COMPUTER SYSTEMS RESEARCH
Elements of Technical Writing
2005-2006
Words and phrases commonly misused in technical writing (from Elements of Technical Writing by Blake and Bly)
When you question the choice of a particular word, ask yourself: (from the above text)
- Is there a shorter, simpler, or more modern word that would get my meaning across just as well?
- Will most of my readers understand the word?
- Is the word as specific and concrete as it can be?
- Big words.
- Wordy phrases
- Redundancies
- Cliches
- Overblown phrases
- The rise of -Ize
- Nouns as adjectives
- Misused and troublesome words and phrases