When the accent is placed on the second syllable, attribute is a verb which means to indicate a cause or source. Conversely, contribute is a verb which means to give or offer.

It may seem silly to make these distinctions. Using contribute where you should use attribute just seems wrong, especially when you read the sentence out loud. Yet some writers have mistaken these two words, using one when the other was intended. Even more writers have confused the two forms of attribute. They used the noun when the verb should have been used, and vice versa.

So make sure you contribute the right attribute to your technical writing. Precision of language will help you craft a more effective message to your audience. And that leaves them with a more effective representation of both you and your brands.

Tip #163: Don’t be defective in using deficient

1/10/2019

More effective writing employs precision of language. That’s because using the right word can make all the difference in conveying the right meaning and producing a more effective presentation. In the last post we discussed precision of language as exemplified in the correct use of the word affinity. In this post we employ a different example: the words defective and deficient.

The words defective and deficient both share the same grammatical function; they’re both adjectives. However, these words have related but different meanings. Defective means faulty, but deficient means lacking something necessary.

Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. Here the writer intends to communicate that the alloy has less of a constituent than expected. The alloy is therefore deficient (missing some ingredient) and not defective (faulty).

The alloy was deficient in vanadium; spectrographic analysis showed a vanadium content of 0.5%.

One could argue that because the alloy is deficient in an important element (vanadium is often added for desirable strength and corrosion-resistant properties), the alloy is defective. But that is not the intention of the writer here. If it were, we would see mention of some performance standard which the alloy failed to meet. Since the alloy has a lower-than-anticipated vanadium content, it very well may fail to meet some performance standard. But the example sentence contains a content standard, not a performance one.

Don’t be defective in using deficient. Use the right word to employ precision of language in your writing. You’ll produce more effective presentations of your message. And that in turn will better represent both you and your brands in the minds of your audience.

Tip #162: Develop the ability to use affinity effectively

12/20/2018

Precision of language has returned again and again as a persistent theme in this blog because it comprises an important aspect of more effective writing. Every more effective writer knows using the right word can make all the difference in conveying the right meaning. And that can produce a more effective presentation.

The word affinity provides a good example. Affinity means a close relationship based on a common origin or structure as well as the tendency of a substance to combine with another. Note that the common idea here is one of relation. That’s because affinity comes from the Latin word afinis, which means related.

Some more informal fields of writing may accept using affinity to mean ability or aptitude. However, more effective technical writing will employ precision of language and simply use these words when those meanings are intended.

Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. Clearly the writer did not intend to suggest that the design shares a common origin or structure with its environment or that the design is attracted to its environment and somehow motivated to combine with it. The writer uses affinity to mean ability, which use is less effective for technical writing. Revising that sentence into something more effective is easy. Just use the word with the intended meaning.

The success of the latest design in this environment rests with the ability of our new proprietary alloy to withstand stress corrosion cracking.

Don’t follow the less effective example. Develop the ability to use affinity effectively and employ precision of language in your writing. You’ll produce more effective presentations of your message to your audience. And that in turn will better represent both you and your brands to that audience.

Tip #161: In spite of what you may think, beware despite and the blame game

11/15/2018

More effective writers in any field seek to use the right words to convey their messages. They understand the difference between denotation (direct meaning) and connotation (associated meaning), and they seek to match both with the context of their messages. That effort provides increased clarity, resulting in more effective communication.

Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic at left. The writer could have used in spite of instead of despite. Both expressions have the same denotation (which is notwithstanding), but they have very different connotations. Despite suggests an effort to avoid or to deflect blame. In spite of simply juxtaposes two contrasting elements.

Does the writer of the example sentence above really want to play a blame game? Consider this revision:

In spite of their best efforts to reach desired production levels, plant managers failed to restore their facilities to profitability last quarter.

Without the revision, the sentence suggests that the plant managers are not responsible for the failure (which isn’t entirely true; management always bears at least some responsibility for results — or the lack thereof). With the revision, the sentence suggests that the plant managers did what was possible, but failure came anyway. The revision helps the sentence to convey a more realistic message while keeping the writer out of the political fray that playing the blame game often incites.

Some writers ignore not only the difference in connotation between despite and in spite of but also the confusion created by combing these two expressions together. More effective technical writers always avoid using despite of. The phrase is awkward and as such very ineffective at conveying anything meaningful.

So in spite of what you may think, beware despite and the blame game. Ensure your technical writing more effectively conveys your message by exercising more care in the words you use. Considering both the denotation and the connotation of the words you use will present not only your message but also you and your brands more effectively to your audience.

Tip #160: Avoid the aforesaid jargon

10/18/2018

Every more effective writer knows the importance of tone. And that’s why more effective technical writers avoid jargon and slang in their technical writing. They understand that a more formal tone presents better to a technical audience.

Case in point: Aforesaid, which means stated previously, is legal jargon. Its use may find acceptance in legal circles, but its presence in technical writing introduces an informality which more effective technical writing seeks to avoid. The writer of the example sentence in the cropped sentence at left could make a revision like this:

Although at greater initial cost, selecting U-400 for the design material will solve the previously described problems with premature failure.

Other possibilities abound, though many of them are more wordy. This revision combines the clarity necessary to avoid confusion with the more formal tone typical in more effective technical writing.

So avoid the aforesaid jargon in your technical writing. Preserve a more formal tone in your technical writing, and you’ll present your content more effectively to your audience. They in turn will have a more favorable impression of both you and your brands.

Tip #159: Clear your dates of commas for greater clarity

9/20/2018

Lately words by kurt has cleared away the confusion regarding the use of several words and phrases. For instance, two posts ago we clarified the distinction between the mean and the median. Three posts ago we delineated the use of the word average. And four posts ago we distinguished the use of libel and liable. In this post, we’ll address the confusion many writers have regarding dates.

In professional circles, the most common convention conveys dates in a month-first format. In this format, the month is spelled out, and the year, preceded by a comma, is a four-digit number. Writers may or may not employ a comma after the year.

This means the example sentence in the cropped graphic above is correct. Placing the comma after the year makes the year a type of parenthetical comment, and delineating parenthetical comments with commas is grammatically appropriate.

However, the final comma need not appear in the sentence. In that case, a writer could revise the example sentence in the cropped graphic above in this manner:

The inspection occurred on September 24, 2015 in accordance with previous arrangements.

In this instance, the comma before the date is simply part of the conventional format, the entirety of which forms the object of the preposition on.

A convention commonly used in the military and growing in use in business and industrial circles avoids the use of the comma altogether by placing the month second in the order of elements in the format. Thus, September 12, 2015 appears as 12 September 2015.

Unless your audience demands the more traditional convention, using this month-second format provides the most clarity in communication while avoiding the confusion surrounding commas simply because commas do not comprise part of the format. Note the change in the example sentence from the cropped graphic above when the writer applies this month-second format.

The inspection occurred on 12 September 2015 in accordance with previous arrangements.

Note the added sense of clarity, even if only slightly, in this example. Avoiding commas in dates provides that extra clarity and avoids confusion.

Of course, writers should avoid using numerical formats for dates, especially in technical writing. These formats have always conveyed more confusion than clarity. Much of the world lists the month first when using a numerical format for dates, but Americans list the month second. Thus, the date from our example sentence could be 12/09/15 or 09/12/15. Just looking at the numerical format, your audience could wonder whether you mean September 12 or December 9. Writers expressing the most clarity with dates avoid numerical formats.

Writers conveying the most clarity with dates also avoid the use of commas. So clear your dates of commas for greater clarity. Greater clarity better communicates your message. And that more effective presentation will in turn more effectively promote you and your brands in the minds of your audience.

Tip #158: The committee is one

8/23/2018

More effective writers understand and employ a few principles that set them apart from their less effective peers in the writing profession. One such principle is agreement between subject and predicate. Singular nouns take singular verbs, and plural nouns take plural verbs.

Although most writers avoid disagreement between subject and predicate in most cases, a few words provide some particular trouble. One such word is committee. Committee is a singular noun describing a collection of individuals. Writers who improperly use committee tend to focus on those individual members.

But the committee is a collection, and that collection is one. Therefore, the committee is one. And as a singular noun, committee takes a singular verb.

Consider the example sentence in the cropped graphic above. The writer has paired the singular noun committee with the plural noun are, thus creating a disagreement between subject and predicate. More effective writers will revise this sentence to provide agreement.

The committee is to select the material for the new spring design.

Another possible revision replaces the infinitive form of the verb with the future tense. This revision is one word shorter and avoids the passive voice of the previous revision.

The committee will select the material for the new spring design.

More effective writers ensure the subject of each sentence agrees with its predicate. The committee is one, and so committee takes a singular verb. Attention to details such as subject-predicate agreement produces more effective writing. That in turn produces more effective presentations of your messages to your audience. And more effective presentations better represent both you and your brands.