Precise and Concise Wording

Technical writing is precise writing. Vague, overly general, hyperbolic, or ambiguous terms are not appropriate in this type of writing. You do not want to choose words and phrasing that could be interpreted in more than one way. Instead, select words that most accurately convey your point. Below are some guidelines and examples to follow for using precise wording.

Replace abstract nouns with verbs. Verbs, more than nouns, help convey ideas concisely, so where possible, avoid using nouns derived from verbs. Often these abstract nouns end in –tion and –ment. See examples in the following Table 5.1.

Table 5.1. Abstract nouns and verbs.

Prefer short words to long words and phrases. The goal is to communicate directly and plainly, so use short, direct words whenever possible. In other words, avoid long words or phrases when short ones will do. Table 5.2 offers examples of long words and phrases, and the shorter options you can use to replace them.

Table 5.2. Long and short words.

Avoid clichés. Clichés are expressions that you have probably heard and used hundreds of times. They are over-used expressions that have largely lost their meaning and impact. Table 5.3 provides examples of clichés and alternatives you could use.

Table 5.3. Clichés and alternatives.

Avoid cluttered constructions. This category includes redundancies and unnecessary repetition. Table 5.4 shows examples of redundancies and how to fix them.

Table 5.4. Redundancies.

Use accurate wording. Sometimes accuracy requires more words instead of fewer, so do not sacrifice clarity for brevity. Make sure your words convey the meaning you intend. Avoid using words that have several possible meanings; do not leave room for ambiguity or alternate interpretations of your ideas. Readers of technical writing tend to choose literal meanings, so avoid figurative language that might be confusing (for example, using metaphors such as “at the end of the day” instead of “in conclusion”).

Separate facts from opinions by using phrases like “we recommend” or “in our opinion.” Use consistent terminology rather than looking for synonyms that may be less precise.

Qualify statements that need qualifying, especially if there is possibility for misinterpretation. Avoid overusing intensifiers like “extremely,” and avoid absolutes like “never, always, all, none,” as these are almost never accurate. We tend to overuse qualifiers and intensifiers in American English, so below are some that you should be aware of and consider whether you are using them effectively. See Table 5.5 for examples of overused intensifiers and Table 5.6 for examples of overused qualifiers.

Table 5.5. Overused intensifiers.

For a comprehensive list of words and phrases that should be used with caution, see G. Kim Blank’s “Wordiness, Wordiness, Wordiness List.”^[1]

Use gender pronouns inclusively and mindfully. The pronouns we choose when crafting technical documents help us to establish rapport with our audience and combat harmful gender stereotypes that are prevalent in technical and professional discourses. If you know the gender of the person(s) whom you are discussing, always use the pronouns they identify with.

However, if you are using a hypothetical person to demonstrate a point (as this textbook often does), use the singular “they/them.” Doing so is a courtesy towards people who are non-binary and may not feel included by “he or she,” or simply “he” or “she.” Using “they/them” also helps in delinking professional positions and roles from gender stereotypes (for example, referring to a hypothetical CEO as “he” or a nurse as “she”). See Chapter 15 for discussion on gender pronouns in correspondence.

Use the active voice. The active voice emphasizes the person/thing doing the action in a sentence. For example, in “The outfielder threw the ball,” the subject, “outfielder,” actively performs the action of the verb “throw.” The passive voice emphasizes the recipient of the action. In other words, something is being done to something by somebody: “The ball was thrown by the outfielder.” Passive constructions are generally wordier and often leave out the person/thing doing the action. Table 5.7 provides a comparison of active and passive voice constructions.

Table 5.7. Active and passive voice.

In some situations, the passive voice can be useful, such as when you want to emphasize the receiver of an action or the action itself, as the subject of the sentence. Passive voice can also be helpful if you want to avoid using first person. However, overusing the passive voice results in writing that is wordy, vague, and stuffy. When possible, use the active voice to convey who or what performs the action of the verb.

Choose Precise Words

To increase understanding, choose precise words that paint as vivid and accurate a mental picture as possible for your audience. If you use language that is vague or abstract, your meaning may be lost or misinterpreted. Your document or presentation will also be less dynamic and interesting than it could be.

Table 5.8 “Precisely What Are You Saying?” lists some examples of phrases that are imprecise and precise. Which one evokes a more dynamic image in your imagination?

Table 5.8. Precisely what are you saying?

As with all audience-driven communication, the goal of professional and technical writing is to be understood. In the above examples, the writer adds information crucial to helping the audience understand the full picture. The added clarification is therefore also concise as it does not contain “empty” words and phrases that do not add to understanding.

The Importance of Verbs

Much of the style advice given so far revolves around the importance of verbs. Think of your sentence as a machine and the verb as the engine that makes the machine work. Like machines, sentences can function efficiently or inefficiently, and the use of a strong verb is one way to make them work effectively. Here are some key principles regarding the effective use of verbs in your sentences. While effective sentences may occasionally deviate from the suggestions in this list, try to follow these guidelines as often as possible:

• Keep the subject and the verb close together; avoid separating them with words or phrases that could create confusion.
• Place the verb near the beginning of the sentence (and close to the subject).
• Maintain a high verb/word ratio in your sentence.
• Prefer active verb constructions over passive ones.
• Avoid “to be” verbs (am, is, are, was, were, being, been, be).
• Turn nominalizations (abstract nouns) back into verbs.

Use the verb strength chart in Table 5.9 as a guide to “elevate” weaker verbs (or words with implied action) in a sentence to stronger forms.

Table 5.9. Verb strength chart.

Verb Strength	Verb Form	Examples
	Command/Imperative	Maintain the machine properly. Write the report!
	Active Indicative ( Subject→Verb)	He maintains the machine regularly. She often writes reports.
	Active Conditional (if statements)	She would maintain the machine if he would let her. If he had more training, he would write reports.
	Gerunds (___-ing) Infinitives (to___) (These do not function as verbs in your sentence; gerunds and infinitives are in italics, while actual verbs are in bold text.)	While maintaining the machine, he gets quite dirty. Writing a report takes skill. It takes a lot of time to maintain this machine. To write effectively, one must understand the audience.
	Passive (Subject←Verb)	The machine is maintained by him. The report was written by her.
	Passive Conditional	It would be maintained by her if… Reports would be written by him if...
	Nominalizations (verbs turned into abstract nouns) Participles (nouns or adjectives that used to be verbs) (These do not function as verbs in your sentence. Nominalizations and participles are italics; actual verbs are in bold text.)	Machine maintenance is dirty work. A well-maintained machine is a thing of beauty. Written work must be free of errors.

While you are not likely to use the command form very often (unless you are writing instructions), the second strongest form, active indicative, is the one you want to use most often (in about 80% of your sentences).

Part of the skill of using active verbs lies in choosing the verbs that precisely describe the action you want to convey. Because they are used frequently, common verbs such as “be,” “do,” “get,” and “have” possess multiple meanings and appear in a variety of idioms. Using these verbs therefore can lead to unintentional ambiguity. Whenever possible, avoid these general verbs and use more precise, descriptive verbs, as indicated in Table 5.10.

Table 5.10. General verbs and descriptive verbs.

Table 5.11 summarizes poor style characteristics that you should try to avoid while writing technical and professional documents, as well as effective style characteristics that you should strive to implement.

Table 5.11. Key characteristics of effective professional style.