Transcript Common Grammar & Style Errors

Common Grammar and Style Errors
CS411W – Fall 2012
Wordiness
• Word Choice (WC): Repetitive Words
– "This...this...this...this..."
– "...completed...completed...completed..."
– "The interfaces will be the user interface...and
the interface..."
– "The Notification Manager... notification...
notification... notification..."
Vague Adjectives
• Be specific!
• Avoid imprecise phrases like the following:
– “a lot”
– “some software”
– “many factors”
– “various algorithms”
– “lots of time”
Describe (Don’t Sell)
• Simplicity is a goal, not a feature.
– "simple example"
– "intuitive interface"
– "This results in happier riders...“
– "...easy to use interface...“
– "intuitive design“
• Technical documents should not be
marketing material.
Avoid Colloquialisms and Slang Terms
• Keep the audience in mind at all times.
• Not all phrases translate across regions.
• Examples of BAD phrases:
– “peace of mind”
– “newbies”
– “fire and forget”
– “dummy database”
Cite Sources
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Inline citations. Not footnotes.
Follow APA standards.
The citation belongs inside the sentence.
Example:
– “There are over 2,322 American universities with
majors that have complex requirements that a
student must complete to be in their major of
choice (US NDCES, 2011).”
Define Terms
• Pay close
attention to the
terms that you
are using.
• Define your terms
early and you can
use the acronym
afterwards.
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GSM
GUI
WAN
LAN
RDBMS
SMART
TCP
PaaS
Comma Usage
• Introductory phrases should end with a
comma before continuing.
• Example:
– “In these cases, SOAR will give the student access
to the external organization’s contact
information.”
– “By doing this, the university and the students
benefit.”
Capitalization
• “University” should not be capitalized unless it
is part of the title of an institution.
• Keep the capitalization of components
consistent across the document.
• Avoid capitalizing terms unless part of a
system or a known algorithm.