ENG201 Lesson 7 Writing Business Messages

LESSON 7: Accuracy, Clarity, Conciseness and Coherence

1. Define “stylistic accuracy.”
   Answer: Stylistic accuracy concerns the careful use of language, including paragraph and sentence structure and precise word choice, to express meaning effectively.
2. What are the five characteristics of effective technical communication listed in the lesson?
   Answer: The five characteristics are accuracy, clarity, conciseness, coherence, and appropriateness.
3. What are the three main aspects of accuracy?
   Answer: The three aspects are document accuracy, stylistic accuracy, and technical accuracy.
4. What is “contextual clarity”?
   Answer: Contextual clarity involves making the importance, authorization, and implications of the work clear to the reader, explaining the context in which the document was created.
5. Name two strategies for promoting structural clarity in a document.
   Answer: Two strategies are using abstracts, introductions, and other forecasting strategies, and employing descriptive titles and frequent subject headings.
6. What are the six specific strategies for developing coherent paragraphs mentioned in the lesson?
   Answer: The six strategies are enumeration, exemplification, comparison and contrast, analysis, definition, and description.
7. What is “technical accuracy” dependent on?
   Answer: Technical accuracy depends on the writer’s conceptual mastery of the subject and its vocabulary, as well as the ability to analyze and shape data with a minimum of distortion.
8. What is the primary benefit of using graphics in terms of conciseness?
   Answer: Graphics are powerful aids to conciseness because they can reduce the amount of prose needed to describe objects, processes, summarize data, and demonstrate relationships.
9. Explain the difference between “document accuracy” and “technical accuracy.”
   Answer: Document accuracy refers to the proper coverage of topics in appropriate detail. Technical accuracy requires a deep, conceptually sound understanding and representation of the subject matter itself.
10. How does “stylistic clarity” contribute to ease of understanding?
    Answer: Stylistic clarity is promoted by simple, direct language and straightforward sentence structures, which counteract the abstract and complex nature of technical subjects, making them easier to grasp.
11. Why is it important to provide contextual clarity in a technical document?
    Answer: Contextual clarity helps the reader understand what prompted the writing, the purpose, the intellectual context, and how the work fits into the bigger picture, which is essential for fully comprehending the document’s significance.
12. Explain how coherence improves the “flow” or “readability” of a document.
    Answer: Coherence provides an easily followed path for the reader by making material logically and stylistically consistent, using organizational patterns and transitional devices that emphasize relationships among ideas.
13. How does the strategy of “exemplification” help in paragraph development?
    Answer: Exemplification uses examples and anecdotes to bolster an argument or clarify a topic statement, making abstract ideas more concrete, relatable, and understandable for the reader.
14. Describe how “comparison and contrast” can be used to develop a paragraph.
    Answer: A paragraph can be developed by examining the similarities (comparison) or differences (contrast) between two things, processes, or states, which helps to highlight the distinctive features or relative merits of each.
15. Why is conciseness especially valued in technical fields?
    Answer: Conciseness is valued because technical professionals are often busy and need to access relevant information quickly; wordy documents waste time and can obscure key points with unnecessary detail.
16. How can a writer make a document more concise during the revising stage?
    Answer: A writer can eliminate useless words, sentences, and sections, reduce wordiness, and remove any material that is not necessary to support the document’s central claims.
17. What is the role of transitional words and phrases in creating coherence?
    Answer: Transitional words and phrases clarify and smooth the movement from one idea to the next, explicitly signaling the relationships (e.g., addition, cause, contrast) between sentences and paragraphs.
18. A report states, “The device operates very efficiently.” Rewrite this sentence to improve its clarity and concreteness.
    Answer: Rewritten: “The device converts 95% of input energy into usable output, with only 5% lost as heat.” This is more concrete and precise.
19. You are editing a long report and find a section that is interesting but not essential to your main argument. Based on the principle of conciseness, what should you do?
    Answer: I should remove that section or move it to an appendix, as conciseness requires conveying only the needed material to support the claims.
20. The following paragraph is confusing: “Reducing drag is important. Fuel costs can be high. Joint stress is a problem. We will make a model.” Improve its coherence using transitional words.
    Answer: Improved: “Reducing drag in aerospace vehicles is an important design consideration. For example, high drag can lead to increased fuel costs and greater stress on key joints. Therefore, this project will develop a model to reduce aerodynamic drag.”
21. You need to explain a complex new process to a group of managers. Which paragraph development strategy would be most effective, and why?
    Answer: The strategy of “enumeration” would be effective. By listing the steps of the process in a numbered sequence, I can make the information easy to follow and remember for the audience.
22. A sentence in a proposal reads: “The utilization of the new methodology will facilitate an enhancement in productivity.” Rewrite this sentence to improve stylistic clarity and conciseness.
    Answer: Rewritten: “The new method will increase productivity.” This version uses simpler, more direct language and avoids camouflaged verbs.
23. You are writing a feasibility report comparing two software platforms. How can you use the “comparison and contrast” strategy in your “Evaluation” section?
    Answer: I can structure the evaluation by criteria (e.g., cost, security, ease of use), and under each criterion, I can directly compare how Software A and Software B perform, highlighting their similarities and differences.
24. Analyze the following statement for accuracy: “Sales have skyrocketed.” How could this be made more accurate and technically precise?
    Answer: This statement is stylistically inaccurate and vague. A more accurate version would be: “Sales increased by 50% in the last quarter, from 200,000 units to 300,000 units.”
25. The introduction of your report dives directly into highly technical details. What element is missing, and how can you add it to improve contextual clarity?
    Answer: The introduction is missing a clear statement of purpose and background. I can add a sentence that states why the report was written, what problem it addresses, and whose work it builds upon to provide necessary context.