00:00:02
Okay, in the second kind of major
00:00:04
section of chapter 4, engraves and
00:00:06
graves, um they start kind of unpacking
00:00:08
common forms of tech writing. And as
00:00:10
they make clear, um a lot of technical
00:00:14
writing is centered around definitions,
00:00:16
many of which include descriptions and
00:00:18
explanations, right? And this section in
00:00:20
the textbook starts on page 80. Um so
00:00:24
there are three main forms of definition
00:00:25
that tend to be in play. You have the
00:00:28
brief, which I imagine is the most um
00:00:31
familiar to many of you at this point.
00:00:34
Um right. So this is the practice of
00:00:36
clarifying the meaning of a word or a
00:00:38
phrase by way of substitution for a more
00:00:41
familiar synonym. Um and these are
00:00:44
frequently done in parentheticals,
00:00:45
right? So parenthesis. So again, they
00:00:47
have to be short. If you if your
00:00:49
definition requires that you have
00:00:50
parentheses that go on for three lines,
00:00:52
then you're probably not actually
00:00:54
writing a brief definition. Okay. Um and
00:00:57
this is discussed on page 80. The second
00:01:01
category then would be the formal or the
00:01:03
categorical. Um so um and this is a very
00:01:07
very old practice as they make clear. It
00:01:08
goes back to kind of ancient Greece. Um
00:01:11
so this consists of three parts term,
00:01:14
class and features. um where the term is
00:01:17
the unfamiliar concept and the class uh
00:01:20
and features contextualize it via a
00:01:23
larger grouping with similar
00:01:24
characteristics that might be more
00:01:26
familiar. So that's your class um and
00:01:28
descriptions that distinguish it from
00:01:30
that larger group which would be the
00:01:31
features, right? So the really the goal
00:01:33
of a formal or a categorical definition
00:01:35
is to take the specific kind, make it
00:01:38
seem more familiar by contextualizing it
00:01:40
within the class and then honing in on
00:01:43
the specific features of that, you know,
00:01:45
unique um form or or term. Um so in
00:01:50
other words, the parts get increasingly
00:01:51
specialized so that the term can be
00:01:54
understood. Um and on 81, you get an
00:01:57
example of that in table 42, right?
00:02:00
where the term is LED, the class would
00:02:02
be a semiconductor. Features light bulb
00:02:05
without a filament doesn't get hot,
00:02:07
right? And let me give you the example
00:02:08
of saturated fat, artificial
00:02:10
intelligence. These are actually terms
00:02:12
that y'all are probably at least
00:02:13
passingly familiar with. Um, but that's
00:02:16
this is kind of how that that particular
00:02:18
form of definition works. And then the
00:02:21
final um category for definitions would
00:02:24
be the extended
00:02:26
um and that's a much more detailed
00:02:28
characterization than the previous two
00:02:30
and thus typically has multiple parts
00:02:33
right um so you have the operational
00:02:36
definition which describes the whole
00:02:38
device as well as how it works including
00:02:40
how the parts of the device work
00:02:42
together. Um and Graves and Graves kind
00:02:44
of start talking about the operational
00:02:46
uh definition on page 82. Um, this is
00:02:49
similar to, but distinct from a how-to
00:02:52
guide, frankly, in the sense that it
00:02:53
focuses more on describing how something
00:02:55
works instead of how to use it. Um, that
00:02:58
would be like the major difference. Um,
00:03:01
and then you have a description of parts
00:03:03
that involve uh describing all of the
00:03:06
parts um of a term or a concept. So that
00:03:10
usually happens by way of labeled
00:03:12
illustrations. Uh, and you have an
00:03:14
example of that on page 83 in figure
00:03:17
412.
00:03:18
um and 413 frankly.
00:03:21
Um and then you get the history or the
00:03:23
background that gives detailed
00:03:25
information on when or how something
00:03:28
came into existence. Um and that's
00:03:30
talked about on page 84. Um and then you
00:03:33
get cause and effect which explains the
00:03:35
process or procedure in depth by tracing
00:03:38
how certain actions have certain
00:03:39
consequences or effects. Um and that
00:03:43
Graves and Graves talk about on page 85.
00:03:45
And again there's examples for each of
00:03:46
these and the various figures associated
00:03:49
with these sections. Um and then the
00:03:52
final component also discussed by Graves
00:03:53
and Graves on page 85 would be the
00:03:55
analogy or comparison. Um and that uses
00:03:59
a well-known concept or thing to explain
00:04:02
a lesserk known concept or thing. So
00:04:05
that has something in common um with the
00:04:08
formal or categorical definition, but
00:04:10
it's part of this larger extended
00:04:12
definition. Um, now clearly you're not
00:04:14
going to write extended definitions for
00:04:16
every definition you use. Brief and
00:04:17
formal or categorical are more common,
00:04:20
but it is important that you understand
00:04:22
the basic components
00:04:25
of an extended um, definition because
00:04:27
sometimes that's kind of part of the
00:04:29
research you have to do for a particular
00:04:32
um, other document, professional
00:04:34
document that you're tasked with
00:04:35
creating. Um, and then the last thing I
00:04:39
want to think about
00:04:41
went too far
00:04:47
is basic design considerations. Um, and
00:04:52
because we're so used to producing
00:04:53
written documents, I think in word
00:04:55
processing uh programs, we don't always
00:04:57
think about the basics of effective
00:04:59
document design. Um, and this came up a
00:05:02
little bit when you were kind of looking
00:05:03
at the different websites um, for
00:05:05
thinking about who intended audiences
00:05:07
are for instance and if they're, you
00:05:09
know, advertisements or if Kora had any
00:05:11
form of visual design. Well, technically
00:05:13
it does if you think about bullets. Like
00:05:15
bullets are visual design, right? It's a
00:05:17
choice you make. Um, it accuse your
00:05:18
readers to expect certain things from
00:05:20
the document. Um, so I just want to
00:05:23
think about some of the basics here. And
00:05:25
and the first thing that's worth
00:05:27
thinking about um
00:05:30
well, okay, let me back up for a second.
00:05:32
The first thing I will say is that a lot
00:05:34
of these types of documents can now be
00:05:36
produced through templates. Um and and
00:05:39
and there's absolutely nothing wrong
00:05:41
with that. Indeed, a lot of companies
00:05:43
have their own templates for exactly how
00:05:44
they want certain things to be designed.
00:05:46
Uh clearly, you should use your
00:05:48
company's template if they're asking you
00:05:49
to do that. Uh, but it's still worth
00:05:51
knowing the basics of what go into
00:05:54
designing say an effective template. Um,
00:05:56
so that if there's ever an error because
00:05:58
templates aren't perfect. Sometimes
00:05:59
somebody might go in and accidentally
00:06:01
overwrite a certain section of it when
00:06:02
they're working on something for
00:06:04
instance, you want to be able to look at
00:06:05
that and be like, "Something's funky
00:06:07
here." Or, you know, you might have used
00:06:09
it for years and say, "Hey boss, I think
00:06:11
it's time for an upgrade and here's
00:06:13
why." So components that are worth
00:06:16
thinking about when it comes to
00:06:17
effective document design include font.
00:06:20
Okay. Um the onscreen version of a text
00:06:23
when printed is called type face. And
00:06:25
some of these are easier to read than
00:06:27
others. So serif
00:06:29
um fonts um versus sans serif or how
00:06:33
they essentially kind of go you know are
00:06:36
are grouped together. So serif fonts
00:06:38
would be times new roman for instance
00:06:40
right? I given you an example of times
00:06:41
new roman there. It's what I tend to
00:06:43
use. I know it's boring, but it's easy
00:06:45
to read. Garamond is another Sarif um
00:06:47
font. Um sans sans serif fonts include
00:06:50
things like Ariel or Tacoma. And again,
00:06:53
if you know the the title of the font is
00:06:55
in that font here. Um so
00:06:59
saf fonts are easier to read for many
00:07:01
people. Um and they're used by most
00:07:03
modern brands in print while sans saf on
00:07:07
signs or apps and websites because they
00:07:10
don't have the tapers. and tapers are
00:07:11
tails or feet like on T's for instance,
00:07:14
right? Which make for cleaner li lines
00:07:16
that are easier um on the eye. So in
00:07:19
short, serif are better for long chunks,
00:07:22
right, of reading like your paragraphs,
00:07:25
whereas um sound serif are are are good
00:07:28
for I don't know headings and
00:07:30
subheadings, right? So your your white
00:07:33
paper might be written mostly in um
00:07:36
Times New Roman and you might have
00:07:37
aerial
00:07:39
headings for instance. Okay, but it is
00:07:42
worth knowing this stuff. Um, and
00:07:43
particularly when it comes to
00:07:44
accessibility, people who have any kind
00:07:46
of um, difficulties reading are really
00:07:50
going to need you to pay attention to
00:07:51
the difference between seraf and sans
00:07:53
serif fonts. Um, and you'll I think
00:07:56
you've probably experienced even if you
00:07:58
try to save something as a PDF, um, or
00:08:00
if you're playing with word spacing on,
00:08:03
I don't know, something like a resume,
00:08:05
if you have like a a Sarah font and you
00:08:08
make something really close to each
00:08:09
other, it might look funky because you
00:08:11
have those tails on the T's, for
00:08:13
instance. Um, so you've experienced this
00:08:16
is, I guess, what I'm saying. I'm just
00:08:18
trying to give you the vocabulary for
00:08:19
describing what you've probably seen
00:08:21
before. So know the difference between
00:08:23
those two fonts. Um using one font for
00:08:27
everything can make it uniform, right?
00:08:29
So you go back to that idea of cohesion.
00:08:31
Um it can also in some contexts make it
00:08:34
boring, right? So you might use one
00:08:36
again um font for your headings and
00:08:38
another for your body. Or you might want
00:08:40
to use different versions of Sarif or
00:08:43
Sans Sarif fonts in different parts of
00:08:44
your document depending on what you're
00:08:46
creating, who you expect to be looking
00:08:48
at it and what context they're supposed
00:08:50
to be looking at it, all that stuff. So
00:08:52
again, think context. Um, next thing
00:08:56
worth thinking about is whites space.
00:08:58
Um, and whites space refers to the areas
00:09:00
in a document that have no text or
00:09:01
visuals, i.e. your margins, right? Your
00:09:03
headers, your footers. Um, think of it
00:09:06
as frames for the important information
00:09:09
you are providing and you use it
00:09:10
accordingly to help direct your your
00:09:12
reader's eye or focus. If you have text
00:09:15
going all the way from here, I'll do it
00:09:18
over this side of your your screen to
00:09:20
this side, no breaks whatsoever, no
00:09:23
tabs, that is really overwhelming for
00:09:25
the eye, right? Um, you can't read that
00:09:28
much. You need to be able to stop and
00:09:29
pause and and and and um absorb what
00:09:32
you're reading. Whitespace helps you do
00:09:34
that. Whites space also exudes
00:09:37
confidence, right? So, here's whites
00:09:38
space over here on the table of
00:09:40
contents. Look at how much whites space
00:09:41
there is there. There's less on an
00:09:43
actual page, but you still have it. If
00:09:46
you try to cram everything you think or
00:09:48
know on a single page, it makes you look
00:09:50
desperate. Um, that's what it feels like
00:09:52
to a reader, right? You're like, whoa,
00:09:53
they don't know how to prioritize
00:09:55
information here. I don't know what to
00:09:56
do with this. You get overwhelmed. You
00:09:58
shut down. Um, so you know, you don't
00:10:01
want that to to kind of happen. Um, and
00:10:05
justification of a text impacts margins
00:10:07
too, by the way. So think about that.
00:10:09
Left aligned with ragged endings
00:10:12
preserves normal spacing, but it can add
00:10:14
more space to the right margin. Uh, many
00:10:17
find that easier to read, frankly. While
00:10:19
justified uses the whole line from
00:10:21
margin to margin, but it can make the
00:10:22
spacing of individual words look odd. um
00:10:26
some in some contexts and some templates
00:10:30
um that's what people want. So again,
00:10:32
know who you're working for, who you're
00:10:33
producing for, but this is an example of
00:10:35
a left justified right here, right?
00:10:37
Where the the words just end where they
00:10:40
end. If the whole line was justified, it
00:10:42
would start here and every single line
00:10:44
would like end in the same place, which
00:10:46
means that the words in the middle of
00:10:48
the line would be spaced differently.
00:10:50
Okay? Um, so know what the expectations
00:10:53
are, um, and and act accordingly. But
00:10:55
also know if you're not given explicit
00:10:58
directions, this is the style most
00:11:00
people find easiest to read.
00:11:03
Um, proximity is the kind of grouping of
00:11:06
elements on a page, right? Um, and they
00:11:09
suggest the relationship, right, via a
00:11:11
visual unit, um, through spacing and
00:11:13
justification, etc. Um, so that helps
00:11:16
with clarity and you want to be aware of
00:11:18
that. Uh alignment of course refers to
00:11:20
the lining up of elements on a page
00:11:22
through text wrapping etc. And that also
00:11:25
helps with clarity. Um it's how where
00:11:28
you position stuff, right? So again here
00:11:29
you have all your alignment your major
00:11:32
headers 1020 3040 are at one level and
00:11:36
then you know you have your what what
00:11:38
they're called and then if you have sub
00:11:41
headings 2 1 and 22 they are tabbed over
00:11:44
even further. Right? So, this is a form
00:11:47
of proximity and alignment. The similar
00:11:50
things, all the twos are under one, two,
00:11:52
right? They're not down here randomly.
00:11:55
Um, but visually, this helps us pair
00:11:57
things together. Okay. Intro. Here's one
00:12:00
section. Here's another section. Here's
00:12:02
another section. Um, the main body
00:12:05
sections all seem to have at least two
00:12:07
subsections, right? So, it gives you a
00:12:09
lay of the land, so to speak. Um, that
00:12:12
brings me then to repetition. Um,
00:12:14
repetition refers to incorporating
00:12:16
similar elements throughout a document
00:12:17
like fonts, bullets, etc., which helps
00:12:20
build cohesion. Um, again, another way
00:12:22
of thinking of repetition is um,
00:12:25
consistency, right? So, you know, you
00:12:28
you should not be changing between serif
00:12:30
and sans serif um, fonts willy-nilly
00:12:33
throughout your your text. If your
00:12:35
header should be used similarly and
00:12:38
styled similarly, um, make sure your
00:12:40
bullets are formatted the same way.
00:12:42
you're not going back and forth between
00:12:43
square and circle, for instance. Um,
00:12:46
color schemes, all of that. Um, you want
00:12:48
to be consistent with those. So, you
00:12:50
want to repeat them. And then contrast,
00:12:53
um, refers to visual relationships
00:12:55
between items, either identical or
00:12:58
obviously different. Um, and some ways
00:13:00
to establish, um, difference include
00:13:03
changing the size, font, and color of of
00:13:06
of two pieces of text. And we'll talk
00:13:10
more about that um in the next module
00:13:12
when we're talking about visual kind of
00:13:13
representation of your work
00:13:15
specifically.
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