The Technical Writer's Companion / Edition 3

by Gerald J. Alred, Charles T. Brusaw, Walter E. Oliu

Overview

This easy-to-use handbook — a concise version of the popular Handbook of Technical Writing — offers students a brief guide to the most common types of technical writing and communication, with help on using technology, creating formal reports and manuals, writing for the Web, and more. Spiral-bound and tabbed for quick reference, the new edition is briefer than ever and completely up to date.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780312259785
Publisher:	Bedford/St. Martin's
Publication date:	12/20/2001
Edition description:	Third Edition
Pages:	443
Product dimensions:	5.94(w) x 8.63(h) x 0.68(d)

About the Author

GERALD J. ALRED is professor of English at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, where he teaches business and technical writing. He is the coauthor of The Technical Writer's Companion, Third Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002), Writing That Works, Seventh Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001), The Business Writer's Handbook, Sixth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000), the Handbook of Technical Writing, Sixth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000), and The Professional Writer (Bedford/St. Martins, 1992). He is also the author of The St. Martin's Bibliography of Business and Technical Communication (St. Martin's Press, 1997).

CHARLES T. BRUSAW is retired after working for twenty years as a technical writer for the NCR Corporation. He has also worked in advertising, public relations, and curriculum development. He is presently a business writing consultant for corporations worldwide. He is the coauthor of The Technical Writer's Companion, Third Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002), Writing That Works, Seventh Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001), The Business Writer's Handbook, Sixth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000), the Handbook of Technical Writing, Sixth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2000), and The Professional Writer (Bedford/St. Martins, 1992).

WALTER E. OLIU is Acting Director of the Division of Freedom of Information and Publications Services at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and has taught at Miami University of Ohio and Slippery Rock State University. He is the coauthor of The Technical Writer's Companion, Third Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's, 2002), Writing That Works, Seventh Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's 2001), The Business Writer's Handbook, Sixth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's 2000), the Handbook of Technical Writing, Sixth Edition (Bedford/St. Martin's 2000), and The Professional Writer (Bedford/St. Martins, 1992).

Table of Contents

New to this edition

Preface
* "Five Steps to Successful Writing"

1. The Writing Process
Audience/Readers
Collaborative Writing
Conclusions
Defining Terms
Description
Introductions
Organization
Outlining
Paragraphs
Persuasion
Point of View
Preparation
Process Explanation
* Promotional Writing
Proofreading
Purpose/Objective
Revision
Scope
Selecting the Medium
Sentence Construction
Writing the Draft

2. Workplace Technology
E-mail
Fax
Internet
* Web Forms Design
Web Page Design
Word Processing and Writing
* Writing for the Web

3. Research and Documentation
Bibliographies
Copyright
Documenting Sources
Internet Research
Interviewing for Information
Library Research
Note Taking
Paraphrasing
Plagiarism
Quotations
* Research

4. Design and Graphics
Drawings
Flowcharts
Global Graphics
Graphs
Headers and Footers
Headings
Layout and Design
Lists
Maps
Organizational Charts
Photographs
Schematic Diagrams
Tables
* Visuals

5. Technical Writing Forms and Presentations
* Brochures
Feasibility Reports
Formal Reports
Instructions
Investigative Reports
Laboratory Reports
Minutes of Meetings
* Newsletters
Presentations
Progress and Activity Reports
Proposals
Reports
Specifications
Technical Manuals
Test Reports
Titles
Trip Reports
Trouble Reports

* 6. Formal Reports
Abstracts
Appendixes
Executive Summaries
Forewords/Prefaces
Formal Reports
Glossaries
Tables of Contents
Sample Formal Report

7. Correspondence
Acknowledgment Letters
Adjustment Letters
Complaint Letters
Correspondence
Cover Letters
Inquiry Letters and Responses
International Correspondence
Memos
Refusal Letters

* 8. Job Application
Acceptance Letters
Application Letters
* Interviewing for a Job
Job Search
R sum s
* Salary Requirements
* Thank You Letters

9. Style and Clarity
Absolute Words
Abstract Words/Concrete Words
Affectation
Awkwardness
Biased Language
Clich s
Coherence
Compound Words
Conciseness/Wordiness
Ethics in Language
Euphemisms
Expletives
Figures of Speech
Idioms
Intensifiers
Jargon
Long Variants
Nominalizations
Parallel Structures
Positive Writing
Repetition
Sentence Variety
Stacked Modifiers
Technical Writing Styles
Telegraphic Style
Vague Words
Word Choice

10. Usage
A/An
A Lot/A Lot
Above
Accept/Except
Adapts/Adept/Adopts
Affect/Effect
All Right/Alright
Allude/Elude/Refer
Already/All Ready
Also
Amount/Number
And/Or
As/Since/Because
As Much As/More Than
As Such
As Well As
Augment/Supplements
Average/Median
Bad/Badly
Balance/Remainder
Between/Among
Bi-/Semi-
Both . . . And
Can/May
Center On/Center Around
Chair/Chairperson
Comprise/Compose
Connotation/Denotation
Criteria/Criterion
Data/Datum
Different From/Different Than
Each
E.g./I.e.
Etc.
Explicit/Implicit
Fact
Female
Few/A Few
Fewer/Less
First/Firstly
Flammable/Inflammable/
Nonflammable
Former/Latter
Good/Well
He/She
Imply/Infer
In/Into
In Order To
Insure/Ensure/Assure
Interface
Irregardless/Regardless
Its/It's
Kind Of/Sort Of
Lay/Lie
Leave/Let
Like/As
Like/Such As
Male
Media/Medium
Ms./Miss/Mrs.
Nature
OK/Okay
On/Onto/Upon
Only
Oral/Verbal
Per
Per Cent/Percent/Percentage
Phenomenon/Phenomena
Reason Is Because

11. Grammar
Adjectives
Adverbs
Agreement
Articles
Clauses
Collective Nouns
Complements
Conjunctions
Dangling Modifiers
Demonstrative Adjectives
English as a Second Language
Gerund
Indefinite Pronouns
Infinitives
Misplaced Modifiers
Mixed Constructions
Modifiers
Mood
Nouns
Objects
Person
Phrases
Possessive Case
Predicates
Prepositions
Pronoun Reference
Pronouns
Restrictive and Nonrestrictive Elements
Sentence Faults
Sentence Fragments
Sentence Types
Spelling
Subjects of Sentences
Tense
Verbs
Voice
Who/Who

12. Punctuation and Mechanics
Abbreviations and Acronyms
Apostrophes
Brackets
Capital Letters
Colons
Comma Splice
Commas
Contraction
Dashes
Dates
Ellipses
Exclamation Marks
Hyphens
Italics
Numbers
Parentheses
Periods
Question Marks
Quotation Marks
Semicolons
Slashes

Editorial Reviews

Presents a reference for technical writing students at all levels, and for professional technical writers, adapted from the publisher's , fifth edition. Entries in 10 tabbed sections are alphabetized for quick reference. Includes real-world models for lab reports, government proposals, and other technical writing documents, as well as sample letters and other forms of correspondence. New to this edition are a section on new technology, expanded information on conducting research, discussion of e-mail, advice on avoiding biased language, and special tips for nonnative speakers of English. The author is affiliated with the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Wire spiral binding, 5.5x8.5<">. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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