Index

Concepts

Ideas that come back in more than one deck — the bridges between them. Everything else is defined where it appears; these are the 26 that needed a note of their own.

3 decks · 9 topicsAudienceThe intended or potential reader, listener or viewer; technical writing is adapted to the audience's needs, interests, level of understanding and background (deck 1…

3 decks · 8 topicsBias-free languageDeck 1.3's rule 9 gives the one-slide version: terms indicating race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and disability can be discriminating; research them, use…

3 decks · 4 topicsCapitalization across the decksDeck 2.2 gives six capitalization rules, including the first letter of a list item and labels before a number such as Table 1 (Capitalization). Acronyms are written…

5 decks · 12 topicsCitationAttribution is what deck 2.9's definition of plagiarism turns on: using another's work "without attributing the work to the source" (What plagiarism is). Four of th…

6 decks · 9 topicsClarityThe last of the Seven C's of technical writing. Deck 1.1 gives technical writing the objective of bringing clarity to shared information (Objectives of technical wr…

2 decks · 2 topicsClichésDeck 2.3 defines them: frequently-quoted expressions which turn writing into unoriginal content — "as red as a rose", "burning the midnight oil", "last but not the …

6 decks · 9 topicsConcisenessOne of the Seven C's of technical writing, and one of the qualities technical writing aims to bring to information (deck 1.1, Objectives of technical writing). Deck…

2 decks · 2 topicsContractionsShortened forms such as don't, won't, can't, I'm, let's, I'd, isn't. Deck 2.2 separates them from abbreviations and says they are usually avoided in technical writi…

3 decks · 4 topicsCoordinating conjunctionsAnd, but, or, nor, for, so, yet (deck 2.1 slide 6). Three decks set rules around them. - Punctuation — a comma before one that joins two independent clauses (Comma)…

4 decks · 3 topicsEmailDeck 1.1 files email twice in business writing: as transactional writing for quick communication between staff or clients, and as the persuasive sales email (Busine…

4 decks · 2 topicsFormalityDeck 2.3 is the deck on formality: speech is usually informal and professional writing usually formal, and excessive colloquialism is "an unacceptable, major pitfal…

4 decks · 4 topicsGiving examplesExample-giving has its own pattern, its own word bank and its own abbreviation. Deck 3.2's exemplification pattern uses examples to make general or abstract ideas u…

3 decks · 6 topicsInstruction manualsDeck 1.1 places manuals carefully. Creative writing includes how-to books "(not instruction manuals)" (Examples of creative writing); content writing includes draft…

3 decks · 5 topicsJargon and technical termsThe word appears only in deck 1.1, on the scientific / science pair: scientific writing can include jargon because its audience is specific and professional (slide …

2 decks · 7 topicsLead-ins to listsDeck 2.1's colon rule is the root: a colon draws attention to the words that follow, such as a list — but not after "are", "consists of", "such as", "including" or …

4 decks · 5 topicsMaking comparisonsDeck 2.5 gives two ways a comparison fails: incomplete, missing the item compared with (Incomplete comparison), and ambiguous, open to two readings (Ambiguous compa…

3 decks · 4 topicsObjectivityScientific writing is "as objective as possible" (deck 1.1 slide 4, Scientific writing). Content writing conveys information for a purpose, "not author's personal o…

2 decks · 3 topicsParallelismParts of a sentence that are the same in function should be the same in structure (deck 2.5 slide 5, Parallelism). Deck 1.3 teaches it as editing rule 6 (Rule 6: Us…

2 decks · 8 topicsPassive voiceThe subject receives the action rather than performing it (deck 2.6, What voice is, Three types of voice). The form is a form of be plus the past participle (Voice-…

2 decks · 2 topicsPress releasesDeck 1.1 files the press release under persuasive business writing: text written for journalists and media, presenting new information, and aiming to persuade the r…

5 decks · 7 topicsPronounsPronouns turn up as the working part of several rules. - Gender — "his" becomes "their" by making the subject plural (deck 1.3, Rule 9: Avoid discriminatory writing…

4 decks · 6 topicsSequence and orderOrder is a recurring demand. Instructional business writing breaks a process into steps (Business writing and its four types). Two patterns of idea development are …

4 decks · 5 topicsShortened formsFour kinds of shortening appear across the decks, and they split cleanly by register. Used in technical writing: abbreviations — a shortened phrase or longer word, …

2 decks · 3 topicsToneDeck 1.1 uses tone to separate two of its pairs. Creative writing's tone varies with the writer's mood and the piece, and is not confined to an "impersonal" tone; c…

3 decks · 16 topicsTransition and linking wordsDeck 3.1 defines them — words identifying connections between ideas and telling readers how to interpret what they read (Transition words, What transitions are) — a…

2 decks · 2 topicsWhite papersDeck 1.1 lists the white paper as marketing-oriented technical writing, alongside promotional content and sales pitches (Characteristics of technical writing). Deck…