BASIC

TECHNIQUES
IN TECHNICAL
WRITING
TOPIC 2
LOIS RUTH MONICA R.
RESPITO
• (https://www.thoughtfulminds.org/ho
w-a-technical-writer-can-help-you-with-
your-blog-or-affiliate-website/ Retrieved
19 March 2021)
DEFINITION
TECHNIQUE 1
Merriam-Webster presents the
following definitions:
a statement of the meaning of a word or
word group or a sign or symbol,

a statement expressing the essential

nature of something, and

the action or process of stating the

meaning of word or word group.”
 • These difficult words may be
categorized into four (4): familiar
How are words for familiar things, familiar
words for unfamiliar things,
words unfamiliar words for familiar things
categorized? and unfamiliar words for unfamiliar
objects (Mills and Walter, 1982 as
cited in Tendero et.al., 2010).
FAMILIAR WORDS FOR FAMILIAR WORDS FOR UNFAMILIAR WORDS FOR UNFAMILIAR WORDS FOR
FAMILIAR THINGS UNFAMILIAR THINGS FAMILIAR THINGS UNFAMILIAR THINGS

These words are no These words come in the Most terminologies in

longer needed to be form of known words but sciences, medicine and
defined. are used in a differently technology belong to this
new sense. category.
The words that fall under If the term you need to
this category are simply write about belongs to this
called jargons. category, you must provide
a formal definition.

Chalk Mouse H2O for water

Manual Dirty Sodium chloride for table
Van Beam salt
Site paracetamol for painkiller
What are There are three kinds of definitions:
formal, informal and extended
the kinds of definitions (NROC Developmental
definitions? English Foundations, 2021).
 “A formal definition consists of three parts: the term,
the part of speech to which it belongs, such as a noun
or a verb, and all the traits or characteristics that are
specific to that term” (NROC Developmental English
Foundations, 2021).
Tendero, et.al. (2010) refers to these three
FORMAL components as the species, genus and differentia.

DEFINITIONS
“The species are the terms to be defined while genus
refers to the class where the species may be identified,
and differentia are the characteristics that will make
the given term different from other members of the
genus” (Tendero, et.al., 2010)
 In this kind of definition, you
may use known words or
examples to explain an
INFORMAL unknown term.
DEFINITIONS These definitions may be
synonyms or antonyms
introduced by or, in other
words or like.
 This kind has components of
both informal and formal
definitions.
EXTENDED
DEFINITIONS However, a writer may use a
number of other techniques
to define a word, concept or
phrase.
 • In this method, you will give examples or
Examples and instances of the term to be defined.
Instances / • You may also give an anecdote or short story to
Anecdotes help illustrate the term.
 Word Derivation
In this case, you could share the root, origin or history of
the term you want to define.
 • You could also compare/contrast a term to
Comparison another familiar term.
• For example, in order to define amphibians you
and Contrast will compare it with reptiles.
Cause and • You may also provide either the cause or the
effect of the term being defined.
Effect
 • Evoking the senses - sense of sight,
Physical hearing, touch, smell and taste, is very
helpful especially if the term to be
Description defined is a tangible object.
Location
There are times when an object is
found only in some particular location
or place.

It is therefore important to include the

location where it is found in your
definition.

Take for instance Example 8 on Durian.

Paragraph 3 presents the locations
where Durian fruit is exported from.
Basic Principle

If you are defining a particular process or

mechanism, it is necessary to explain the
basic principle involved.

Take for instance Example 5 on

Communication. The first sentence shows
the basic principle of communication:
sender and receiver sharing a message
through a channel in a specific setting.
 • You could provide an analysis by: a) listing the
steps of a process, b) enumerating the
Analysis functional parts of a device, or c) describing the
constituents of a substance.
Negative Statement • In this technique, you may explain a term by
/ Negation telling what it does not have or what it is not.
 • For this method, you may present how the term
you are defining could affect people, society and
Ramification environment.
 In this method, you may
show how the term you are
defining has been defined
Historical throughout history.
References J. Rufus Fears’ article
“Freedom: The History of an
Idea” is a very good example
for this method.