stylehandbook-091209185613-phpapp02

8/2/2019 stylehandbook-091209185613-phpapp02

1/36

Technical StyleA 2-part introductory workshop

Presented by Edwin Hollonfor Kyung Hee University - Suwon, South Korea


2/36

Introduction- What is Technical Style?

When you think of the word style, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of the latest clothes fashions or

maybe automobile designs. These are fine examples, but this is a class about technical writing. So, how does

style apply in this context?

As students, most of you are probably familiar with some sort of style guide, such as the Chicago Manual of

Style. These types of guides contain lots of rules and conventions to help authors write consistently and

follow grammar rules. So, is this what I mean when I say technical style? Not exactly.

Of course, technical writers must pay close attention to grammar rules. They must follow all types of

conventions and grammatical rules when they write. However, the subject of this workshoptechnical

styleis about more than just grammatical rules and conventions.

Technical style involves some of the most important considerations of technical writing. That is, how to

effectively communicate with your audience. In this 2-day workshop, we will discuss some basic principles of

technical style that will help you write more accurately, more clearly, and more concisely. In addition, we willtalk about how and when to use technical terminology and tips for proper use of commonly misused words.

Finally, we will discuss the importance of style guides, how to use them, and even how create basic style

guides for your writing projects.

To learn more about style

This workshop is based in part on Joseph M. Williams book Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and

Grace (8th

edition). Because this is an introductory course, we will only briefly look at a few of

the principles of style covered by Mr. Williams. However, if you would like to learn more

about this topic, Mr. Williams book is an excellent resource.

About me

My name is Edwin Hollon and I am a professional technical communicator. I completed my

Bachelors degree in English composition andmy masters degree in Technical Writing. I have

worked as a technical writer in several different fields, including IT, defense contracting, and

consumer electronics.

For the last 3 years, I have worked here in Suwon developing user guidance, providing

professional education and lectures about technical writing, helping to promote and expand

the industry, and managing a wide variety of information projects. If you would like to learn

more about my experiences as a technical communicator, you can view my professional

profile online: www.linkedin.com/in/eddiehollon

On the cover: Clip Language Clip & Tiepin by Koo, Jin -woog and Sim Mi-so, 2007.


3/36

Technical Style A 2-day Introductory Workshop 1 of 34

Rhetorical Situation

The rhetorical situation includes the audience (who we are writing for), the

purpose (why we are writing to them), and the occasion (when, where, and

how the audience will receive our message.

Based on the rhetorical situation, we can make decision about the appropriatestyle, tone, and delivery method for our message. In the table below, consider the

rhetorical situation (audience, purpose, and occasion) and then choose the

appropriate message.

Audience Purpose Occasion Message

Retired

travelers

Promote

travel sales

Anytime

during travel

season

Electronic

specifications file

sent by email

Mobile phone

users

Instructions

for new

functions

As needed

when using

the phone

Printed fliers

placed in

mailboxes

Residents of

apartment

building

Notify about

new water

policy

One month

before

effective date

Television

advertisement

during scheduled

programming

Aerospace

engineers

Update

physical

specifications

of parts

Before rush

deadline

Help system

embedded in the

mobile phone

Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


4/36

2 of 34 Technical Style A 2-day Introductory Workshop

Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


5/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


6/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


7/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


8/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


9/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


10/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


11/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


12/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


13/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


14/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


15/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


16/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


17/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


18/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


19/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


20/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


21/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


22/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


23/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


24/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


25/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


26/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


27/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


28/36


Notes

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________

________________


29/36


Appendix A Commonly Misused Words

This is a condensed list of some commonly misused words. Refer to the reference section to find more

examples online.

accept and except

While they sound similar, except is a preposition that means "apart from", while accept is a verb thatmeans "agree with", "take in", or "receive". Except is also rarely used as a verb, meaning to leave out.

We accept all major credit cards, except Diners Club.

Men are fools... present company excepted! (Which means, "present company excluded")

I had trouble making friends with them; I never felt excepted.

We all went swimming, accept for Jack.

affect and effect

The verb affect means "to influence something", and the noun effect means "the result of". Effect can

also be a verb that means "to cause [something] to be", while affect as a noun has technical meanings in

psychology, music, and aesthetic theory: an emotion or subjectively experienced feeling.

This poem affected me so much that I cried.

Temperature has an effect on reaction spontaneity.

The dynamite effected the wall's collapse.

He seemed completely devoid of affect.

The rain effected our plans for the day.

We tried appeasing the rain gods, but to no affect.

assure, ensure, and insure

To assure is to intend to give the listener confidence, to ensure is to make certain of, and to insure is to

purchase insurance.

I assure you that I will have your car washed by the time you return.

When you mow the lawn, ensure there are no foreign objects in the grass.

I plan to purchase the collision policy when I insure my car.

can't and cant

Can't is a contraction of cannot. Cant has a number of different meanings, including a slope or slant, or a

kind of slang or jargon spoken by a particular group of people. "Canting arms" is a coat-of-arms that

represents meaning of the bearer's surname.

I can't understand the dialogue in this book because it is written in cant.

Heralds do not pun; they cant.

I cant swim; I have never taken lessons.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/accepthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/excepthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/excepthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepositionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/affecthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/effecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aestheticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjectivityhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/assurehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ensurehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/insurehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/can%27thttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/canthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/can%27thttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/insurehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/ensurehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/assurehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subjectivityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emotionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aestheticshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musichttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychologyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affecthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/effecthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/affecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepositionhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/excepthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/accept


30/36


complementary and complimentary

Things or people that go together well are complementary, whereas complimentary refers to a free

bonus gift item or giving someone a compliment.

Orange and blue are complementary colors.

This sales item comes with a complimentary gift.

Jane was very complimentary about your new home.

contiguous, continual, and continuous

Contiguous means "touching" or "adjoining in space"; continual means "repeated in rapid succession";

continuous means "uninterrupted" (in time or space).

Alaska is not one of the forty-eight contiguous states.

The field was surrounded by a continuous fence.

The continuous murmur of the stream.

His continual interruptions are very irritating.

disassemble and dissemble

To disassemble means "to dismantle" (e.g. to take a machine code program apart to see how it works);

to dissemble means "to tell lies".

discreet and discrete

Discrete means "having separate parts", as opposed to contiguous. Discreet means "cautious".

economic and economical

Economic means "having to do with the economy". Economical means "financially prudent, frugal" and

also figuratively in the sense "sparing use" (of time, language, etc.)[1]

Buying in bulk can often be the most economical choice.

The actor should be economical in his use of movement.

He attended the School of Economic and Business Sciences.

Leading economical indicators suggest that a recession may be on the horizon.

The actor should be economic in his use of movement.

e.g. and i.e.

The abbreviation e.g. stands for the Latin exempli grati "for example", and should be used when the

example(s) given are just one or a few of many. The abbreviation i.e. stands for the Latin id est "that is",

and is used to give the only example(s) or to otherwise qualify the statement just made.

A Briton is a British citizen, e.g. John Lennon.

Tolkien's The Hobbitis named after its protagonist, i.e., Bilbo Baggins.

A Briton is a British citizen, i.e., Paul McCartney (at the last count, there were about 60 millionBritonsSir Paul is far from being the only one)
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/complementaryhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/complimentaryhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contiguoushttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/continualhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/continuoushttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disassemblehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dissemblehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_codehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/discreethttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/discretehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/economichttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/economicalhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_misused_English_words#cite_note-Fowler-0http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/e.g.http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/i.e.http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/i.e.http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/i.e.http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/e.g.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_misused_English_words#cite_note-Fowler-0http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/economicalhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/economichttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/discretehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/discreethttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_programhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machine_codehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/dissemblehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disassemblehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/continuoushttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/continualhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/contiguoushttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/complimentaryhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/complementary


31/36


emigration and immigration

Emigration is the process of leaving a country; immigration is the process of arriving in a countryin

both cases, indefinitely.

Ethnic communities, such as Little Italy, were created by people emigrating from their

home countries.

historic and historical

In strict usage, historic describes an event of importanceone that shaped history or is likely to do so.

Historical merely describes something that happened in the past.

The president made a(n) historic announcement. (The announcement was of historical

importance.)

The office kept an archive of historic records. (The records are not necessarily of

historical importancethey are simply records from the past.)

imply and infer

Something is implied if it is a suggestion intended by the person speaking, whereas a conclusion is

inferred if it is reached by the person listening.

When Tony told me he had no money, he was implying that I should give him some.

When Tony told me he had no money, I inferred that I should give him some.

When Tony told me he had no money, he was inferring that I should give him some.

it's and its

It's is a contraction that replaces it is or it has (see apostrophe). Its is the possessive determiner

corresponding to it, meaning "belonging to it".

It's time to eat!

My cell phone has poor reception because its antenna is broken.

It's been nice getting to meet you.

Its good to be the king.

The bicycle tire had lost all of it's pressure.

isle and aisle

An isle is a small island in a string of small islands. An Aisle is corridor through which one may pass from

one place to another.

He came from a small isle in the Caribbean.

The coffee is down the third aisle on the left.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emigratehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/immigratehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/historichttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/historicalhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/implyhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inferhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/it%27shttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/itshttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/itshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe_%28punctuation%29http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possessive_determinerhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/islehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aislehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/aislehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/islehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Possessive_determinerhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostrophe_%28punctuation%29http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/itshttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/it%27shttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/inferhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/implyhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/historicalhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/historichttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/immigratehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/emigrate


32/36


lay and lie

lay (lay, laid, laid, laying) and lie (lie, lay, lain, lying) are often used synonymously. Lay is a transitive verb,

meaning that it takes an object. "To lay something" means to place something. Lie, on the other hand, is

intransitive and means to recline (and also to tell untruths, but in this case the verb is regular and causes

no confusion). The distinction between these related verbs is further blurred by the fact that past tense

of lie is lay. An easy rule of thumb is to replace the words with sit and set. If sit makes sense (e.g. sit

down) then lie should be used (lie down). If the sentence works with set (e.g. set the book on the table)then lay should be used (lay the book on the table). To lie can also mean "to not tell the truth" - but in

that case, the past tense is lied. A layoff is never a lieoff or lyoff.

I lay my husband's work clothes out for him every morning. Yesterday, I decided to see if

he paid attention to what I was doing, so I laid out one white sock and one black. He did

not notice!

You should not lie down right after eating a large meal. Yesterday, I lay on my bed for

half an hour after dinner, and suffered indigestion as a result. My wife saw me lying

there and made me get up; she told me that if I had waited for a couple of hours I could

have lain down in perfect comfort.

You lied to me, there is no hidden chamber!

Is this bed comfortable when you lay on it? (Should be lie)

Yesterday I lied down in my office during the lunch hour. (Should be lay)

There was no reason for him to have laid down in the middle of the path, it unnerved me

to see him laying there saying nothing. (Should be "have lain down" and "him lying

there")

Lie the baby down, and change his diaper (Should be lay, as lie is intransitive)

"It could be easy for those guys to lay down. After I left, they could have just laid

down."[2]

I am going to lay out in the sun and work on my tan. (Should be lie. In general, the term

lay outwhen referring to sunbathing is always non-standard usage.)

Sorry, I lay about our appointment yesterday. (Should be lied)

lose and loose

Lose can mean "fail to win", "misplace", or "cease to be in possession". Loose can mean the opposite of

tight, or the opposite of tighten. Lose is often misspelled loose, likely because lose has an irregular

rhyme for the way it is spelled: it is more common for words ending -ose to rhyme with nose, or rose,

but lose rhymes news or confuse. This may cause poor spellers to guess the correct spelling should

match another rhyming word like choose, although choose is itself also an exception to the regular

rhyme for words ending -oose (typically such words, including loose, rhyme with goose or caboose).

We cannot afford to lose customers to our competitors.

A screw is loose and I need a wrench to tighten it.

If the team cannot score any points, they will loose the game.
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/layhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/liehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitive_verbhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intransitivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_misused_English_words#cite_note-1http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/losehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loosehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/loosehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/losehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_misused_English_words#cite_note-1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intransitivehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transitive_verbhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/liehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/lay


33/36


past and passed

Past refers to events that have previously occurred, while passed is the past tense of "to pass", whether

in a congressional action or a physical occurrence.

Congress passed the bill limiting the powers of the President.

History is mainly concerned with the events of the past.

He past my house on his way to the store.

set and sit

When used as a verb, to set means "to place" or "to adjust to a value", whereas to sit means, "to be

seated".

Set the pot upon the stove.

Set the temperature-control to 100 C.

Sit on the chair.

Set down over there.

Sit the pot on the stove.

than and then

Than is a grammatical particle and preposition associated with comparatives, whereas then is an adverb

and a noun. In certain dialects, the two words are usually homophones because they are function words

with reduced vowels, and this may cause speakers to confuse them.

I like pizza more than lasagne.

We ate dinner and then went to the movies.

You are a better person then I am.

there, their, they're, and there're

There refers to the location of something. Their means "belonging to them". They're is a contraction of

"They are". There're is a contraction of "there are".[citation needed]

There're five of them and they're all coming to the restaurant for their dinner; we will

meet them there.

whose and who's

Whose is an interrogative word (Whose is this?) or a relative pronoun (The people whose house you

admired); who's is a contraction for "who is" or "who has".
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/pasthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/passedhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sethttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sithttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thanhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_particlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepositionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverbhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nounhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_wordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwahttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/therehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/theirhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/they%27rehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/there%27rehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whosehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/who%27shttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrogative_wordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interrogative_wordhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/who%27shttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/whosehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_neededhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/there%27rehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/they%27rehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/theirhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/therehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schwahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Function_wordhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophonehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nounhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adverbhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prepositionhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammatical_particlehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thenhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/thanhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sithttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/sethttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/passedhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/past


34/36


won't and wont

Won't is a contraction for "will not", while wont is a word meaning "accustomed" or "inclined to" (as an

adjective) or "habit or custom" (as a noun).

He won't let me drive his car.

He spent the morning reading, as he was wont to do.

He took a walk in the evening, as was his wont.

I wont need to go to the supermarket after all.

you're and your

While they sound the same in many dialects, in standard written English they have separate meanings.

You're is a contraction for "you are", and your is a possessive pronoun meaning "belonging to you".

When in doubt, just see whether the word in question can logically be expanded to "you are".

When driving, always wear your seatbelt.

If you're going out, please be home by ten o'clock.

You're mother called this morning.

Your the first person to notice my new haircut today!
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/won%27thttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wonthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/you%27rehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yourhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/yourhttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/you%27rehttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/wonthttp://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/won%27t


35/36


Appendix B References

Print Resources

Cambridge Learners Dictionary (2nd

Edition) Cambridge University Press

Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary (3rdEdition) Cambridge University

Press

A Writers Reference (6th

Edition) Diana Hacker

The Global English Style Guide: Writing Clear, Translatable Documentation for a Global

Market John R. Kohl

Style: Ten Lessons in Clarity and Grace (8th

Edition) Joseph M. Williams

Read Me First! A Style Guide for the Computer Industry (2nd

Edition) Sun Technical

Publications

Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications (3rd

Edition) Microsoft

Corporation Editorial Style Board


36/36

Online Resources

A Writers Reference online companion sitean online version of Diana Hackers style guide.

(http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/hacker/writersref/)

Brians list of common errors in English usage an excellent collection of common problems with English

usage, including commonly misused words, commonly misspelled words, and frequently misunderstood

grammatical rules. (http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/errors/index.html)

Strunk & Whites Wordsand Expressions Commonly Misused an excerpted section from the classic book

on English style. (http://www.bartleby.com/141/strunk3.html)

Wikipedias list of differences in meanings between British and American English a comprehensive list of

words and their different meanings in the UK and US.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_words_having_different_meanings_in_British_and_American_English)

Wikipedias list of commonly misused English words a collection of common mistakes in usage that includes

good examples of standard and non-standard usage.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_commonly_misused_English_words)

Wikipedias list of commonly misspelled English words a collection of common mistakes in spelling.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:List_of_common_misspellings)

stylehandbook-091209185613-phpapp02

Documents

Transcript of stylehandbook-091209185613-phpapp02